Open Source Linux Game Engines
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Game Engines for Linux
View 10 business solutionsBrowse free open source Game Engines and projects for Linux below. Use the toggles on the left to filter open source Game Engines by OS, license, language, programming language, and project status.
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Godot Engine
Godot is a powerful cross-platform game engine
Godot was created to provide a fully free, open source game development environment. To compile from source see the official docs here https://docs.godotengine.org/en/latest/development/compiling/ -
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Source Engine
Modified source engine (2017) developed by valve and leaked in 2020
The Source Engine repository under that particular GitHub user appears to be a custom (or forked) version of a game engine — likely an engine derived from or inspired by the classic Source engine lineage (or at least the name evokes that lineage). However, publicly-available documentation, community support or clarity about the project’s scope and maturity seems limited: the repo does not clearly advertise a full engine release or wide adoption. As such, it feels more like an experimental or hobby project: potentially a work-in-progress engine or engine-in-progress reimplementation rather than a full production-ready game engine. For a developer, this means you're likely to face missing features, limited tooling, and the need to fill gaps yourself, but also that you have a chance to influence or shape the architecture as you develop. -
3
Ren'Py
The Ren'Py Visual Novel Engine
Ren’Py is a free and open-source visual novel engine that makes telling interactive stories easy by combining narrative scripting with multimedia support for images, sound, and music in a way that’s accessible to both beginners and experienced developers. Its scripting language is designed to be readable and intuitive, allowing writers and creators to define scenes, dialogues, branching choices, character expressions, and events without deep programming knowledge, while still offering the ability to embed Python for advanced control and custom gameplay features. The engine handles essential visual novel conventions like save and load systems, rollback to previous text, scene transitions, and UI menus, so creators can focus on the story and player experience. Because it’s built on Python and widely supported across platforms, Ren’Py games can run on Windows, macOS, Linux, mobile devices, and even in browsers with HTML5 builds, helping developers reach a broad audience. -
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3D game engine (more powerful redesign of the Cube engine) and FPS game
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Xash3D FWGS Engine
Xash3D FWGS engine
Xash3D FWGS is an open-source fork and extension of the original GoldSrc-based engine (from the classic era of first-person shooters), aimed at providing compatibility with the original engine (e.g. games built on it) while extending and modernizing its capabilities. The engine supports multiple rendering backends (OpenGL, GLES, software fallback), modern platforms (desktop OSes, mobile, etc.), and updated features such as better multiplayer, voice chat, IPv6 support, improved virtual filesystem, and support for modern asset formats. For modders or fans of classic games, Xash3D FWGS offers a way to play or build games using the familiar GoldSrc workflow but with updated portability and features. Legacy mods and maps for supported games can often be used unchanged (or with minimal modifications), preserving the classic experience. At the same time, the engine’s enhancements — modern input support (gamepad, touch), modern OS compatibility, cross-platform builds. -
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A game engine for running Ultima7 on modern operating systems, plus a map-editor and other tools for creating your own mods and games.
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7
Unreal Engine 4/5 Scripting System
Injectable LUA scripting system, SDK generator, live property editor
Lua scripting system platform, C++ Modding API, SDK generator, blueprint mod loader, live property editor and other dumping utilities for UE4/5 games. The goal of UE4SS is not to be a plug-n-play solution that always works with every game. The goal is to have an underlying system that works for most games. -
8
Multi Theft Auto: San Andreas
Multi Theft Auto is a game engine
Multi Theft Auto (MTA) is a software project that adds network play functionality to Rockstar North's Grand Theft Auto game series, in which this functionality is not originally found. It is a unique modification that incorporates an extendable network play element into a proprietary commercial single-player PC game. Multi Theft Auto is based on code injection and hooking techniques whereby the game is manipulated without altering any original files supplied with the game. The software functions as a game engine that installs itself as an extension of the original game, adding core functionality such as networking and GUI rendering while exposing the original game's engine functionality through a scripting language. Originally founded back in early 2003 as an experimental piece of C/C++ software, Multi Theft Auto has since grown into an advanced multiplayer platform for gamers and third-party developers. -
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QuakeSpasm
A modern, cross-platform Quake game engine based on FitzQuake.
