Sam & Max Hit the Road is a graphic adventure developed and published by LucasArts for MS-DOS in November 1993, with floppy and CD-ROM editions released together. It is based on Steve Purcell's comic characters: Sam, a dog, and Max, a hyperkinetic rabbit, who work as the Freelance Police. Purcell also painted the cover.
Sean Clark and Mike Stemmle directed the game. Development began in 1992, and it was the first LucasArts game planned with storyboards. It was the ninth game on the SCUMM engine, and the music by Clint Bajakian, Peter McConnell and Michael Land follows the action through iMUSE. It was also one of the first games with a full speech track, with Bill Farmer as Sam and Nick Jameson as Max, although only the CD-ROM edition is fully voiced. The interface folded the verbs into the cursor and turned conversation topics into icons.
A Mac version followed in 1995 and a Windows re-release in 2002. After Disney acquired LucasArts, the game returned on GOG in 2014 and on Steam in November 2018.1
Names and releases
| Region | Title on the box | Platform | Date | Publisher | Src |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | Sam & Max Hit the RoadFloppy and CD-ROM editions released at the same time. | MS-DOS | November 1993 | LucasArts | 1 |
| WW | Sam & Max Hit the RoadRegion not stated in the source. | Mac | 1995 | LucasArts | 1 |
| WW | Sam & Max Hit the RoadWindows re-release. | Windows | 2002 | LucasArts | 1 |
| WW | Sam & Max Hit the RoadSold on GOG.com from October 2014, after Disney acquired LucasArts. | Windows | October 2014 | Disney Interactive | 1 |
| WW | Sam & Max Hit the RoadSteam re-release (Windows and Mac). | Windows | Nov 16, 2018 | Disney Interactive | 2 |
Box art by region
NA Sam & Max Hit the Road
Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: Wikipedia.
Version differences
-
AudioMS-DOS floppyMS-DOS CD-ROM
Only the CD-ROM version has full speech; the floppy release is voiced only in the intro.3
-
ContentMS-DOS floppy
The floppy version has a copy-protection check in which you dress Sam or Max dolls to match pictures in the manual; the CD version dropped it.3
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GraphicsMS-DOS CD-ROM
The CD version redoes the scene where Conroy Bumpus's toupee is stolen as a full-screen animation.3
Translations
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German Official
LucasArtsWindows · Steam and GOG releasesReleased
German is listed with full audio on Steam and GOG.2
-
Spanish Official
LucasArtsWindows · GOG releaseReleased
GOG lists Spanish text and audio and includes a Spanish manual; Steam does not list Spanish.4
-
French Official
LucasArtsWindows · Steam and GOG releasesReleased
French is listed with full audio on Steam and GOG.2
-
Italian Official
LucasArtsWindows · Steam and GOG releasesReleased
Italian is listed with full audio on Steam and GOG.2
Where to play legally today
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GOG Purchase
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Steam Purchase
How to run it today
Buy the game on GOG or Steam; both run on current systems. If you own the original DOS or Mac disks, ScummVM rates its support for the game as "Excellent".
- Sam & Max Hit the Road on GOG gog.com
- ScummVM compatibility: Sam & Max Hit the Road scummvm.org
Best version
The GOG release is the broadest legal option: it runs on Windows, macOS and Linux through ScummVM and lists five languages. The Steam release covers Windows and Mac with four fully voiced languages.4
Reception
GameRankings averaged 84%. The game was nominated for a 1994 Annie Award, and PC Gamer US ranked it the 8th best computer game in 1994. Steve Purcell said in 2000 that it never sold like the Star Wars games but was a hit by most standards.1
Sources
- 1en.wikipedia.org
- 2store.steampowered.com
- 3tcrf.net
- 4gog.com
- 5scummvm.org
- 6store.steampowered.com
- 7scummvm.org
Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13
Spotted a mistake? Write to atlas@old-games.net.