Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon

2003 Revolution Software Ltd Adventure

Windows 11With a fix

MacNot sold

LinuxGold

Gamicality score

Metacritic 824

OpenCritic Not rated

Steam players 551

How it’s combined

Playability today

Runs today4/5

Design today1.5/5

Steam user reviews

Mixed

56%

807 reviews1

Get it on Steam Watch the trailer

Facts checked November 1, 2026

Does Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon run on Windows 11, Apple Silicon Macs, Linux and Steam Deck?

Windows 11With a fix

Runs with a fix. See the steps below.1

Mac (Apple Silicon)Not sold

No Mac version is sold.

LinuxGold

Through Proton. ProtonDB: Gold, runs perfectly after tweaks.3

Played Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon lately?

One click, no account, so the next player knows. How we check where it runs

How to get Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon running today

If the game crashes or freezes at startup, cap the frame rate at 60 FPS or set the display to 60 Hz (PCGamingWiki).
If vsync does not work on Windows 10 or 11, copy d3d8.dll from d3d8to9 into the game folder, or use dgVoodoo 2 (PCGamingWiki).
For an unstretched widescreen image, install the community FOV fix linked on PCGamingWiki.

Synopsis

The third Broken Sword adventure moves George Stobbart and Nico Collard into full 3D as a murder in Paris and a killing in the Congo pull them into another Templar conspiracy. Instead of pointing and clicking, players steer the two heroes directly, solving inventory puzzles, pushing crates, sneaking past guards and reacting to timed action scenes across Europe and Africa.

Developer: Revolution Software Ltd
Released: 2003
Genre: Adventure
Where to get it: Steam

Reception

Critics at release were mostly positive, scoring the PC version 82 on Metacritic for its story, humor, voice acting and cinematic presentation, while some disliked the new direct controls and timed sequences. Players today are split, and the Steam rating sits at Mixed. Fans still enjoy the writing and the returning cast, but the most repeated complaints are clumsy keyboard controls tied to a shifting camera, an excess of crate-pushing puzzles and tedious stealth sections.

Trailer from Steam

Playability today

The average of two parts, each from 1 to 5. Tap a check to see why. How it works

Runs today

4/5

Sold or given away today by an official source
Needs fan patches to run well on Windows 11
?Not confirmed yetSingle-player works without an internet connection
No source covers the current version yet, so this check counts as open, not passed. Played it lately? Tell us
All of its content still works (servers, DLC, unlocks)
The game is single-player and nothing has been removed from the digital release, though the Czech and Russian localizations were retail only (PCGamingWiki).
No proper support for modern resolutions and widescreen
Widescreen resolutions stretch the image unless the community FOV fix is applied (PCGamingWiki).
Full controller support or remappable controls
Controllers are supported with remapping and hotplugging (PCGamingWiki).
?Not confirmed yetSteam Deck Verified or Playable
No source covers the current version yet, so this check counts as open, not passed. Played it lately? Tell us
No intrusive DRM or required third-party launcher account
No pay-to-win or pushy microtransactions
No known game-breaking bugs in the current version
PCGamingWiki lists startup crashes and broken vsync on Windows 10 and 11, both with known fixes (PCGamingWiki).

Design today

1.5/5

Controls feel awkward on a modern controller or mouse and keyboard
Movement keys are relative to the screen rather than the character, so camera cuts reverse the direction of travel; a sticky key option keeps the character moving through cuts but confused at least one reviewer, and a gamepad is supported and works better than the keyboard. Source: uhs-hints.com, steamcommunity.com, pcgamingwiki.com.
Menus, text or interface are hard to read on today's screens
There is no native widescreen, so wide resolutions stretch the 4:3 image without a fan fix, and save files are labeled only by location and timestamp. Source: pcgamingwiki.com, uhs-hints.com.
Saving is fair: free saves or frequent checkpoints, little lost progress
Saving is free at any time except during timed sequences, with 32 slots, and a death rewinds to the scene just before the action, though that scene has to be watched again. Source: uhs-hints.com.
Hard to make progress without a guide
Most puzzles follow logically from the story and inventory, but timed sequences demand split-second reactions learned by dying repeatedly, and a player who missed an early item found no way back without loading an old save. Source: uhs-hints.com, steamcommunity.com.
Pacing drags: grind, filler or forced backtracking
Sokoban-style crate puzzles recur until they feel like filler, and the stealth sections are a widely shared source of frustration. Source: uhs-hints.com, steamcommunity.com.
Camera or movement fights the player
Fixed cinematic angles switch often while walking, which throws off direction and causes repeated failures in stealth scenes. Source: uhs-hints.com, steamcommunity.com.