Shattered Pixel Dungeon
The roguelike that respects your time and ruins your evening.
How to install Shattered Pixel Dungeon for free
Shattered Pixel Dungeon is a free roguelike game released under Open Source (GPL-3.0). It runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, needs about 60 MB of disk space, and requires no account, payment or trial. The fastest route is the PlayBound Launcher, which handles the download and setup in one click.
One-click install
PlayBound fetches the official release — no third-party mirrors.
Installation steps
- 1
Install the PlayBound Launcher, then find Shattered Pixel Dungeon and press Install. The launcher downloads the official release, unpacks it and creates a shortcut. This is the fastest route and it never uses third-party mirrors.
- 2
Alternatively, download Shattered Pixel Dungeon directly from the official site at https://shatteredpixel.com. Always download from the official source — third-party mirrors of free games are a common malware vector.
- 3
Official releases are published on GitHub at github.com/00-Evan/shattered-pixel-dungeon/releases. Pick the newest stable release matching your operating system.
- 4
Windows
Run the downloaded installer and follow the prompts. If Windows SmartScreen warns about an unrecognised publisher, that is normal for open-source projects without a paid code-signing certificate — choose More info, then Run anyway.
- 5
macOS
Open the downloaded .dmg and drag the app into Applications. On first launch macOS may refuse to open it as unidentified — right-click the app and choose Open to approve it once.
- 6
Linux
Check your distribution's package manager first, which is usually the easiest route. Otherwise download the AppImage from the official site, mark it executable and run it.
chmod +x *.AppImage && ./*.AppImage - 7
Launch the game and look at the settings menu before your first session — resolution and control defaults are worth checking. Shattered Pixel Dungeon needs roughly 60 MB of free disk space.
System requirements
Minimum
1 GHz CPU · 1 GB RAM · Any GPU · 200 MB storage
Recommended
Any modern machine
Install questions
Is Shattered Pixel Dungeon free?
The desktop version is entirely free and open-source under GPL-3.0 with no purchases or advertising. The iOS and Android store listings are paid, which is the only place money changes hands.
Is Shattered Pixel Dungeon good for roguelike beginners?
Yes, unusually so. The rules are transparent, deaths are almost always explicable, and runs are short enough that starting again is cheap. It is one of the better introductions to the genre.
How long is a run in Shattered Pixel Dungeon?
A full successful run takes roughly an hour or two. Most early runs end much sooner, which is part of the design — each attempt teaches you something.
Does Shattered Pixel Dungeon have permadeath?
Yes. Death ends the run and nothing carries over except what you have learned. This is central to the design rather than an obstacle to it.
How is Shattered Pixel Dungeon different from Pixel Dungeon?
Shattered Pixel Dungeon is a long-running, heavily expanded fork of the original Pixel Dungeon, with substantially more content, more classes and far more refined balance. It is the actively developed version.