Play free

Free to play · In your browser · No download

One life.
Make it
legendary.

A free superhero action game in your browser, inspired by DC Universe Online. Build a hero or a villain, pick your powers, and take one life into a quarantined city.

Play free now See the powers

Free · No download · No account · Best on desktop

Now live · 0.8 Escalation

Unedited flight · Solo city

See it move.

Real 0.8 gameplay, captured in the browser: over Founders Park, through the Zero Point column, into the Exchange.

00 / Where it comes from

An original game, made by a superfan

Love DC Universe Online?
You'll feel right at home.

z13 is made by a lifelong DC Universe Online player — and it's built around everything that made that game unforgettable: your own hero, your own powers, a night city full of heroes and villains, and the rush of flying over it.

Now picture that free, in a browser tab, with nothing to install.

  • Making a hero — or villain — from nothingQuick Create or the full creator: body, face, costume, stance, voice. Hero or villain, your call.
  • Picking a power setFive sets — Solar, Storm, Void, Frost, Mind — each splitting into three paths, with a Signature at rank 4.
  • Choosing how you moveFlight with banking and boosts, or super speed with skids and huge momentum.
  • Choosing a weaponBrawler, Staff, or Hand Blaster — paired with any power.
  • A city full of other playersOne shared Sentinel City where heroes and villains cross paths — and fight.
  • Huge boss fightsThe Warden wakes every few minutes. Heroes and villains call a truce to take it down.
  • Free No price tag, no store. In-game fortune is a score, not a currency.
  • Browser Nothing to download or install. Open it in a modern browser on Mac or PC, click Play, and you're in.
  • No account No sign-up, no password. Create a character and go.
  • One life The twist: every character is temporary. Make it count.

z13 is an independent game inspired by DC Universe Online. Its city, characters, and powers are original. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by DC, Daybreak Game Company, or Dimensional Ink Games. DC Universe Online and all related marks are the property of their respective owners.

A Staff spin sweep tears through a Tracker hound pack on a rain-soaked street
Actual gameplay · 0.8

New in 0.8 · Escalation

The wall moved.
The fight changed.

  • +6 districts beyond the First Wall
  • +6 machines built to answer your powers
  • 1 sky — storms every player shares
Read the 0.8 dispatch

01 / Beyond the perimeter

Sentinel City · Always after dark

A city worth saving.
Or taking.

Twelve experiments failed. The thirteenth gave a whole city powers — then sealed it behind a wall.

Searchlights in the clouds. A broken core hovering over the crater. Sodium light on wet streets.

Sentinel City sprawls across sixteen districts and 1.2 km of night skyline — from the ruins of the First Wall to Blackwater Island, where the Kiln builds the machines that hunt you.

Flight

Bank, climb and boost above the rooftops — up to 120 m over the city.

Super speed

Own the streets. Sharp turns, skids, and huge momentum.

District feed

  1. Green energy rises from the crater at Zero Point
    D/01

    Zero Point

    The crater of the thirteenth experiment. Where everything changed.

  2. Looking up at Meridian Tower and the glass towers of the Exchange
    D/02

    The Exchange

    Glass supertalls and 186 m Meridian Tower. A canyon built for flying.

  3. Gate Thirteen's lit 13 over the Southgate streets
    D/03 · Southgate

    Gate Thirteen

    Containment white, red bands, and a burning 13 over Southgate.

  4. The freighter and gantry cranes of Ironworks Harbor at night
    D/04

    Ironworks Harbor

    Gantry cranes, the freighter, and the Bay Light sweeping black water.

  5. The glowing courthouse clock on Kestrel Hill
    D/05

    Kestrel Hill

    The courthouse clock keeps watch over the old city.

  6. The Founders' Column glowing over Founders Park
    D/06

    Founders Park

    The Founders' Column burns over the treeline.

  7. A flying character above the illuminated towers of Meridian Heights
    D/07 · New

    Meridian Heights

    Supertalls and sky bridges beyond the First Wall. Made for flight.

  8. A flying character above Thirteen Bridge and the bay at night
    Landmark · New

    Thirteen Bridge

    Cable lights across the bay — the road to Blackwater Island.

