# Betrayal at Krondor
**Betrayal at Krondor** is a first-person role-playing video game developed by Dynamix and published by Sierra On-Line, released on June 22, 1993 for MS-DOS.[1](https://sierravault.net/games/krondor/1993-betrayal-at-krondor) It is set in the Riftwar fantasy universe of the novelist [Raymond E. Feist](https://www.edgepedia.org/raymond-e-feist), but tells an original story rather than adapting one of his novels, and that story was later accepted by Feist as canonical to his setting.[1](https://sierravault.net/games/krondor/1993-betrayal-at-krondor) • [2](https://wiki.sierrahelp.com/images/6/69/InterActionMagazine-vol06num2-Summer1993.pdf) The game received widespread critical acclaim on release, won Computer Gaming World's RPG of the Year, and is still cited on best-RPG lists three decades later.[1](https://sierravault.net/games/krondor/1993-betrayal-at-krondor) • [3](https://mirror.sierravault.net/krondor-series)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | June 22, 1993, MS-DOS, on seven 3½-inch floppy disks[1](https://sierravault.net/games/krondor/1993-betrayal-at-krondor) |
| Developer / publisher | Dynamix; Sierra On-Line[1](https://sierravault.net/games/krondor/1993-betrayal-at-krondor) |
| Setting | Original story in Raymond E. Feist's Riftwar universe, co-written with Feist, in nine chapters and an epilogue[2](https://wiki.sierrahelp.com/images/6/69/InterActionMagazine-vol06num2-Summer1993.pdf) |
| Engine | Dynamix's 3Space engine, also used in the flight simulators Red Baron and Aces over Europe; 224 million square feet of explorable terrain[1](https://sierravault.net/games/krondor/1993-betrayal-at-krondor) |
| Design credits | Designer John Cutter; Neal Hallford also credited on the series entry[4](https://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_111.pdf) • [3](https://mirror.sierravault.net/krondor-series) |
| Reception | Electronic Games scored it 97% (June 1993); Computer Gaming World named it RPG of the Year[1](https://sierravault.net/games/krondor/1993-betrayal-at-krondor) • [3](https://mirror.sierravault.net/krondor-series) |
| Aftermath | Planned sequel "Thief of Dreams" canceled in 1994 after slow floppy sales; Feist novelized the game as *Krondor: The Betrayal* (1998)[1](https://sierravault.net/games/krondor/1993-betrayal-at-krondor) • [5](https://fanac.org/fanzines/Vector/Vector204.pdf) |
## Development and setting
The project began as an adaptation of Feist's novel *Silverthorn* but evolved into an original story set in his Riftwar universe.[1](https://sierravault.net/games/krondor/1993-betrayal-at-krondor) The quest takes place in the fantasy land of Midkemia, and the story was co-written by Feist himself.[2](https://wiki.sierrahelp.com/images/6/69/InterActionMagazine-vol06num2-Summer1993.pdf)
Dynamix, a Sierra-owned studio active from 1984 to 2001 and better known for flight simulators such as *Red Baron* and the puzzle series *The Incredible Machine*, built the game on its 3Space engine, the same technology behind *Red Baron* and *Aces over Europe*, adapted to render an explorable fantasy world of 224 million square feet.[6](https://www.rpgreats.com/2022/02/betrayal-at-krondor.html) • [1](https://sierravault.net/games/krondor/1993-betrayal-at-krondor) The original box listed a price of $69.95 and required an IBM PC with a 386 processor at 16 MHz, 2 MB of RAM, VGA graphics, and 15 MB of hard drive space.[4](https://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_111.pdf)
## Gameplay
The game bills itself as an "interactive story" in its manual, and reviewers described a strong mix of puzzles, exploration, and narrative that gave the sense of participating in an "adventure novel."[7](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/pc/564546-betrayal-at-krondor/reviews/46465) • [2](https://wiki.sierrahelp.com/images/6/69/InterActionMagazine-vol06num2-Summer1993.pdf) Combat is turn-based and takes place on a grid imposed on the same game world the party travels through, rather than on a separate combat screen; the player who clicks on a visible enemy before approaching gains the first action, otherwise the party is treated as surprised.[8](https://www.mobygames.com/game/695/betrayal-in-antara/) • [9](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/pc/564546-betrayal-at-krondor/reviews/170804)
The party never has more than three characters, and the game covers everything from weapon use to spotting ambushes with individual skill scores.[4](https://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_111.pdf) • [10](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/pc/90603-return-to-krondor/reviews/72687) Outside combat, the party can rest almost anywhere as long as no enemy is visible, but only resting at inns restores the party to full health.[9](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/pc/564546-betrayal-at-krondor/reviews/170804) IGN's retrospective noted that the game was "surprisingly open-world for a game of its vintage" and dense with text, as its literary origins would suggest.[1](https://sierravault.net/games/krondor/1993-betrayal-at-krondor)
