Key features
- Everything GZDoom has — OpenGL & Vulkan renderers, ZScript, ACS, ZMusic, 3D floors, dynamic lights.
- Modern cross-port standards — full DEHEXTRA, DSDHacked, MBF21 and UMAPINFO; partial ID24.
- GZDoom mod compatibility — a continuation of the same codebase, built to keep legacy content working.
- Community-tuned defaults — settings changed on player feedback instead of GZDoom's stock defaults.
- Built-in launcher — drop WADs, PK3s and (since 5.0.1) DEH/BEX patches onto it.
- Multi-game — Doom, Doom II, Heretic, Hexen and Strife.
- Active release cadence — 4.14.3 (Nov 2025), 5.0.0 (Aug 2026), 5.0.1 (Sep 2026).
- Free & open-source — GPLv3+, no cost, no ads.
What is UZDoom?
What is UZDoom?
UZDoom (Ultimate ZDoom) is a source port for Doom, Doom II, Heretic, Hexen and Strife that was forked from GZDoom in October 2025 by a team of developers who had previously worked on GZDoom itself. The project’s own description is a “feature centric port for all Doom engine games, based on GZDoom, adding an advanced renderer and powerful scripting capabilities”, and it presents itself as “a continuation of ZDoom and GZDoom”.
In practice that means the things GZDoom players already know: OpenGL and Vulkan renderers, ZScript and ACS for modding, ZMusic for sound, 3D floors, dynamic lights, high-resolution graphics and a launcher you can drop files onto. On top of that, UZDoom lists full support for the modern cross-port standards DEHEXTRA, DSDHacked, MBF21 and UMAPINFO, partial support for ID24, and defaults that were changed on community feedback rather than inherited unchanged from GZDoom.
We have not tested UZDoom hands-on yet. This page is built from the project’s own releases, README and licence, and from the Doom Wiki; it will be upgraded to a tested review once we have put a release through our usual checks.
Why UZDoom exists
The Doom Wiki records the fork plainly: in October 2025 UZDoom was created “due to disagreements between Zahl and other developers”, Zahl being Christoph Oelckers (Graf Zahl), GZDoom’s long-time lead developer. Nash Muhandes announced the project on the Doomworld forums on 15 October 2025 as a fork meant to keep advancing the port, but away from the direction its primary developer wanted. Its stated goals kept GZDoom’s original ideals, legacy content compatibility first, while giving mod authors new features to work with.
The team named on the Doom Wiki is Nash Muhandes, Gutawer, Boondorl, TehRealSalt, Jay and Marcus. The first full release was 4.14.3 on 28 November 2025, numbered directly after GZDoom 4.14.2. UZDoom 5.0.0 followed on 28 August 2026 and 5.0.1 on 5 September 2026.
Two things follow from this. First, zdoom.org, the project home that both ports share, now files GZDoom under its historical ports and lists UZDoom as the current one (we last checked in September 2026). Second, GZDoom itself has not disappeared: it continues as an independently maintained project in its own repository, although its latest release is still 4.14.2 from May 2025.
What 5.0.1 brings
5.0.1 is a maintenance release on top of the 5.0.0 milestone. The release notes list DEH/BEX support for file dropping in the launcher, the previously missing Dehacked fields MinRespawnTics and RespawnDice, NoPerPixelLighting support for weapon models, more banner options and a -pride switch to choose one, and fixes for an out-of-bounds string access in MODELDEF path parsing, local pickups not working with Dehacked items, the particle flag SPF_NO_XY_BILLBOARD being ignored, a visual issue with the banner in light mode, plus improved translations.
The builds shipped with 5.0.1 are a Windows x86_64 zip, a macOS ARM64 (Apple Silicon) disk image and a Linux x86_64 AppImage, next to the source archives. There is no Intel Mac or Windows ARM build in this release.
UZDoom vs GZDoom
They share a codebase up to the fork and, for now, most of a feature set, so the choice is less about capability than about where development is heading. UZDoom is the port the ZDoom organisation maintains and lists as current, with three releases since November 2025 and explicit support for the newer cross-port standards. GZDoom is the independently continued original, with the larger installed base and the port most existing mods were written for. If a mod you want to play names a specific port and version, that recommendation wins over anything on this page.
