Tex Murphy: Under a Killing Moon

1994 Access Software Adventure

Windows 11Runs

MacNot confirmed

LinuxNative

Steam DeckUnsupported

Gamicality score

Metacritic Not rated

OpenCritic Not rated

Steam players 861

How it’s combined

Playability today

Runs today3.5/5

Design today2.5/5

Steam user reviews

Very Positive

97%

147 reviews1

Get it on Steam Watch the trailer

Facts checked November 1, 2026

Does Tex Murphy: Under a Killing Moon run on Windows 11, Apple Silicon Macs, Linux and Steam Deck?

Windows 11Runs

Sold for Windows today, no problem on record.1

Mac (Apple Silicon)Not confirmed

A Mac version is sold. Not yet confirmed on Apple Silicon.1

LinuxNative

Native Linux version.1

Steam DeckUnsupported

Unsupported, as rated by Valve.1

Played Tex Murphy: Under a Killing Moon lately?

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

Synopsis

Under a Killing Moon is a noir detective adventure set in a post-war San Francisco of 2042, where down-on-his-luck private eye Tex Murphy takes a simple theft case that pulls him into a plot by a dangerous cult. Players walk through first-person 3D locations, search rooms for clues and items, solve puzzles and question a cast of live-action characters in full-motion video scenes.

Developer: Access Software
Released: 1994
Genre: Adventure
Where to get it: Steam

Reception

At release the game stood out for pairing a free-roaming 3D world with hours of full-motion video across four CDs, and it is still remembered as one of the strongest FMV adventures. A modern Adventure Game Hotspot retrospective praises its player freedom, its 3D engine and puzzles that fit the story well. Recent Steam reviews are overwhelmingly positive, with players enjoying the campy noir tone while calling the movement finicky and dated, to the point that a fan patch now adds standard mouselook.

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

3.5/5

Sold or given away today by an official source
Runs on Windows 11 without fan patches
?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 all four CDs of content are included in the digital release (PCGamingWiki).
No proper support for modern resolutions and widescreen
The game runs only at 4:3 with no widescreen or ultrawide support (PCGamingWiki).
No full controller support and no remappable controls
There is no key remapping and no controller support (PCGamingWiki).
Not Steam Deck Verified or Playable
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
The Steam release runs inside a preconfigured DOSBox and PCGamingWiki lists no open issue that crashes or blocks progress (PCGamingWiki).

Design today

2.5/5

Controls feel awkward on a modern controller or mouse and keyboard
Moving the mouse forward walks Tex ahead while looking up and down sits on the arrow keys, keys cannot be remapped and there is no controller support. Players describe the scheme as awkward, and some install a fan mouselook mod to tame it. Source: pcgamingwiki.com, gog.com, steamcommunity.com.
Menus, text or interface are hard to read on today's screens
The game runs at a fixed 640×480 SVGA resolution in 4:3 with no widescreen or interface scaling, so text and icons are small and soft on modern screens. Source: pcgamingwiki.com.
Saving is fair: free saves or frequent checkpoints, little lost progress
The save screen offers named saves and an increment-and-save option at any time, and because Tex can die suddenly, for example in a laser grid, players stress saving often. Source: steamcommunity.com, steamcommunity.com.
It teaches itself: no guide needed to make progress
An extensive built-in hint system walks through each puzzle in ordered steps, so a stuck player never needs an outside walkthrough. Source: gog.com.
Pacing drags: grind, filler or forced backtracking
Progress depends on long sweeps of 3D rooms for small clues, and sudden deaths can wipe out an hour of play for anyone who has not saved recently. Source: gog.com, steamcommunity.com.
Camera or movement fights the player
Splitting walking and looking across the mouse and arrow keys makes it hard to aim the view at objects, a recurring complaint in player reviews. Source: pcgamingwiki.com, gog.com, steamcommunity.com.