Last Updated on December 10, 2018
In response to our request for users’ thoughts on their favorite Linux games, we received, as anticipated, a flood of emails. Hundreds of games were recommended for inclusion in this compilation, with a few people eulogizing at great length why a particular title could not be omitted. To say that strong emotions were stirred by our previous ’42 of the Best Linux Games’ feature is an understatement!
After careful deliberation, we have whittled down the recommendations to a list of 42 more highly compelling Linux games, trying not to focus unduly on any one particular type of computer game genre. Hopefully, there should be something of interest here for all types of gamers! All of these games are great fun to play.
To be eligible for inclusion in the list below, games again needed to satisfy the following requirements:
- Free to play (no download charge, no monthly charge).
- Does not require Wine to run. Wine is a compatibility layer for running Windows software.
- Not in the early stages of development.
We have permitted one game to be included which strictly does not meet the above criteria. While Hexen II: Hammer of Thrion is released under the GNU General Public License (GPL), it requires an original copy of the commercial game released by Raven Software. However, we included the game in the list, as it is an outstanding in many respects, and was selected by a significant proportion of respondents.
If you missed the first and third parts in this series, please read Part 1, and Part 3.
For each of the 42 games listed below we have compiled a portal page, providing screenshots of the game in action, a full description of the game, with an in-depth summary of its features, together with links to relevant resources and reviews.
| Linux Games | |
|---|---|
| AssaultCube | First-person-shooter based on the game Cube |
| Excalibur: MR | Fantasy first-person shooter |
| Hexen II: HT | Polished Port of Hexen II |
| TrueCombat:Elite | Modern world total conversion modification of Wolfenstein:ET |
| Vega Strike | 3D Action / Space / Simulation that lets you trade, fight, and explore |
| Wolfenstein: ET | Wage war as Axis or Allies in team-based combat |
| World of Padman | Conceived as a modification of Quake III Area, entitled PadMod |
| X-Moto | Challenging 2D motocross platform game |
| Chromium B.S.U | Top down fast paced high action scrolling space shooter |
| Kobo Deluxe | 2D shooter with a simple and responsive control system |
| LBreakOut2 | Clone of Arkanoid with lots of enhancements |
| OpenLieroX | Real-time excessive Worms-clone with network support |
| Penguin Command | Clone of the classic "Missile Command" |
| Egoboo | Variant of Nethack and Rogue |
| Eternal Lands | Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) like RuneScape |
| Planeshift | 3D persistent fantasy MMORPG |
| Project Diaspora | Clone of Diaspora, a trading MMORPG |
| Regnum Online | Fantasy MMORPG game set in a 3D virtual world |
| RuneScape | Java based MMORPG |
| Battle Tanks | Fast 2D tank game with multiplayer and split-screen modes |
| Bos Wars | Futuristic Real-Time Strategy |
| BZFlag | 3D first person tank shooting |
| Crimson Fields | Hex-based tactical war game in the tradition of Battle Isle |
| Globulation 2 | Innovative Real-Time Strategy |
| HedgeWars | Worms-like turn based strategy game |
| netPanzer | Isometric view real-time multiplayer tactical game |
| Savage 1 | Combines aspects of real-time strategy and first-person shooter |
| Danger from the Deep | World War II German tactical submarine simulator |
| GL-117 | 3D action flight simulator |
| Oolite | Retro 3D Space Simulation in the style of the classic Elite |
| Racer | Car simulation project using professional car physics |
| VDrift | Driving simulation with drift racing in mind |
| Bygfoot | Football management game |
| gnubg | Playing and analysing backgammon |
| PokerTH | Implementation of the Texas hold'em poker game |
| PySolFC | Collection of more than 1000 solitaire card games |
| Crack Attack! | Similar to the Super Nintendo classic game "Tetris Attack" |
| Enigma | Find uncover pairs of identically colored Oxyd stones |
| gbrainy | Train memory, arithmetical and logical capabilities |
| Crystal Space | 3D Game Toolkit |
| Delta3D | Designed for training, education, visualization, and entertainment |
| GCompris | Suite comprising of numerous activities for children aged 2 to 10 |
 Read our complete collection of recommended free and open source software. Our curated compilation covers all categories of software. Spotted a useful open source Linux program not covered on our site? Please let us know by completing this form. The software collection forms part of our series of informative articles for Linux enthusiasts. There are hundreds of in-depth reviews, open source alternatives to proprietary software from large corporations like Google, Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, IBM, Cisco, Oracle, and Autodesk. There are also fun things to try, hardware, free programming books and tutorials, and much more. |