QuakeSpasm is a *Nix friendly Quake Engine based on the SDL port of the popular FitzQuake. It includes some new features, important fixes, and aims for portability and 64 bit correctness. -
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10
San Andreas Unity
Open source reimplementation of GTA San Andreas game engine in Unity
San Andreas Unity is an open-source reimplementation of GTA San Andreas game engine in Unity. This won't be a complete reimplementation, but the focus is on gameplay features, multiplayer, and creating a framework that will allow easy game extension and unlimited modding possibilities. When running for the first time, the game will ask you for a path to GTA installation. You need to own GTA in order to play it. The game is tested on Linux, Windows, Mac, and Android. It supports both Mono and IL2CPP scripting backends, so it can be built for any platform that Unity supports, provided that you can copy PC version of GTASA to target device. Game fully works in multiplayer. You can start the game as dedicated server, as a host (server & client at the same time), or you can connect to a server. This works on all supported platforms, which means you can start a host even on Android device. -
11
GDevelop
The game engine for everyone
GDevelop is an open-source, cross-platform game development software designed to make creating HTML5 and native games easy for everyone. Experts and novices alike can create their own games with GDevelop as it is fast and easy to learn, requiring no knowledge in a specific programming language. What makes GDevelop unique and so easy to use is its powerful and intuitive event-based system. Events are a powerful way to build up your game logic, without having to learn a programming language. GDevelop also features ready-made behaviors for your game objects, and allows you to create new behaviors through the easy to learn events. And when you're done, you can publish your game just about anywhere-- web, iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Linux and even Facebook Messenger. Making games has never been easier or faster than with GDevelop! -
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OpenRA
Real Time Strategy game engine supporting early Westwood classics
OpenRA is a free and open source real-time strategy game engine for early Westwood games like Command & Conquer: Red Alert. It is not just a clone of the original but is a recreation, with improved and rebalanced gameplay that modernizes the classic Command & Conquer strategy games. It provides a common platform for rebuilding and reimagining classic 2D and 2.5D RTS games (the OpenRA mods). This means that OpenRA is not restricted by the technical limitations of the original closed-source games: it includes native support for modern operating systems and screen resolutions (including Windows 10, Mac OS X, and most Linux distros) without relying on emulation or binary hacks, and features integrated online multiplayer. -
13
jMonkeyEngine
A complete 3-D game development suite written in Java
jMonkeyEngine is a 3-D game engine for adventurous Java developers. It’s open-source, cross-platform, and cutting-edge. v3.6.1 is the latest stable version of the engine. The engine is used by several commercial game studios and computer-science courses. -
14
MineTest
Open source voxel game engine with support for survival and crafting
An open source voxel game engine. -
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GemRB Game Engine
GemRB is a portable open-source implementation of the Infinity Engine
GemRB (Game engine made with pre-Rendered Background) is a portable open-source implementation of Bioware's Infinity Engine. It was written to support pseudo-3D role playing games based on the Dungeons & Dragons ruleset (Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale series, Planescape: Torment). It should run on GNU/Linux, Microsoft Windows, OS X, possibly other UNIX derivatives and more. It is licensed under the GPL. -
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ursina
A game engine powered by python and panda3d
ursina is an easy-to-use, open source game engine and framework for Python that is built on top of Panda3D, aiming to make game development approachable while still being powerful enough for real projects. It lets you create both 2D and 3D games, applications, and visualizations by writing concise Python scripts instead of dealing with a lot of low-level boilerplate. The engine is centered around an Entity-based architecture, where everything in the scene is an object you can easily configure and manipulate from code. Ursina focuses heavily on iteration speed, offering in-game reloading of code, textures, and models so you can tweak and test changes quickly. It includes many batteries-included features such as a mesh API for procedural geometry, built-in animation and tweening, pre-made controllers like FirstPersonController and EditorCamera, and a library of shaders and 3D primitives. -
17
Amazon Lumberyard
Amazon Lumberyard is a free AAA game engine
Amazon Lumberyard is (or was) a free AAA-capable game engine developed by AWS, with deep integration into AWS cloud services and the Twitch streaming platform. It provided full source access and offered developers tools to build high-quality games and simulations with networking, rendering, physics and cloud backend features built in. The engine allowed game creators to hook into AWS infrastructure for multiplayer services, analytics, voice chat, and more, and leveraged Twitch to build live-stream-enabled experiences. Although Amazon has since archived the repository and transitioned focus to the open-source successor Open 3D Engine (O3DE), the project remains of interest as a large-scale example of cloud-enabled game engine architecture. Developers studying game tech or infrastructure integration can inspect how the engine’s subsystems were designed, including entity/component architectures, rendering pipelines and networked game services. -
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VCMI Project
Open-source engine for Heroes of Might and Magic III
VCMI is work-in-progress attempt to recreate engine for Heroes III, giving it new and extended possibilities. To use VCMI you need to own original data files. -
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Solar2D Game Engine
Solar2D Game Engine main repository (ex Corona SDK)
