NetHack 5.0 Released: Major Update to the Classic Roguelike Adds Tutorial, Lua Dungeon Generation, and Cross-Compilation Support

Mon, 04 May 2026 13:17:00 +0200

NetHack, the legendary roguelike computer game that has been entertaining players for 39 years, has officially released version 5.0. Developed by the dedicated Devteam, this new version brings significant updates while preserving the game's challenging and deep gameplay that fans love. Key changes include an optional tutorial for new players in the early game phases, making it more accessible for those discovering the title for the first time. The code has been modernized to compile with C99 standards and now uses Lua for dungeon generation, replacing the previous yacc and lex system. This shift is expected to make future expansions easier while keeping the build process straightforward. Cross-compilation support has also been greatly improved, allowing easier builds for various platforms. Official binaries are provided for Windows, MS-DOS, and Amiga, highlighting the game's commitment to retro compatibility, including support for classic AmigaDOS 3.0 on 68000 machines. However, as an