Our GZDoom review covers the split in more detail, including what it means for existing mods.
Compatibility and requirements
UZDoom needs a game IWAD, either a commercial one from Doom, Doom II, Heretic, Hexen or Strife, or the free Freedoom data. Its modding support is the GZDoom family’s: vanilla, limit-removing, Boom, MBF and MBF21 content, Dehacked patches including DEHEXTRA and DSDHacked, UMAPINFO, and GZDoom-format mods. Like GZDoom it does not play back vanilla Doom demos, and its multiplayer is peer-to-peer rather than client-server; for online play the dedicated multiplayer ports remain the better fit.
The renderer requires an OpenGL- or Vulkan-capable GPU. We will fill in tested minimum and recommended specs once we have run it ourselves.
How to install UZDoom
// From zero to playing — step by stepDownload the build for your system
Grab the latest release from the UZDoom releases page on GitHub: a Windows x64 zip, a macOS Apple Silicon (ARM64) disk image or a Linux x86_64 AppImage. Unzip or mount it anywhere — there is no installer. 5.0.1 has no Intel Mac or Windows ARM build.
Get an IWAD (the game data)
UZDoom is just the engine — it needs a game file called an IWAD (e.g. doom2.wad). Own Doom on Steam or GOG? Copy the WAD from your game folder. Don’t own it? Use Freedoom, a free, license-clean IWAD.
Run UZDoom & pick your game
Launch UZDoom. Put your IWAD next to the executable (or point the launcher at it) and it lists every game it finds. Select one and you’re in.
Load a mod
Drop any GZDoom-compatible .pk3 or .wad — or a DEH/BEX patch — onto the launcher’s file list, or drag it onto the executable.
UZDoom system requirements
UZDoom vs other source ports
Need to pick between ports?
Short version: UZDoom handles most needs. For the full comparison and our ranked list, see the dedicated pages.
Frequently asked questions
Is UZDoom the same as GZDoom?
No. UZDoom was forked from GZDoom in October 2025 and is developed by a separate team under the ZDoom organisation. The two share a codebase up to the fork and most of their feature set, but they are now distinct projects with their own releases: UZDoom is at 5.0.1 (September 2026), GZDoom’s latest release is 4.14.2 (May 2025).
Should I switch from GZDoom to UZDoom?
If your mods run fine in GZDoom there is no urgency. zdoom.org now lists UZDoom as its current port and GZDoom as historical, and UZDoom is the one receiving releases, so new setups are better off starting there. If a mod’s author names a specific port and version, follow that.
Do my GZDoom mods work in UZDoom?
UZDoom was built as a continuation of the GZDoom codebase and, per the Doom Wiki, follows GZDoom’s feature set — ZScript, ACS, ZMusic and the rest — with legacy compatibility as a stated goal. Most GZDoom mods should load unchanged, but test each one; a mod that relies on a GZDoom feature added after the fork may not.
Is UZDoom free and safe to download?
Yes. UZDoom is free and open-source software under the GNU General Public License (GPLv3+). Download it from the official GitHub releases page; the code is publicly auditable. We link only to the official source and host no binaries ourselves.
Who makes UZDoom?
A team of developers who previously worked on GZDoom. The Doom Wiki lists Nash Muhandes, Gutawer, Boondorl, TehRealSalt, Jay and Marcus. Nash Muhandes announced the project on the Doomworld forums on 15 October 2025.
Why did UZDoom fork from GZDoom?
The Doom Wiki records that the fork happened “due to disagreements between Zahl and other developers” — Graf Zahl being GZDoom’s lead developer, Christoph Oelckers. The stated aim was to keep advancing the port, with legacy compatibility intact and new features for creators, but away from the direction its primary developer wanted.
Sources
- EXT UZDoom — The Doom Wiki at DoomWiki.org doomwiki.org
- EXT GZDoom — The Doom Wiki at DoomWiki.org (the October 2025 fork) doomwiki.org
- EXT UZDoom on GitHub — README and licence github.com
- EXT UZDoom 5.0.1 release notes and builds github.com
- EXT UZDoom announcement by Nash Muhandes — Doomworld forums, 15 October 2025 www.doomworld.com