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Karateka
Karateka is a side-scrolling fighting game developed by Jordan Mechner and released by Broderbund in 1986 for DOS. Players control a karate master progressing through five progressively difficult levels. Each level is populated with various opponents, with a powerful boss encounter at the end of each stage. The game uses arrow keys for movement and the spacebar for attacks and kicks, employing turn-based combat mechanics. Character animations are fluid and realistic, displaying detailed martial arts techniques. Levels are set in different locations within the game's story, advancing from outdoor areas to a final confrontation. The game's realistic fight animations and narrative-driven single-player gameplay provided a distinctive experience for early personal computer action games of that era.
- Released
- 1986
- Platform
- DOS
- Genre
- Fighting
- Rating
- 4.9 / 5 (1.4K)
- Last updated
Karateka Controls — DOS Keyboard Keys
Default keyboard bindings for Karateka on our in-browser DOS emulator. Plug in a USB or Bluetooth gamepad to auto-detect mappings, or rebind any key from the emulator settings menu.
DOS games use the keyboard directly as the controller — there is no console-button mapping. Open the in-game documentation or check the game-specific options screen for the key layout used by this title.
Rebind any key from the EmulatorJS in-game settings menu (gear icon → Controls). A connected gamepad auto-maps to the same buttons.
Karateka Longplay & Gameplay Videos
Watch a full playthrough of Karateka on DOS before you dive in — recommended for getting a feel for the game's pacing, story beats, and difficulty curve.
Watch longplay on YouTube
"Karateka" DOS longplay 1986
External references
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Karateka released?
Karateka was released in 1986 for the DOS.
What type of game is Karateka?
Karateka is a Fighting game for the DOS, playable instantly in your browser — no downloads, no installs.
How can I play Karateka for free?
Open this page and click "Play Now" — Karateka runs free in your browser via WebAssembly emulation. No account, no payment, no installer.
Do I need to download anything to play Karateka in the browser?
No. Karateka streams from a public archive into a browser-side DOS emulator. Nothing is installed on your computer.
Can I save my progress in Karateka?
Yes. Save states are stored in your browser (IndexedDB) per game, and you can also use any in-game save the original DOS cartridge supported.
Does Karateka work on mobile devices?
Yes — the DOS emulator runs on iOS Safari and Android Chrome. Touch controls overlay the game; landscape mode is recommended.
Is it legal to play Karateka this way?
RetroGameSpace is a transient caching reverse-proxy and does not host first-party copies of Karateka. Game files are fetched on demand from publicly-accessible archives. You are responsible for compliance with your local laws and the bring-your-own-ROM principle.
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