Linux and open source gaming go back a long way. Long before Steam came to Linux, long before Proton existed, there were games you could install with a single command, play on almost any hardware, and actually trust, because you could read the source code yourself if you wanted to.
That tradition is alive and well. This list covers 15 free games on linux that run natively, cost nothing, and don’t require Steam, an account, or a launcher to enjoy. Most install directly from your distro’s package manager. A few are on Flathub or their own websites. All of them are worth your time.
I have included install commands for most of the games that work on debian based distros (like Ubuntu). If you are running some other distro you should be able to find most of these games with the native package manager like yum, pacman etc.
Examples of free games on Linux
1. OpenTTD
Genre: Transport tycoon / simulation | Install size: ~50MB | Install: sudo apt install openttd
OpenTTD is an open source reimplementation of the 1994 classic Transport Tycoon Deluxe. You build a transport empire connecting cities with trains, buses, trucks, planes, and ships, earning money to expand your network and outlast the competition.
Two decades of active development have made it more polished, moddable, and feature-rich than the commercial original ever was. The install footprint is around 50MB, the system requirements are essentially zero (it’ll run on a netbook from 2008 without complaint), and a thriving community keeps producing new maps, vehicle sets, and scenarios. A genuine Linux institution.
Get it: openttd.org or install it directly via your distro’s package manager:
sudo apt install openttd
2. Battle for Wesnoth
Genre: Turn-based strategy | Install size: ~600MB | Install: sudo apt install wesnoth
Linux veterans have been recommending Battle for Wesnoth to newcomers for the better part of two decades, and the enthusiasm hasn’t faded. It’s a turn-based fantasy wargame played on hexagonal grids, with elves, dwarves, orcs, undead, and humans clashing across dozens of campaigns.
The tactical depth is real. Every unit type has strengths and weaknesses against others, terrain shapes combat, and day/night cycles shift the balance of power between factions. Multiple official campaigns each have their own story and difficulty settings, and the community has produced enough additional content to keep you busy for years.
Get it: at wesnoth.org or:
sudo apt install wesnoth
3. 0 A.D.
Genre: Real-time strategy | Install size: ~4GB | Install: sudo apt install 0ad
0 A.D. is the kind of game that would comfortably sell for $40 if it were commercial. You build cities, gather resources, train armies, and fight across historically inspired maps as the Athenians, Carthaginians, Romans, Mauryans, and more. The visuals are genuinely impressive for an open source project.
Years of ongoing development by Wildfire Games have produced something that holds its own against commercial titles in the genre. It’s the closest thing Linux has to Age of Empires, and it’s completely free.
Get it: play0ad.com or:
sudo apt install wesnoth
4. Minetest
Genre: Sandbox / voxel | Install size: ~50MB (base) | Install: sudo apt install minetest
Minetest is an open source voxel sandbox in the spirit of Minecraft, built in C++ for speed and low resource use. The base game is deliberately minimal, but that’s the point: it’s a platform for hundreds of community-made subgames and mods that turn it into completely different experiences, from survival adventures to city builders to puzzle games.
It runs on hardware Minecraft would choke on, has an active multiplayer community with public servers, and every mod in the official content browser is free. If you’ve always wanted a Minecraft-style game without paying for one, this is where to start.
Get it: minetest.net or:
sudo apt install minetest
5. Endless Sky
Genre: Space exploration / trading | Install size: ~120MB | Install: sudo apt install endless-sky
Endless Sky is a 2D space trading and combat game inspired by the classic Escape Velocity series. You start with a small ship and a modest loan, then make your way across a hand-crafted galaxy: trading cargo, taking on missions, upgrading your ship, and gradually uncovering a larger story.
The writing is better than you’d expect. The world feels genuinely alive, with dozens of factions, alien civilisations, and political tensions playing out across hundreds of star systems. It’s the kind of game you open for twenty minutes and look up an hour later wondering where the time went.
Get it: endless-sky.github.io or:
sudo apt install endless-sky
6. Freeciv
Genre: Turn-based strategy | Install size: ~100MB | Install: sudo apt install freeciv
Freeciv is an open source Civilization clone that’s been in active development since 1995, making it one of the oldest open source games still going strong. You guide a civilisation from the Stone Age to the Space Age, building cities, researching technologies, and competing or cooperating with other leaders across a procedurally generated world.
The web version at freeciv.org lets you play in a browser, but the native Linux client is polished, fast, and supports both single-player and online multiplayer. It’s turn-based, so sessions can be as long or short as you like.
Get it: freeciv.org
sudo apt install freeciv
7. Warzone 2100
Genre: Real-time strategy | Install size: ~400MB | Install: sudo apt install warzone2100
Warzone 2100 started life as a commercial game from Pumpkin Studios in 1999, was open-sourced in 2004, and has been community-developed ever since. You command a force rebuilding civilisation after a nuclear catastrophe, fighting through a campaign across scorched earth, researching technology, and designing your own vehicles from a modular system of chassis, weapons, and propulsion types.
That last part sets it apart from almost every other RTS. You don’t just unlock units, you build them from components. The result is genuinely deep and still unlike anything else in the genre, free or otherwise.