  9. A hero stands in the Scrapyard beside a fallen Warden-class hulk
    D/08 · New

    The Scrapyard

    The machine graveyard, the hound kennels, and a fallen Warden-class hulk.

  10. +8 districts

    And the rest is yours to find.

    Sentinel Plaza · The Narrows · Signal Square · The Foundry · Observatory Hill · The Canals · Terminal Thirteen · Blackwater Island

02 / Build your identity

Hero or villain. Your call.

Pick a power.
Become a problem.

Five power sets. Three paths each. A Signature at rank 4 that can cross over into another path. Everything you earn, you earn this life.

Fire · Burns and expands

Solar

Harness the heat of a dying star.

Primary
Solar bolt — a fast fireball that leaves targets burning.
Defense
Flare guard — wrap yourself in flame that absorbs 40 damage.

Choose your path at rank 2

  • BrawlerClose the distance and detonate.Supernova
  • BeamHold range and burn through lines of enemies.Corona beam
  • SupportKeep allies standing while the city burns.Dawnbreak

Then pick how you hit.

Fighting styles own the mouse; powers live on the number keys. Pair any style with any power.

  • A Solar Brawler's strike connects with a sparring partner
    Reach · Close

    Brawler

    Close pressure, deliberate lunges, heavy finishing blows.

    Strikes · Lunge · Shockwave jab · Ground pound

  • A Staff force sweep cuts across a rooftop
    Reach · Medium

    Staff

    Sweep groups and disrupt committed attacks.

    Staff strikes · Spin sweep · Force sweep · Breaker thrust

  • A Hand Blaster charged shot streaks toward a target
    Reach · Long

    Hand Blaster

    Ranged pulses and charged shots, palm strikes up close.

    Palm strikes · Palm blast · Pulse · Charged shot

03 / The city fights back

⚠ Containment escalation in progress

Make an opening.
Make it count.

Automated containment treats every powered person as a threat — hero or villain. Across the bay, the Kiln builds machines made to answer a different kind of power. Read the warning. Find the weakness.

Poise & stagger

Break their poise.
Break their plan.

Every machine carries hidden poise. Heavy, charged, finisher and signature blows drain it fast. Empty it and the machine staggers: its attack cancelled, extra damage wide open.

Hitstop, camera kick, combo counter, incoming-hit arcs — every blow reads.

Six new threats.
Six questions to answer.

Threat dossiers · Built by the Kiln

  • A Tracker hound machine with glowing red sensors
    01 / Pack

    Tracker hound

    Hunts in packs and pounces along a line.

    Counter Dodge the leap.

  • A Bulwark advancing behind a curved frontal shield
    02 / Shield

    Bulwark

    Advances behind a frontal shield wall.

    Counter Flank it, or break the shield.

  • A four-legged Mortar with a raised barrel
    03 / Artillery

    Mortar

    Lobs shells from the back line and the rooftops.

    Counter Close the distance.

  • A swarm of small hovering mite drones
    04 / Swarm

    Mites

    Small machines in big numbers. They swarm and dive.

    Counter Sweep them with area attacks.

  • A Lancer sniper machine aiming a long rail
    05 / Lock

    Lancer

    Snipes from high up. Its tracking laser turns white on lock.

    Counter Break its line, or strafe on the lock.

  • A Jammer machine with a tall antenna array
    06 / Link

    Jammer

    Fortifies every machine it links to.

    Counter Kill it first.

A lone hero in the Warden's arena during phase 3, the floor glowing red

Boss event · Signal Square

The Warden
wakes.

Every few minutes, the quarantine's largest machine rises in Signal Square and treats every powered person as a threat. Three phases. One truce — heroes and villains fight it together.

A hero stands beside the halted containment convoy after its shield emitters break
City event Intercept the convoy. Break its shield emitters. Heroes free the detainees; villains seize the cargo.
A hero's lightning meets a villain's blast in an open plaza
Shared city Rivals, not just machines. Heroes and villains share one public city. Pick your fights.
A Tracker hound pack closes in with a glowing pounce line on the street
New city events Hound dens & Artillery batteries. Destroy the kennel while packs pour out. Take the rooftops from the mortars.

