Tiny FPGA Board Runs Doom, System Shock and Ultima VII as Retro Computer Project Demonstrates Remarkable Engineering

Developer ThePartsBin builds a custom 36MHz RISC-V architecture on a $15 Tang Nano 9K FPGA capable of running demanding 1990s PC titles like Doom and System Shock.

A remarkably inexpensive FPGA development board has been transformed into a functioning retro-style computer capable of running several famous PC games from the 1990s. The project, developed by ThePartsBin and highlighted by Hackaday on November 1, uses the Tang Nano 9K, a compact development board costing approximately fifteen dollars. At its heart is a Gowin GW1NR-9C FPGA containing just 8,640 logic lookup tables. Despite those modest resources, the developer has implemented a complete computer architecture featuring a 36MHz RISC-V processor, 8MB of memory, HDMI video output, stereo audio, USB connectivity and SD card storage. The resulting machine can run adapted versions of Doom, Tyrian, System Shock and Ultima VII at playable speeds. Video output operates at 720 by 480 pixels, providing a presentation suitable for the historical games being demonstrated. Achieving these results required substantial optimisation and numerous technical compromises. The project is not simply running a conventional desktop emulator on a modern operating system. Instead, it demonstrates how a custom computer architecture can be assembled from programmable logic and supporting components. The distinction matters because FPGA development allows engineers to experiment with processor design, memory interfaces and peripheral behaviour at a relatively low level. Projects like this also provide valuable educational material for enthusiasts interested in understanding how historical computers actually functioned. The Tang Nano 9K is not being promoted as a practical replacement for a modern gaming computer, and the demonstrated game adaptations should not be mistaken for universally compatible commercial releases. Nevertheless, the engineering achievement is impressive. Doom has already appeared on countless unlikely devices, but running several demanding 1990s games on a computer assembled from fifteen dollars of programmable logic is an entirely different kind of technical mischief.