Get it: wz2100.net or:
sudo apt install warzone2100
8. SuperTuxKart
Genre: Kart racing | Install size: ~700MB | Install: sudo apt install supertuxkart
SuperTuxKart is the open source kart racer you didn’t know you needed. Tux leads the roster alongside mascots from other open source projects, racing across a varied set of tracks: icy mountains, underground mines, a candy-themed world, and more.
The polish genuinely surprises people. There’s a story mode, online multiplayer, time trials, and a solid selection of tracks and vehicles. It’s not Mario Kart, but it’s a fun game in its own right. And it costs nothing.
Get it: supertuxkart.net or:
sudo apt install supertuxkart
9. Xonotic
Genre: Arena first-person shooter | Install size: ~900MB | Install: xonotic.org
Xonotic is the definitive open source arena shooter. Fast, skill-driven, and genuinely fun, it takes clear inspiration from Quake and Unreal Tournament while adding its own movement mechanics and weapon balance. There are 16 game modes, a huge selection of community maps, and active online servers with real players.
The visuals hold up well, and the movement system rewards practice without shutting out newcomers. If you’ve ever enjoyed arena shooters and want one that costs nothing and runs without a launcher, this is it.
Get it: xonotic.org (direct download, also on Flathub)
10. Teeworlds
Genre: 2D multiplayer shooter | Install size: ~20MB | Install: sudo apt install teeworlds
Teeworlds is a tiny, chaotic 2D multiplayer shooter with a grappling hook, cartoon graphics, and a community that’s been playing it for well over a decade. Think Worms meets Quake, squashed flat, with little round characters and a hook you can fling across entire maps.
At around 20MB it’s one of the lightest games on this list. The skill ceiling is high (the grapple movement alone takes time to master) but the game is immediately fun even when you have no idea what you’re doing. Public servers are active, and the whole thing installs in seconds.
Get it: teeworlds.com or:
sudo apt install teeworlds
11. Hedgewars
Genre: Turn-based artillery | Install size: ~300MB | Install: sudo apt install hedgewars
Hedgewars is a Worms clone, and a very good one. Teams of cartoon hedgehogs take turns lobbing grenades, firing bazookas, dropping airstrikes, and generally making life miserable for each other across destructible terrain. It supports local multiplayer, online play, and a single-player training and mission mode.
The arsenal is huge, the physics are satisfying, and it runs on essentially any hardware. If you’ve ever lost an afternoon to Worms with a friend, this scratches exactly that itch for free.
Get it: hedgewars.org or:
sudo apt install hedgewars
12. SuperTux
Genre: Platformer | Install size: ~100MB | Install: sudo apt install supertux
SuperTux is a Mario-style platformer starring Tux, the Linux mascot. It started as a straightforward clone but has grown into a polished game with its own worlds, enemies, power-ups, and story. The level design is solid, the controls are tight, and there’s a built-in level editor for making and sharing your own stages.
It works equally well as a ten-minute distraction or a longer sit-down working through the campaign. Light, fast, and completely free.
Get it: supertux.github.io or:
sudo apt install supertux
13. Chromium B.S.U.
Genre: Arcade shoot ’em up | Install size: ~5MB | Install: sudo apt install chromium-bsu
Not the browser. Chromium B.S.U. is a fast-paced, top-scrolling space shooter in the classic arcade tradition. You pilot a ship, shoot waves of enemies, collect power-ups, and try not to die. That’s the whole game.
At around 5MB it’s one of the smallest games available anywhere, and it runs on literally any hardware with a graphics card from the last twenty years. It’s not deep. But it’s immediately fun and surprisingly good for clearing your head between tasks.
Get it:
sudo apt install chromium-bsu
14. KDE Games (KBlocks, Kolf, and friends)
Genre: Various casual | Install size: Minimal | Install: sudo apt install kdegames
If you’re on KDE Plasma, a full suite of casual games is one command away. KBlocks is a polished Tetris clone that’s genuinely hard to put down. Kolf is a surprisingly satisfying miniature golf game with physics that reward careful thinking. KMines, KSudoku, and a dozen others fill out the collection.
None of them will blow you away. But they’re zero-friction, zero-cost, and perfectly calibrated for a ten-minute break. There’s a reason Tetris has survived 40 years.
Get it: sudo apt install kdegames
sudo apt install kdegames
15. Frozen Bubble
Genre: Puzzle / arcade | Install size: ~15MB | Install: sudo apt install frozen-bubble
Frozen Bubble has been around since 2002 and remains one of the most addictive casual games on Linux. Fire coloured bubbles upward from a launcher, match three or more of the same colour to pop them, and don’t let the mass descend too far. Think Bust-a-Move with penguins and a reputation for quietly eating your afternoon.
At 15MB it’s the lightest fully-fledged game on this list. It runs on anything, including single-board computers and decade-old netbooks, and it lives in the repositories of essentially every Linux distribution that has ever existed. If you’ve never played it, prepare to lose an hour to “just one more go.”
Get it:
sudo apt install frozen-bubble
Final Thoughts
Free and open source gaming on Linux is richer than most people realise. Many of these games are heaps of fun and are in active developemnt.
Everyone of them is free and should run on older hardware. So even if you just installed Linux on an old potato, you should be able to have fun!