C-Dogs SDL is a free open-source top-down run-and-gun game reviving the classic Cyberdogs/C-Dogs series. See features, co-op modes and modding support.
C-Dogs SDL's lineage begins with Cyberdogs, a 1994 game by Swedish developer Ronny Wester, whose later DOS title C-Dogs (developed roughly 1997 to 2001) became a freeware favorite for its frantic, top-down run-and-gun action. In 2002, Wester released the C-Dogs source code to the public, a decision that let other developers preserve and build on the game well past the DOS era.
Developers Jeremy Chin and Lucas Martin-King used that source release as the foundation for C-Dogs SDL, rewriting the engine around the SDL multimedia library and releasing the result under the GPL-2.0-or-later license, with certain portions under a more permissive BSD-2-Clause license and game data released under free-culture licenses such as CC0, CC-BY, and CC-BY-SA.
The core gameplay preserves the original's identity: fast, chaotic, overhead shooting with a wide variety of weapons and playable characters, supporting up to four players locally in both cooperative and deathmatch modes. This local multiplayer focus makes it a popular pick for couch co-op sessions and retro-gaming meetups.
A built-in campaign and map editor has allowed the community to create over 100 custom campaigns, turning C-Dogs SDL into a long-running modding platform as much as a single game - a major reason the project has remained relevant across more than two decades of continued development.
C-Dogs SDL runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS, and its open-source community has kept it evolving well past its original release: a major SDL2 migration landed in October 2015, support for Wolfenstein 3D and Spear of Destiny-style content arrived in August 2021, and a significant 2.0.0 release shipped in February 2024.
Because the project is entirely volunteer-driven, its release cadence and feature roadmap depend on ongoing community interest rather than a commercial publisher, which has nonetheless proven sufficient to keep the game actively maintained for more than twenty years since its 2002 source release.
Yes, C-Dogs SDL is completely free and open source, with no purchase price, subscription, or in-app purchases.
C-Dogs SDL is an SDL-powered rewrite of C-Dogs, a freeware DOS game made between 1997 and 2001 by Ronny Wester, whose source code Wester released publicly in 2002.
The original C-Dogs game, and its predecessor Cyberdogs (1994), were created by Swedish developer Ronny Wester.
Yes, it supports local multiplayer for up to four players in both cooperative and deathmatch modes, as well as LAN multiplayer.
C-Dogs SDL runs natively on Windows, Linux, and macOS.
Yes, the game includes a built-in campaign and map editor, and the community has produced more than 100 custom campaigns.
Yes, the project has continued to receive updates from its open-source community, including an SDL2 migration in 2015 and a major 2.0.0 release in 2024.
The code is released under the GPL-2.0-or-later license, with some portions under a more permissive BSD-2-Clause license, while game data uses various free-culture licenses including CC0, CC-BY, and CC-BY-SA.