Proving Doom can actually run on anything, one programmer has made a working build for Commodore 64
Engineer and programmer Steve McCrea is currently developing a working version of the classic 1993 first-person shooter Doom for the Commodore 64, the pioneering 8-bit home computer that was discontinued just one year after Doom’s original release.
McCrea, who has previously worked on several Metroid games and the VR port of Resident Evil 4, has undertaken the challenge despite the Commodore 64’s technical limitations being largely unsuited for first-person shooters. The port is far from a straightforward translation—it is technically not a true 3D implementation, requiring significant technical adaptations to function within the hardware’s constraints.
This project joins a growing collection of unconventional Doom ports that have become a running joke in gaming culture. The original game has been successfully ported to numerous devices never intended for gaming, including vaporizers, printers, oscilloscopes, pregnancy tests, and ATMs, among others.
The Commodore 64 port represents both a technical achievement and a celebration of game preservation and classic computing. While the resulting game may not be the most playable version of Doom ever created, it demonstrates the enduring appeal of the classic shooter and the determination of programmers to push vintage hardware to its absolute limits.