# Install nethack with Homebrew

Single-player roguelike video game. Version 5.0.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-29.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:nethack
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install nethack
```

  Evidence: provider-native install command

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:nethack
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 5.0.0
- **Source summary:** Single-player roguelike video game
- **Homepage:** <https://www.nethack.org/>
- **Repository:** <https://github.com/NetHack/NetHack>
- **Last updated:** 2026-07-29T08:49:47+01:00
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T00:40:33+00:00

## Executables

- nethack (alias)

## Install behavior

- Bottle: not available

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-08-03
- Package-manager version: 5.0.0
## Project history and usage

NetHack is one of the canonical open source roguelikes: a single-player dungeon exploration game descended from Rogue and Hack, with the official 5.0 material describing it as a direct descendant of NetHack 3.6 and a distant descendant of Rogue and Hack. The official site describes the game as portable across many computer systems, with graphical and text interfaces over the same game engine, and with an emphasis on learning dungeon details rather than simply killing every monster.

The Homebrew formula tracks the 5.0.0 source release and reported 2,205 installs in the 365-day window in its API generated on 2026-07-01. That is modest package-manager volume, but NetHack's importance is cultural and historical: the official site itself links to long-running USENET discussion, articles, academic references, and AI challenge material.

### Project history

The official repository README for NetHack 5.0.0 says the release is an enhancement to the dungeon exploration game NetHack, a distant descendant of Rogue and Hack, and a direct descendant of NetHack 3.6. The official home page announced NetHack 5.0.0 on 2026-05-02, followed by updated platform binaries in May and June 2026.

The official information page preserves the old-school release culture around the project: new versions are announced on the website and USENET, and release dates are not forecast. The same page explains that the 'Net' in NetHack refers to the distributed way developers organize work, not multiplayer gameplay.

### Adoption history

NetHack's adoption is deeper than raw install counters suggest. The official site still points players to rec.games.roguelike.nethack, rec.games.roguelike.announce, print references, web retrospectives, AI-related work, and public community discussion, which is exactly how a terminal game from the 1980s stayed alive across Unix, Windows, macOS, Amiga, MS-DOS, and other ports.

On Homebrew, the 2026-07-01 formula API reported stable version 5.0.0 with 195 installs in 30 days, 1,061 in 90 days, and 2,205 in 365 days. GitHub showed the official mirror with thousands of stars and a 5.0.0 release dated 2026-05-02.

### How it is used

Package users install it to run the `nethack` executable, usually as a terminal roguelike with personal settings in a `.nethackrc`. Practical use is not automation or library integration; it is playing a famously deep procedural dungeon game, often with custom options, tiles or curses front ends, and community servers or local builds.

The package-nerd use case is preservation-friendly portability: build it on odd platforms, run it over SSH, test old-school terminal behavior, or keep a classic roguelike in a package collection. Its save and bones files are version-sensitive, which the official information page calls out for 5.0.0.

### Why package nerds care

NetHack is a package collection staple because it is both software history and a living C codebase. A package index that lacks it looks culturally thin, even if the install count is smaller than modern developer tools.

### Timeline

- 1985-2026: official site copyright range for NetHack-related code.
- 2023-02-16: NetHack 3.6.7 release notes announced a security-fix release.
- 2026-05-02: official home page announced NetHack 5.0.0.
- 2026-06-09: official home page announced updated 5.0.0 binaries for Windows, Amiga, and MS-DOS.

### Related projects

- Rogue
- Hack
- NetHack Challenge
- rec.games.roguelike.nethack

### Sources

- <https://formulae.brew.sh/api/formula/nethack.json>
- <https://github.com/NetHack/NetHack>
- <https://www.nethack.org/>
- <https://www.nethack.org/common/info.html>
- <https://www.nethack.org/v367/release.html>


## Security Notes

No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for nethack. Nucleus package metadata is still published here so future coverage has a stable package URL.



## Configuration and credential file locations

These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.


## Configuration files

- Unix: ~/.nethackrc

## Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/nethack.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/nethack.yml)


## Sources

- Nucleus package database
- Geiger risk classifier
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- pkgdb category and tag curation