C64 Buckshot Roulette
Play 'Buckshot Roulette' on C64 online.
Buckshot Roulette game data
Commodore 64 game name: Buckshot Roulette | Release date:
2026 |
Publisher: Ko-Ko |
Game media type: prg |
Language: en
User rating of this C64 game (you can also rate it under the C64 emulator):
About Commodore 64 Buckshot Roulette
Buckshot Roulette for the Commodore 64 is a free 8-bit port of Mike Klubnika’s cult horror strategy game, made by Ko-Ko (Kornel Kolma) with the original author’s permission and released in 2026. You and the Dealer share one shotgun loaded with a known number of live and blank shells in an unknown order. Each turn you shoot the Dealer or yourself, and the right item at the right moment decides who walks out. Play it free in your browser on this page.
Quick facts
- Genre: turn-based strategy / horror, a game of chance with a shotgun
- Original game: Buckshot Roulette by Mike Klubnika
- C64 version: Ko-Ko (Kornel Kolma), 2026, ported with permission
- Players: 1 player vs. the Dealer (CPU)
- Controls: joystick only, port 2 (no keyboard needed)
- Format: single PRG file (~43 KB), PAL (runs about 20% faster on NTSC)
- Tested on: stock C64, C64 Ultimate, VICE x64sc
- Price: free, non-commercial fan port
What is Buckshot Roulette?
Buckshot Roulette is Russian roulette with a 12-gauge and a lot more thinking. Before every load the game tells you how many shells are live and how many are blank, but never in what order. On your turn you either point the shotgun at the Dealer or at yourself. If you shoot yourself and it is a blank, you keep the turn. Any other shot passes the turn to the Dealer.
So the game is all about counting shells and reading the odds. Two lives left, three shells in the chamber, one of them live: do you risk yourself for an extra turn, or play it safe?
Rounds and rules
- Round I: 2 charges each, no items.
- Round II: 4 charges each, 2 items per load.
- Final round: 4 charges plus 2 faded ones, 4 items per load. Once your last normal charge is gone, healing stops working and the next hit kills you.
- Double or nothing: win all three rounds, then walk away or push on with four extra items in play.
Items
From round two, both you and the Dealer get items, and using them well wins the game:
| Item | Effect |
|---|---|
| Magnifying Glass | Shows the shell currently in the chamber |
| Beer | Racks the gun and ejects the current shell |
| Handcuffs | The Dealer skips his next turn |
| Hand Saw | The next live shot deals double damage |
| Cigarettes | Restores one charge |
Double or nothing adds four more:
| Item | Effect |
|---|---|
| Burner Phone | Reveals one future shell |
| Expired Medicine | Coin flip: +2 charges or −1 |
| Inverter | Flips the chambered shell: live becomes blank, or the other way round |
| Adrenaline | Steal one of the Dealer’s items and use it immediately |
Controls
The game is played with a joystick in port 2. In the browser emulator, the cursor keys act as the joystick (see the keyboard mapping table below the emulator).
| Situation | Input |
|---|---|
| Title menu | Up/Down to choose, Fire to select |
| Your turn | Left/Right moves between items and the shotgun, Up/Down switches item row |
| Use an item | Fire |
| Pick up the shotgun | Fire |
| Holding the shotgun | Up = aim at the Dealer, Down = aim at yourself, Fire = shoot, Left/Right = put it back |
| Adrenaline | Choose one of the Dealer’s items, then Fire to steal it |
| After round three | Up = double or nothing, Down = walk away |
Most pauses and messages can be skipped with Fire.
Tips and strategy
- Count every shell. Track how many lives and blanks have been fired. On the last shell you know exactly what is in the chamber.
- Shoot yourself only when blanks are likely. A blank keeps your turn. If live shells outnumber blanks, aim at the Dealer.
- Magnifying Glass + Hand Saw is the classic combo: confirm a live shell, then saw it off for double damage.
- Beer is information too. Ejecting a shell changes the odds of the remaining load.
- Use Handcuffs before a risky stretch, so you get two shots in a row.
- Save Cigarettes for when you are low, but remember: in the final round, healing stops once you are down to the faded charges.
About the C64 port
The original Buckshot Roulette (2023) became a horror hit thanks to its grim atmosphere and simple, nerve-wracking rules. This port keeps the full rule set, all nine items and the double-or-nothing mode. It brings them to the Commodore 64 with dithered 8-bit graphics and a SID version of the “Blank Shell” theme. It runs on real hardware and fits in a single 43 KB file.
The C64 version is by Ko-Ko (Kornel Kolma), who also runs c64online.com. Other Ko-Ko games you can play here: Big Little Lies, Flappy Bird 256 and Doomball.
Download the PRG for your own C64 or emulator: Buckshot Roulette for the C64 on itch.io. To load it on real hardware, type LOAD"*",8,1 and then RUN.
FAQ
Can I play Buckshot Roulette on the Commodore 64?
Yes. Ko-Ko’s free C64 port runs on a real C64, the C64 Ultimate and in emulators like VICE. You can also play it right here in your browser: press START under the emulator.
Is the C64 version official?
It is a free, non-commercial fan port, made with Mike Klubnika’s permission. Buckshot Roulette and its characters belong to Mike Klubnika.
Do I need a keyboard?
No. The whole game is played with a joystick in port 2. In the browser, use the cursor keys and the fire key shown in the keyboard mapping table.
What do the items do?
Magnifying Glass shows the chambered shell, Beer ejects it, Handcuffs skip the Dealer’s turn, Hand Saw doubles the next live shot, and Cigarettes restore a charge. Double or nothing adds the Burner Phone, Expired Medicine, Inverter and Adrenaline.
What happens if I shoot myself with a blank?
You keep your turn. That is the main risk-versus-reward decision in Buckshot Roulette.
Credits
Original game and “Blank Shell” theme: Mike Klubnika
C64 version: Ko-Ko (Kornel Kolma)
In order to play Buckshot Roulette online, click on the start button located below the Commodore 64 emulator window.
This file type doesn't support auto Joystick port detection. Please choose 'Joystick Swap Ports' if needed.
Buckshot Roulette C64 keyboard mapping
When you start a game, each joystick port is automatically turned on. Sometimes this causes a problem as the joystick port is mapped to the keys below. If a game uses these keys, you need to turn off the joystick ports.
C64 emulator joystick - keyboard mappings| DIRECTION | JOYSTICK 1 | JOYSTICK 2 |
|---|---|---|
| LEFT | A | CURSOR LEFT |
| RIGHT | D | CURSOR RIGHT |
| UP | W | CURSOR UP |
| DOWN | S | CURSOR DOWN |
| FIRE | LEFT / RIGHT CTRL | LEFT / RIGHT SHIFT |