This is a fully open source project that is forked of the well-established and widely used Corona SDK game engine, which is no longer commercially supported. Development is lead by Vlad Shcherban, former technical lead engineer at Corona Labs Inc. If you are using this engine, consider supporting its development. Develop for mobile, desktop, and connected TV devices with just one code base: iOS, tvOS, Android, Android TV, macOS, Windows, Linux, or HTML5. Update your code, save the changes, and instantly see the results in our instant-update Simulator. When you're ready to test on real devices, build and deploy your app just once and then see code/assets update automatically, all over your local network. It's like magic. Select from numerous plugins which extend the Solar2D core for features like in-app advertising, analytics, media, and much more. A vast variety of plugins is available via Solar2D free directory or third party stores, like Solar2D Marketplace and Solar2D Plugins. -
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Cocos Engine
Cocos simplifies game creation and distribution with Cocos Creator
The Cocos Engine repository powers the open-source core of Cocos Creator, a cross-platform game engine and editor designed for building 2D and 3D games for web and native targets. It aims to simplify game creation and distribution, with support for high-performance rendering, physics, scene management, asset pipelines, and more. The engine is built using a mix of C++ (for performance-critical systems) and TypeScript/JavaScript (for scripting), enabling developers to script game logic while relying on a robust, high-performance core. Because of its cross-platform nature, games built with cocos-engine (via Cocos Creator) can target mobile, desktop, and web, making it a popular choice for developers wanting flexibility and broad reach. The engine includes extensive tooling and example/demo projects to demonstrate 2D and 3D physics, animation, UI and rendering capabilities. -
21
PlayCanvas Engine
Fast and lightweight JavaScript game engine built on WebGL and glTF
PlayCanvas is an open-source game engine. It uses HTML5 and WebGL to run games and other interactive 3D content in any mobile or desktop browser. PlayCanvas is used by leading companies in video games, advertising and visualization such as Animech, Arm, BMW, Disney, Facebook, Famobi, Funday Factory, IGT, King, Miniclip, Leapfrog, Mojiworks, Mozilla, Nickelodeon, Nordeus, NOWWA, PikPok, PlaySide Studios, Polaris, Product Madness, Samsung, Snap, Spry Fox, Zeptolab, Zynga. The PlayCanvas Engine gives incredible performance, even on devices such as the iPhone 4S. PlayCanvas ensures a fast loading time by using multiple features such as script concatenation, minification, deferred loading of non-essential assets and more. PlayCanvas has many team features such as being able to chat with your teammates directly from within the Editor. -
22
Descent 3
Descent 3 by Outrage Entertainment
The Descent3 repository is the open source release of the Descent 3 game engine by Outrage Entertainment, maintained by the community under the GPL-3.0 license. It provides the full C and C++ engine source code, including the historically significant “1.5” patch that was previously created by developers and later stabilized by fans. The codebase covers the game’s rendering, physics, audio, networking, tools, and editor components, allowing enthusiasts to build, run, and modify the classic 6-degrees-of-freedom space shooter on modern systems. To actually play the game, users must supply their own original game assets, following instructions in the repository’s usage documentation. The project uses CMake and related modern tooling for cross-platform builds, with support for Linux and Windows among other environments. A dedicated community maintains the engine, publishes updated releases, documents internals on a wiki, and coordinates contributions via an active Discord server and GitHub. -
23
Jolt Physics
A multi core friendly rigid body physics and collision detection lib
A multi core friendly rigid body physics and collision detection library suitable for games and VR applications, used by Horizon Forbidden West. So why create yet another physics engine? First of all, this has been a personal learning project and secondly I wanted to address some issues that I had with existing physics engines. In games we usually need to do many more things than to simulate the physics world and we need to do this across multiple threads. We therefore place a lot of emphasis on concurrently accessing the physics simulation data outside of the main physics simulation update. Sections of the world can be loaded / unloaded in the background. A batch of physics bodies can be prepared on a background thread without locking or affecting the physics simulation and then inserted into the world all at once with a minimal impact on performance. -
24
fheroes2
fheroes2 is a recreation of Heroes of Might and Magic II game engine
fheroes2 is a recreation of the Heroes of Might and Magic II game engine. This open-source multiplatform project, written from scratch, is designed to reproduce the original game with significant improvements in gameplay, graphics and logic (including support for high-resolution graphics, improved AI, numerous fixes and user interface improvements), breathing new life into one of the most addictive turn-based strategy games. You can find a complete list of all of our changes and enhancements in its own wiki page. -
25
Luanti
Voxel game-creation platform with easy modding and game creation
Luanti, originally known as Minetest, is a free, open-source voxel game engine and platform designed to let players, modders, and developers build and play diverse sandbox-style 3D worlds. Written in C++ for core performance and Lua for scripting, Luanti runs on multiple operating systems (Windows, macOS, Linux, BSD variants and even Android), making it highly accessible and cross-platform. Rather than being a single game, Luanti is meant as an engine and toolkit: individual “games” are actually collections of mods — written in Lua — that define terrain, items, NPCs, mechanics, and rules. This modular design enables rich customization and community-driven content: users can install new games, mods, and texture packs via a built-in content browser that draws from a central repository (ContentDB). Luanti supports both single-player and multiplayer via servers; players can host their own or join publicly listed ones, with server-side mods being applied automatically.