## Reception
Contemporary reviews were strongly positive. Electronic Games awarded 97% in a June 1993 review by Ed Dille, and a January 1994 notice called it "the best role" playing game in a quoted excerpt from PC Games Plus.[1](https://sierravault.net/games/krondor/1993-betrayal-at-krondor) • [11](https://www.sierragamers.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/028_InterAction_Volume_9_Number_3_Fall_1996.pdf) Computer Gaming World gave it its RPG of the Year award, and the game is routinely cited on "best RPG of all time" lists.[3](https://mirror.sierravault.net/krondor-series) Not all critics agreed on its coherence: one MobyGames-collected review argued the game was "a failure as a coherent game," with its adventure and story portions at odds with its role-playing and combat portions, while another praised its combat system and its feeling of growth and achievement despite design limitations.[12](https://www.mobygames.com/game/285/betrayal-at-krondor/reviews/)
Commercially, the game initially sold slowly on floppy disk.[1](https://sierravault.net/games/krondor/1993-betrayal-at-krondor) It later built a large fanbase, and Sierra made it available as a free promotional download in 1997 to promote *Betrayal in Antara*.[13](https://thegeek.games/2021/06/13/betrayal-at-krondor-something-stinks-in-krondor/) • [1](https://sierravault.net/games/krondor/1993-betrayal-at-krondor) GOG.com re-released it digitally on March 30, 2010 with DOSBox emulation.[1](https://sierravault.net/games/krondor/1993-betrayal-at-krondor)
## Legacy
A planned sequel, "Thief of Dreams," was developed at Dynamix but canceled in 1994 after the slow initial sales.[1](https://sierravault.net/games/krondor/1993-betrayal-at-krondor) Sierra instead published *Betrayal in Antara* in 1997, which reused most of Krondor's mechanics, including combat on the travel-world grid, but without the Feist license.[8](https://www.mobygames.com/game/695/betrayal-in-antara/) The direct sequel, *Return to Krondor* (1998), received mixed reviews: GameSpot scored it 7.9/10, calling it an enjoyable story-driven game that "may not be an epic sequel to Betrayal at Krondor," and PC Gamer US gave it 80%.[14](https://mirror.sierravault.net/1998-return-to-krondor)
The game's story returned to print in the other direction. Feist novelized it as *Krondor: The Betrayal* (1998), Book 1 of *The Riftwar Legacy*, saying in his afterword that rather than "novelise" the game he took its core story and told it in novel form without most of the sub-quests and side-trips.[5](https://fanac.org/fanzines/Vector/Vector204.pdf) In 2018, IGN ranked the game #92 on its Top 100 RPGs list.[1](https://sierravault.net/games/krondor/1993-betrayal-at-krondor)
## References
1. [1993 - Betrayal at Krondor, SierraVault](https://sierravault.net/games/krondor/1993-betrayal-at-krondor)
2. [GAME Review, InterAction Vol. 6 No. 2, Summer 1993](https://wiki.sierrahelp.com/images/6/69/InterActionMagazine-vol06num2-Summer1993.pdf)
3. [Krondor Series, SierraVault](https://mirror.sierravault.net/krondor-series)
4. [Computer Gaming World Issue 111, October 1993](https://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_111.pdf)
5. [Vector 204, Cullen & Butler & Dalkin, March 1999](https://fanac.org/fanzines/Vector/Vector204.pdf)
6. [RPGreats: Betrayal at Krondor](https://www.rpgreats.com/2022/02/betrayal-at-krondor.html)
7. [Betrayal at Krondor Review: Enchanting, GameFAQs](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/pc/564546-betrayal-at-krondor/reviews/46465)
8. [Betrayal in Antara (1997), MobyGames](https://www.mobygames.com/game/695/betrayal-in-antara/)
9. [Betrayal at Krondor Review: When in Krondor, do as the Krondorians do, GameFAQs](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/pc/564546-betrayal-at-krondor/reviews/170804)
10. [Return to Krondor Review, GameFAQs](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/pc/90603-return-to-krondor/reviews/72687)
11. [InterAction Volume 9 Number 3, Fall 1996](https://www.sierragamers.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/028_InterAction_Volume_9_Number_3_Fall_1996.pdf)
12. [Betrayal at Krondor reviews, MobyGames](https://www.mobygames.com/game/285/betrayal-at-krondor/reviews/)
13. [betrayal at krondor - something stinks in krondor... - thegeek.games](https://thegeek.games/2021/06/13/betrayal-at-krondor-something-stinks-in-krondor/)
14. [1998 - Return to Krondor, SierraVault](https://mirror.sierravault.net/1998-return-to-krondor)
15. [The Witcher 3 director on the RPG golden age of the '90s, GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/rpg/the-witcher-3-director-says-games-like-crimson-desert-and-clair-obscur-expedition-33-take-him-back-to-the-rpg-golden-age-of-the-90s/)
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*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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