2026.08.20

DOSBox Pure Standalone — Windows x64 Release

This release provides a production-ready package builder for creating single-executable DOS games.

Release highlights

• Clean DOSBoxPureStandAlone.exe runtime template
• Self-contained .NET 8 makegame.exe
• No separate .NET installation required
• ZIP/DOSZ archives embedded directly into the generated executable
• No temporary extraction of packaged game content
• Persistent saves and settings
• Automatic game startup
• Custom PNG application icons
• Windowed and fullscreen modes
• Scanlines and CRT filtering
• Complete DOSBox Pure default-configuration support
• Text-mode game support through TEXTMODE.DBP
• Embedded disk-image and nested ZIP mounting support
• Detailed documentation, examples, licenses, and attribution included

Platform: Windows x64
Archive: DOSBoxPureStandalone-win-x64-2026-08-20.zip
SHA-256: BB8B82E4655FBD983CC7415647C2BD9595234E241F6EDF8064C5E686D2165A9E

No games are included.

Quick usage guide

Extract the release archive and keep these files together:

makegame.exe
DOSBoxPureStandAlone.exe

Prepare a ZIP or DOSZ archive:

game.zip
├── DOSBOX.BAT
├── GAME.EXE
└── game files...

Example DOSBOX.BAT:

@ECHO OFF
GAME.EXE

Create the final executable:

.\makegame.exe `
  --archive ".\game.zip" `
  --output ".\MyGame.exe" `
  --package-id "com.example.mygame" `
  --title "My Game"

The result is:

MyGame.exe

Full command example

.\makegame.exe `
  --template ".\DOSBoxPureStandAlone.exe" `
  --archive "C:\Games\MyGame\game.zip" `
  --output "C:\Games\MyGame\MyGame.exe" `
  --package-id "com.example.mygame" `
  --title "My Game" `
  --startup "DOSBOX.BAT" `
  --icon "C:\Games\MyGame\icon.png" `
  --config "C:\Games\MyGame\DOSBoxPure.defaults.cfg" `
  --window-mode fullscreen `
  --scanlines

Use --crt-filter instead of --scanlines for TV-style CRT filtering. The two options cannot be combined.

Starting a game with parameters

--startup accepts a file path, not a complete command line. Put parameters in a batch file:

@ECHO OFF
GAME.EXE -SOUND -LANGUAGE ENGLISH

Then select it:

--startup "START.BAT"

JSON manifest example

Create package.json:

{
  "format_version": 1,
  "package_id": "com.example.mygame",
  "title": "My Game",
  "startup": "START.BAT",
  "template": "DOSBoxPureStandAlone.exe",
  "archive": "game.zip",
  "output": "MyGame.exe",
  "icon": "icon.png",
  "default_config": "DOSBoxPure.defaults.cfg",
  "version_info": {
    "file_version": "1.0.0.0",
    "product_version": "1.0.0.0",
    "company_name": "Example Publisher",
    "file_description": "My Game",
    "product_name": "My Game",
    "legal_copyright": "Copyright Example Publisher"
  }
}

Build it with:

.\makegame.exe ".\package.json"

Validate before building

.\makegame.exe ".\package.json" --validate-only

Replace an existing output:

.\makegame.exe ".\package.json" --overwrite

Text-mode games

For games intended to remain in DOS text mode, add an empty root-level file:

TEXTMODE.DBP

Do not add it to graphical games that only display text briefly during startup.

Save location

Persistent data is normally stored under:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\DOSBoxPureStandalone\<package_id>\

If that location is unavailable, the runtime falls back to a DOSBoxPureStandalone directory beside the executable.

Documentation

See MAKEGAME-GUIDE.md in the release archive for every command-line option, configuration examples, disk-mounting instructions, troubleshooting, and licensing guidance.

Source: https://github.com/Buyukcaglar/DOSBoxPureStandalone