diff --git a/pkgs/games/nethack/default.nix b/pkgs/games/nethack/default.nix
index b3fb1efed080..14ebff5c65bf 100644
--- a/pkgs/games/nethack/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/games/nethack/default.nix
@@ -231,7 +231,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   meta = with lib; {
     description = "Rogue-like game";
     homepage = "http://nethack.org/";
-    license = "nethack";
+    license = lib.licenses.ngpl;
     platforms = if x11Mode then platforms.linux else platforms.unix;
     maintainers = [ ];
     mainProgram = "nethack";