LZDoom is based on an older version of GZDoom. It does not provide all features currently supported by GZDoom but in turn is capable of running the hardware renderer on older hardware which does not support modern OpenGL features.

ZDoom is a family of enhanced ports of the Doom engine for running on modern operating systems. It runs on Windows, Linux, and OS X, and adds new features not found in the games as originally published by id Software.

Alternatively you can download GZDoom which is the latest version targeting current systems with modern graphics hardware. (Vulkan/OpenGL 4.5 capability recommended, but the minimum requirement for the hardware renderer is OpenGL 3.3, the minimum for the software renderer is Direct3D 9).

Features:

  • It runs well under all modern versions of Windows, from Windows Vista to Windows 10. If you have Mac or Linux, it works with that too.
  • Can play all Doom engine games, including Ultimate Doom, Doom II, Heretic, Hexen, Strife, and more.
  • Supports all the editing features of Hexen. (ACS, hubs, new map format, etc.)
  • Supports most of the Boom editing features.
  • Features complete translations of Doom, Heretic, Hexen, Strife and other games into over ten different languages with Unicode support for Latin, Cyrillic, and Hangul so far.
  • Many more all-new editing features such as:
  • Colored lighting.
  • 3D floors.
  • Portals.
  • Advanced polyobjects free from the restrictions of their original implementation in Hexen.
  • Custom monsters, weapons, items, player classes, and other entities.
  • High resolution textures and sprites.
  • Translucency (regular and additive).
  • Many, many extensions to ACS that were not present in Hexen.
  • More music formats: Ogg Vorbis, MOD, XM, IT, S3M, MIDI, and MP3 as well as old-fashioned MUS all work.
  • More sound formats: FLAC and WAVE can both be used for sound effects.
  • More texture formats: PNG and JPEG are both useable for artwork.
  • All Doom limits are gone.
  • Several softsynths for MUS and MIDI playback, including an OPL softsynth for an authentic "oldschool" flavor.
  • High resolutions.
  • Quake-style console and key bindings.
  • Crosshairs.
  • Free look (look up/down).
  • Jumping, crouching, swimming, and flying.
  • Full-featured joystick/gamepad support under Windows.
  • Up to 8 player network games using UDP/IP, including team-based gameplay.
  • Support for the Bloodbath announcer from the classic Monolith game Blood.
  • Walk over/under monsters and other things.