Lode Runner (5 Screw)

This is the Lode Runner 5 Screw NES cartridge, the five-screw shell version of the puzzle-platform game. Hudson Soft developed this version, and Broderbund published it on the Nintendo Entertainment System in North America. You get the loose cartridge only, with no box or manual.

About the Lode Runner 5 Screw NES Game

Doug Smith created the original Lode Runner, and Broderbund published it on June 23, 1983. Hudson Soft made the console version, which came out on the Famicom in Japan in 1984. The NES version has 50 levels with scrolling screens and added music.

The goal of each level is to collect all of the gold and then reach the top of the screen. Guards chase you, and if one catches you, you lose a life.

You cannot jump, but falls never hurt you. Your main tool is digging. You can dig holes in the floor to your left or right, though not straight down, and use them to trap guards.

Lode Runner NES Game Details

• Platform: Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
• NES release (North America): September 1987 (some sources say 1986)
• Developer: Hudson Soft
• Publisher: Broderbund (North America)
• Genre: Puzzle, platform
• Players: 1
• Levels: 50
• Cartridge: Five-screw shell
• What you get: Loose cartridge only, no box or manual

The Level Editor and the Five-Screw Shell

The game includes a level editor. In Japan, players could save their levels with the Famicom Data Recorder, a tape drive. The North American NES had no such drive, so levels built on a US cartridge cannot be saved.

Early NES cartridges were held together with five screws, and later ones with three. This page is for the five-screw shell. The game is the same as on our standard Lode Runner listing. Check the photos to see the exact cart.

More Broderbund Games

See all NES games. Broderbund also published Raid on Bungeling Bay (5 Screw) on the NES. Read more about Lode Runner on Wikipedia.

Lode Runner 5 Screw NES: FAQs

How many levels are on the NES version?
50 levels.

Can you jump in Lode Runner?
No. You dig holes to trap guards instead, and falling never hurts you.

Can I save levels from the editor?
Not on a North American NES. Saving needed the Famicom Data Recorder.

Is a box or manual included?
No. You get the loose Lode Runner NES 5 screw cartridge only, for the Nintendo Entertainment System.

Shipping and Returns

Orders are dispatched within 2 business days. Standard US shipping is $4.99, and orders over $50 ship free. See our 30-day return policy.