XL-TYPE — A shoot 'em up built entirely inside Microsoft Excel
A shoot 'em up built entirely inside Microsoft Excel.
Can you fix the errors and save the file?
Weapons ripped from the formula bar
Power-ups inspired by real Excel functions — seeking missiles, stacked helpers, explosive bombs — every spreadsheet nerd's favourite formulas turned into firepower.
5 Excel error boss fights
Face down five bosses born from the errors every spreadsheet dreads — #VALUE!, #SPILL!, #NAME? and more — each with its own attack pattern standing between you and a clean workbook.
Critical Acclaim
"I can't believe this actually worked!"
"The best game I've ever played in a spreadsheet!"
"Why did you do this?"
"A spreadsheet — the worst imaginable game canvas."
What you need
Get XL-TYPE
The game workbook, plus a README with launch instructions, in one zip.
↓ Download XL-Type-v0.3.zip1. Unblock the download
- Right-click
XL-Type-v0.3.zip, then click Properties. - On the General tab, tick the Unblock box near the bottom, then click OK.
- Now extract the zip.
2. Check the hash (the workbook is macro-enabled — verify it before enabling macros)
- Open PowerShell in the folder you extracted.
- Run this command (hit copy to grab it):
Get-FileHash .\XL-Type-v0.3.xlsm -Algorithm SHA256 - Check the
Hashit prints matches this SHA-256:0f60b6d83a4715d89225f5e980525e22ef9cb93aed536e26da4bfbccf757611f - If they don't match, delete the file and download it again.
Is it safe to enable macros on a workbook from the internet?
Healthy skepticism is the right instinct — that's why the SHA-256 hash of every release is published above: verify your download matches before enabling anything.
XL-Type is plain VBA with nothing hidden. Open the workbook (macros stay disabled until you click Enable Content), press Alt+F11, and the game's full source code is right there. It's admittedly a lot of code to read through by hand — if you'd rather not, paste it into an LLM and ask it to review what the code does.
The game never connects to the internet and never reads or writes anything outside its own workbook.
Why does Excel show a security warning when I open it?
Windows and Excel flag every macro-enabled file downloaded from the internet — it's a blanket policy ("Mark of the Web"), not a judgment about this file. The game is written in macros (VBA), so the warning is expected. Verify the hash, then click Enable Content on the yellow bar to start the game.
Is it really built entirely inside Excel?
Yes. The playfield is worksheet cells being recoloured every frame, the game loop and all the logic are VBA, input is keyboard polling, and the sound plays through Windows audio calls made from VBA. No add-ins, no external engine, no companion programs — the entire game is one .xlsm workbook.
Is it free?
Completely. XL-Type is a free fan project, released under the GNU GPL v3-or-later license.
Does it work on Mac, or Excel on the web?
No — Windows desktop Excel only. The game depends on Windows-specific APIs for keyboard input and sound, and Excel on the web can't run VBA at all.
Will it change my Excel settings or touch my other spreadsheets?
No. It draws only inside its own workbook, keeps high scores and settings on its own worksheet tabs, and restores your Excel view (ribbon, gridlines, zoom) on the way out. Your other files are never opened or modified.