04 / Everything is on the line

One character. One chance.

One life.
No continues.

Every character is temporary. Die — or leave — and they're gone for good. That's exactly what makes the run matter.

  1. The character creator with a hero in gold armor on the pedestal
    00:00 · Create

    Become someone.

    Quick Create gets you in fast — or build from the ground up: body, face, costume, stance, voice. Then a cinematic swoop into the city.

  2. Choosing between three Solar paths at rank 2
    Rank 2 · Branch

    Choose your path.

    Your power splits three ways. Explosive brawler or charged beam? Gravity tank or rift-stepper? The build is yours.

  3. A rank-up eruption of power around a character in the street
    Rank 4 · Signature

    Earn your biggest move.

    Supernova. Singularity. Absolute zero. Every rank-up erupts in your own power — and the city sees it.

  4. A character stands among cash bags dropped by defeated machines
    Every fight · Fortune

    Stack a fortune. Risk it all.

    Machines drop cash. Events pay out. A Cash Surge doubles new earnings for 25 seconds. Get knocked out and your entire wallet hits the street — for anyone to grab.

    Fortune is an in-game score. It cannot be spent or withdrawn.

  5. The City Legends board listing the five richest lives with portraits
    Peak · Legend

    Get remembered.

    The season's five highest peak fortunes earn a place on City Legends — portraits and all.

  6. An end card summarizing a finished character's life
    — · End of life

    Then it's over.

    Death or leaving ends the character. The end card tells the story — time survived, bosses beaten, final build. Then: create someone new.

A city with a pulse

Same storm.
Everyone's sky.

Clear nights roll into mist, rain and lightning — and every player in the city sees the same sky at the same moment. Pigeons scatter. Steam vents hiss. Banners snap in the wind.

Weather effects can be turned off in Settings.

Six emotes: salute, wave, taunt, flex, and two power show-offs
G Between fights: salute, wave, taunt, flex, show off, or sit.

Every screenshot and clip here comes straight out of the game. No concept art. No mockups.

Before you cross the wall

Get ready.
Then get out there.

Best with a keyboard and mouse. The game runs in a browser with WebGL 2 and hardware acceleration.

W A S DMove
MouseLook & fight
1 — 4Abilities
FToggle flight

Press H in the game for all controls.

Is z13 really free?

Yes. z13 is free to play in your browser. There is nothing to buy, and the fortune you earn in the city is a score, not a currency.

Is z13 connected to DC Universe Online?

No. z13 is an independent, original game made by a longtime DC Universe Online fan. Its city, characters, and powers are its own, and it is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by DC, Daybreak Game Company, or Dimensional Ink Games.

Do I need to download anything?

No. z13 runs in a modern browser with WebGL 2 and hardware acceleration turned on. There is no launcher or install.

Do I need an account?

No. Create a character and enter the city directly from your browser.

Can I keep my character?

Each character has one life. Death or leaving ends it, and your next visit starts fresh. Settings and saved appearance presets can remain, but your build, fortune, and earned cosmetics do not carry over. City Legends keeps a record of the season's highest peak fortunes.

Can I play on my phone?

Touch controls are available, but desktop is the best experience. Your browser needs WebGL 2 and hardware acceleration; performance varies by device.

Am I playing with other people?

The Play buttons take you to the shared public city, where heroes and villains play together. Player activity varies. You can also explore a solo city.

The zone keeps changing

Every update.
One place.

Read the changelog
  1. 0.8.0EscalationThe wall moved. The fight changed. The city came alive.Latest
  2. 0.7.0City LegendsA fortune to lose. A fighting style to own. A life the city can remember.
  3. 0.6.0Greater Sentinel CityThe original streets became a city of ten distinct districts.
  4. 0.5.1A steadier life in the zoneCombat, reconnects, and controls behave more consistently.
  5. 0.5.0One lifeEvery character becomes a story with a beginning and an end.

The perimeter is waiting

The next legend
could be you.

Play z13 free

Free · In your browser · One life. Make it count.