Worms is a turn-based artillery game in which teams of worms attack each other with a variety of weapons on a destructible map. It was developed by the British studio Team17 and published by Ocean Software; the Amiga version came out in Europe on 17 November 1995. Andy Davidson created it: it began in 1990 as Artillery and was renamed Total Wormage for an Amiga Format programming competition.
Ports followed for MS-DOS, PlayStation, Saturn, Game Boy, Mega Drive, Super NES, Mac OS and Atari Jaguar. In Japan, I'MAX published the PlayStation version on 28 January 1996 and the Saturn version on 14 March 1997. The PC expansion Worms Reinforcements (1996) was merged with the original the same year as Worms United.
A 2007 remake, also called Worms, came out for Xbox 360 and later PlayStation 3 and iPhone.12
Names and releases
| Region | Title on the box | Platform | Date | Publisher | Src |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | WormsDate as listed in the infobox; Europe 1995. | MS-DOS | Oct 31, 1995 | — | 1 |
| EU | WormsNorth America 7 November 1995. | PlayStation | Nov 1, 1995 | Ocean Software | 1 |
| EU | WormsDescribed as the first release; CD32 version the same year. | Amiga | Nov 17, 1995 | Ocean Software | 1 |
| EU | WormsNorth America 27 June 1996, Brazil October 1996. | Saturn | December 1995 | Ocean Software | 1 |
| EU | Worms | Game Boy | 1995 | Ocean Software | 1 |
| JP | Worms | PlayStation | Jan 28, 1996 | I'MAX | 1 |
| EU | Worms | Genesis | Aug 8, 1996 | Ocean Software | 1 |
| EU | Worms | SNES | Sep 27, 1996 | Ocean Software | 1 |
| EU | Worms | Mac | 1996 | GT Interactive | 1 |
| JP | Worms | Saturn | Mar 14, 1997 | I'MAX | 1 |
| WW | WormsAtari Jaguar. | Other | May 15, 1998 | Telegames | 1 |
| WW | WormsPlayStation Store re-release for PS4 and PS5, emulated, without trophies. | PlayStation 4 | 2023 | — | 1 |
Also known as: Total Wormage WW1Червяки RU3Worms United WW1
Box art by region
NA Worms
Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: Wikipedia.
Version differences
-
ContentPC
Worms Reinforcements (1996), a PC-only expansion, added a single-player campaign, custom levels, sound packs and full-motion video.1
-
ContentPC
In 1996 the original game and Reinforcements were combined as Worms United.1
-
ContentAmiga
Worms: The Director's Cut (1997) is an Amiga-only edition built on the original engine; only 5,000 copies were sold.1
Where to play legally today
-
GOG Purchase
How to run it today
Buy Worms United on GOG; it comes preconfigured with DOSBox and is verified on Windows 10 and 11.
- Worms United on GOG gog.com
Best version
Worms United on GOG, which combines the original game with the Reinforcements expansion, is the simplest legal PC option; it runs on Windows 10 and 11 through DOSBox.2
Reception
About 250,000 copies were sold by March 1996 and more than 5 million across all ports by 2006. Critics were divided, but EGM named it a runner-up for Strategy Game of the Year, and it was included in 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die.1
Sources
Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13
Spotted a mistake? Write to atlas@old-games.net.