In 2025, Rick Saada released a native 64-bit port of the full game on Steam — free to play. Both episodes are included. Steam achievements and cloud saves were added; everything else is faithful to the 1993 original. This is the easiest way to play on modern Windows.
store.steampowered.com/app/4313160 ↗ClassicReload hosts a browser-based version using Windows 3.x emulation. No download required. Note that saves don't persist when you close the browser tab, and Part 1 save import for Part 2 doesn't work in this environment.
classicreload.com ↗The original 16-bit freeware release can be found at several abandonware archives including MyAbandonware. Running it requires Windows 3.x emulation via DOSBox or Wine/WineVDM on modern systems. The Steam port is recommended for most users, but the original binary is what this shrine documents technically.
| Site | Description |
|---|---|
| The Temple of Odin | One of the original CotW fan sites. Items, monsters, and spells reference. Mostly static HTML; may have partial availability. The spiritual predecessor to this shrine. |
| StrategyWiki | Comprehensive wiki covering monsters, items, spells, and strategy. The most complete reference currently online. Monster entries include Rick Saada / Ben Goetter's original flavor text. |
| Wikibooks | Walkthrough and magic reference. Includes full spell list with damage values and durations. |
| Wikipedia | Overview article covering game history, mechanics, and reception. |
| RogueBasin | Entry in the roguelike history database. Notes CotW's place in the genre's evolution. |
| MobyGames | Game database entry with user reviews and historical metadata. |
| Playing Catch-Up (Game Developer) | Interview with Rick Saada. First-hand account of the development history, shareware decision, Epic MegaGames deal, and design philosophy. Essential reading. |
A web-based CotW remake written in Elm by mordrax. Development is halted, but the project is open source on GitHub. This is the remake that was hosted at game.castleofthewinds.com for a time.
Status: Halted License: BSD
mordrax's second attempt at a CotW remake, using Meteor + React/Redux before switching to Elm. Also open source and halted. Documents the iterative process of trying to port this game to the modern web.
github.com/mordrax/cotwmtor ↗Status: Halted
There is no dedicated Castle of the Winds community hub at this time. Discussions happen organically on Reddit (r/roguelikes, r/abandonware, occasional game-specific threads), and Rick Saada was active on Reddit around the time of the Steam launch in 2025. The Steam community forums are the most active space currently.
If there's enough interest, a dedicated subreddit may be created at r/CastleOfTheWinds. Check that link — if it exists, the community is there.
The community has a home at r/castleofthewinds on Reddit. Discussions cover gameplay, memories, the Steam release, and archival work. Rick Saada has participated in threads there around the time of the Steam launch.
reddit.com/r/castleofthewinds ↗The Steam release hub is the most active online space for CotW discussion in 2025. Rick Saada has participated in discussions there.
Steam Discussions ↗Rick Saada — Creator of Castle of the Winds. Developed the game from 1989 to 1993 while employed at Microsoft, and released it as freeware in 1998. Released a native 64-bit Steam port in 2025. Rick Saada passed away; no source code is publicly known to exist. This shrine is dedicated to preserving and documenting his work.
Paul Canniff — Artist. Created all terrain tiles, monster graphics, object icons, and most spell effect graphics as Windows 3.1 .ICO files. The 16-color pixel art is the visual soul of the game.
Ben Goetter — Writer. Produced the final draft of most of the game's story and combat text. The dry, occasionally deadpan flavor text that makes monsters memorable is largely his voice.
Epic MegaGames / Tim Sweeney — Publisher. Distributed Castle of the Winds as shareware and commercially in 1993. Tim Sweeney approached Saada directly, resulting in the publishing deal.
This shrine is an unofficial fan project. It is not affiliated with Rick Saada, Paul Canniff, Ben Goetter, Epic MegaGames, or any related parties. All game content, names, and lore are the property of their respective owners. Archival and documentation content on this site is provided for preservation and educational purposes.