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Carmageddon cover art
Carmageddon. Carmageddon screenshot © Stainless Games, via IGDB. Unofficial site, not affiliated with the publisher.
PC port · MS-DOS → PC

Dethrace (Carmageddon reverse-engineered for modern systems)

A reverse-engineered rebuild of the 1997 Carmageddon that runs natively on Windows, Mac and Linux. Works with the original or GOG game data and with the free official demos.

WorkingDecompilationNeeds your own copyv0.10.1Updated

You need your own copy of Carmageddon. This port only runs with files from a copy you own; there is no download or play button here. No copy? These play in your browser right away, no files needed: Underground 2 Revived (NFS Underground 2 in the browser), Road Rash in the browser (Three.js port), BO1 Zombies (vel.gg).

What you need

The data from your own Carmageddon (original CD or the GOG Max Pack), or one of the free official demos, plus a Windows, Mac or Linux computer.

Official releases ↗GitHub repository ↗

We do not host any files. Only download from the project's official source.

Every version of Carmageddon 2

  1. Dethrace (Carmageddon reverse-engineered for modern systems)This page

    WorkingDecompilation

    Reverse-engineered Carmageddon that runs natively on modern Windows, Linux and macOS.

    Runs on Windows (x64 and x86), macOS (universal), Linux (x64 and arm64)Needs files from a copy you own★ 1.2k0.10.1 · Feb 22, 2026

    GitHub ↗

  2. dethrace-ported-to-web

    ActiveDecompilation

    Reverse engineering the 1997 game "Carmageddon" ported to web browser

    ★ 38Last change Jul 5, 2026

    GitHub ↗

We link to each project's own page and host no game files. Version data from project pages, our daily checks and awesome-decomp-games (CC0).

Short answer

Dethrace rebuilds the 1997 Carmageddon from reverse engineering so it runs natively on modern Windows, macOS and Linux. It needs the data from your own copy (original CD or GOG’s Max Pack), or one of the free official demos. Latest release: 0.10.1, 22 February 2026.

This site is not affiliated with Dethrace, Stainless Games or the publishers. We do not host any files and only link the project’s official pages.

What it is

Carmageddon, Stainless Software’s notorious 1997 driving game, was built for DOS and Windows 95. The GOG release runs it through compatibility layers.

Dethrace “is an attempt to learn how the 1997 driving/mayhem game Carmageddon works behind the scenes and rebuild it to run natively on modern systems” (Dethrace README). The team has been reconstructing the original code since 2019 and tracks how closely its rebuilt functions match the original binary; its releases now include builds for Windows, macOS and Linux.

Current status

  • Status: Working. The repository was last updated on 23 October 2026.
  • Latest release: 0.10.1, 22 February 2026, for Windows (x64 and x86), macOS (one disk image for Apple silicon and Intel) and Linux (x64 and arm64).
  • Progress: the README shows a live progress chart of how much of the original code has been matched.

What you need

  • The data from your own Carmageddon: an original CD or the Carmageddon Max Pack on GOG.
  • Or a free official demo: the original Carmageddon demo, the Splat Pack demo or the Splat Pack Christmas demo, all linked from the README.
  • A Windows, Mac or Linux computer. On Windows you also need SDL2.dll next to Dethrace.

We do not link any copies of the full game.

How setup works (overview)

  1. Install Carmageddon from GOG or your CD, or unpack a demo.
  2. Download Dethrace from the releases page.
  3. Put it in the top-level Carmageddon folder, the one that contains the original CARMA.EXE. On Windows, add SDL2.dll there too.
  4. Run Dethrace. To keep it elsewhere, use a dethrace.ini file to point at the Carmageddon folder (see the project’s configuration docs).

Music

Dethrace follows GOG’s convention for CD audio: if the Carmageddon folder has a MUSIC folder with Track02.ogg, Track03.ogg and so on, Dethrace plays them instead of the original CD tracks.

In a browser

A separate project, dethrace-ported-to-web, compiles Dethrace 0.10.1 to WebAssembly with WebGL 2. Its README says its public demo embeds the retail game data, so we do not link the demo itself.

Common problems

  • Dethrace cannot find the game: it must sit next to CARMA.EXE, or you need a dethrace.ini pointing at that folder.
  • No music: add the MUSIC folder with OGG tracks, as in the GOG release.
  • Missing SDL2 on Windows: copy SDL2.dll into the same folder.

FAQ

How do I play the original Carmageddon on Windows 10 or 11?

Get the game data from your original CD or the Carmageddon Max Pack on GOG, then put Dethrace in the top-level Carmageddon folder (the one with CARMA.EXE) and run it. Dethrace rebuilds the 1997 game to run natively on modern Windows, macOS and Linux.

Can I try Dethrace without buying Carmageddon?

Yes. The README says Dethrace also supports the free official demos, including the original Carmageddon demo, the Splat Pack demo and the Splat Pack Christmas demo, and links where to get them.

Does Dethrace include the game?

No. The README states that Dethrace does not ship with any content and needs the data from the original game.

How does Dethrace play the CD music?

It follows the GOG convention. If the Carmageddon folder has a MUSIC folder with Track02.ogg, Track03.ogg and so on, Dethrace plays those in place of the original CD audio.

Is there a browser version of Carmageddon?

A third-party project compiles Dethrace to WebAssembly. Its public demo bundles the retail game data, so we do not link it; the source repository is on GitHub.

Unofficial. This page is written by an independent directory. It is not made by, endorsed by or affiliated with SCi (developed by Stainless Software) or dethrace-labs (Dethrace contributors) (Dethrace (Carmageddon reverse-engineered for modern systems)'s author). We do not host any files, and we never link to game files, ROMs or ISOs.

Sources

This page was last updated on Nov 3, 2026. A date after a source is the day we read it. Versions and steps follow the official project; if they differ, the official source wins.

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