You can play the 1996 Diablo in your browser right now – here’s how

Diablo, the original dungeon crawler, was a revelation when it launched all the way back in 1996. It let players charge around hacking and slashing all manner of beasties while hoovering up loot, and while Diablo-alikes are now reasonably common, the game was a trailblazer. 

So, how would you like to play it in your browser right chuffing now? 

The bods at Rivsoft, who are better known for their work with other dungeon crawler projects like the Path of Exile and Diablo III character planners, have pulled together a shareware version of the game that you can play in your browser. If you own the full game elsewhere, you can even drop the files in and play the whole game.

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The best way to do this is to pick it up on GOG, but you’ll need a certain file from a Diablo install so you can access the full game. Otherwise, the shareware version of the title that everyone can have access to will give you the first two areas of Diablo’s mega-dungeon and access to one of the three character classes contained in the game.

You can give the game a go with just a click, although it seems the prospect of a free slice of gaming history has proven popular, and it’s down just this second. Give it a few hours, it’ll come back. 

One of the best things about Diablo is that, as a game from 1996, it’s easy to just jump in and play it for a bit. There’s very little wind-up time: you show up in the village, decide to go and leather a few monsters in the dungeon and then waddle up that way and start smashing up the undead.

It’s satisfying, and is definitely a threat to your workplace productivity. Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone if you don’t.