Gauntlet
Gauntlet is a 1985 dungeon crawler developed by Atari Games and one of the earliest arcade games built around cooperative multiplayer. Up to four players choose from Warrior, Valkyrie, Wizard, or Elf, each with different strengths in melee, magic, armour, and speed, and hack through top-down mazes swarming with monsters, collecting food to stay alive and hunting for keys, treasure, and exits. Enemies pour endlessly from spawning generators that players must destroy to stem the tide.
Its enduring appeal came from the frantic four-player co-op and the constant tension of a health bar that ticked down over time and could even be stolen by other players eating shared food. The digitised narrator, famously warning "Elf needs food, badly" or "Wizard is about to die," gave it personality, while its generator-spawned hordes and shared-screen chaos influenced countless later dungeon crawlers and beat 'em ups.
Gauntlet has appeared in numerous sequels and reboots over the decades, and the original remains playable through retro collections and arcade emulation for those seeking classic couch co-op.
Play it today
Modern alternatives to Gauntlet, with the devices they run on and their price. Ordered editorially by how well each one stands in for the original, with community votes weighted in as they accumulate.
Prices, platform availability and Steam Deck compatibility can change at any time. Always check the store page before buying.
| Alternative | Price | Steam Deck | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wizard of Legend Indie | € 15,99 | Steam Deck Verified | PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch |
| Hammerwatch Indie | € 8,99 | Steam Deck Playable | PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch |
| Hammerwatch II Indie | € 24,99 | Steam Deck Playable | PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch |
| Gauntlet: Slayer Edition | € 19,99 | Steam Deck Playable | PC, PlayStation |
Wizard of Legend Indie
€ 15,99Fast top-down spellcasting co-op with arcade pacing and a huge spell pool.
Wizard of Legend runs on PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch. Not available on iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet.
Hammerwatch Indie
€ 8,99An indie top-down hack-and-slash dungeon crawler built as a loving tribute to Gauntlet.
Hammerwatch runs on PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch. Not available on iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet.
Hammerwatch II Indie
€ 24,99Four-player top-down dungeon crawling with classes and hordes of enemies, direct from the Gauntlet mould.
Hammerwatch II runs on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch. Not available on Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet.
Gauntlet: Slayer Edition
€ 19,99An official modern remake with four-player co-op and refreshed visuals.
Gauntlet: Slayer Edition runs on PC, PlayStation. Not available on Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet, Xbox, Switch.
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