Freeware and open source games

 
On this page, we compiled a short list of some FREE and OPEN SOURCE GAMES we like.

Of course, those are not browser-based games like the other ones in the directory, which means you will have to download them and install them on your computer in order to play them. As such, this page is going a bit over the purpose of this site.
But these games are all free to download and play, and most of them being open source, they usually all have a version for Windows, Mac OSX or Linux. Some of them (not all) are multiplayer too, allowing you to play with other people over the Internet. As such, we thought they are worth knowing about, and we hope you will be interested.

This page is not intended to be a comprehensive directory of freeware or open source games, but rather a list of a few interesting games we like. Feel free to tell us if you know about a good free game you know about and you think could have its place here.

 
First person shooters

AssaultCube is a free multiplayer first-person shooter game, based on the CUBE engine, taking place in realistic environments, with fast, arcade gameplay. It's fun and quite addictive when you get the hang of it! Don't be discouraged when you first enter public servers and get killed a lot, soon you will get better and enjoy the game.

With efficient bandwidth usage, it can even run over a 56Kbps connection. It's a small download and install too (package is only 40 Mb) and available for Windows, Mac and Linux. On the correct settings, it can even run on old hardware (Pentium III and above).

Similar to AssaultCube, Urban Terror is a free multiplayer first person shooter developed by FrozenSand. It is available for Windows, Linux and Macintosh. Urban Terror can be described as a Hollywood tactical shooter; somewhat realism based, but the motto is "fun over realism". This results in a very unique, enjoyable and addictive game.

Driving and racing simulations

VDrift is a cross-platform, open source driving simulation made with drift racing in mind. This game is in the early stages of development but is already very playable. Currently the game features simulation-grade driving physics, tracks based on famous real-world tracks, cars based on real-world vehicles, competition against AI players, mouse/joystick/gamepad/wheel/keyboard support. The game is currently not multiplayer though.

 
Stunt Rally is a modification of VDrift which takes the VDrift physics engine and adapts it to the Ogre3D graphics engine. With the addition of a few nifty Ogre3D-based components (terrain, etc.), you have a cool open source rally game. Stunt Rally 1.0 includes 35 tracks to drive on, in 6 sceneries, and 7 cars to choose from. There is also a Track Editor to create your own tracks or modify the existing ones.

 
TORCS, The Open Racing Car Simulator, is a highly portable multi platform car racing simulation. It is used as ordinary car racing game, as AI racing game and as research platform. It is open source and runs on Linux, FreeBSD, MacOSX and Windows. TORCS features more than 50 different cars, more than 20 tracks, and 50 opponents to race against. Your can steer with a joystick or steering wheel, if the device is supported by your platform, or drive with the mouse or the keyboard. Graphic features lighting, smoke, skidmarks and glowing brake disks. The simulation features a simple damage model, collisions, tire and wheel properties (springs, dampers, stiffness, ...), aerodynamics (ground effect, spoilers, ...) and much more. The gameplay allows different types of races from the simple practice session up to the championship. You can race against your friends in the split screen mode with up to four human players. The next big development goal is an online racing mode.

 
Speed Dreams is a fork of the famous open racing car simulator TORCS, aiming to implement exciting new features, cars, tracks and AI opponents to make a more enjoyable game for the player, as well as constantly improving visual and physics realism. It features new car sets, new tracks, menu improvements, etc. No multiplayer racing mode over the Internet yet, but they are working on it.

 
Racer is a free cross-platform car simulation project (for non-commercial use), using professional car physics to achieve a realistic feeling and an excellent render engine for graphical realism. Cars, tracks and such can be created relatively easy (compared to other, more closed driving simulations). The 3D files, physics and other Racer-specific file formats are documented. Editors and support programs are also available to get a very customizable and expandable simulator. It attempts to do well at the physics section, trying to create life-like cars to emphasize car control and doesn't cut back on realism in the interest of fun.
 

 
Strategy games

Freeciv is a free turn-based multiplayer strategy game, in which each player becomes the leader of a civilization, fighting to obtain the ultimate goal: to become the greatest civilization. It is largely inspired by the original Civilization I & II games by Microprose. It has a number of features, including: Up to 30 players, artificial Intelligence (AI) computer-controlled players, internet & LAN multiplayer (TCP/IP), support for a great number of platforms, premade maps & scenarios, more than 50 playable units and far beyond 100 nations.

 
FreeCol is a turn-based strategy game based on the old game Colonization, and similar to Civilization, but as the goal in Civilization was to build a nation that could stand the test of times and that could also conquer the world or be the first to launch a spaceship, the objective in Colonization was to colonize America, beginning with just one vessel and a few colonists, and to create an independent nation. In FreeCol, you have to compete with other computer or human players who have the same goal. Multi-player games over the Internet are possible, with up to 8 nations in each game.

 
Widelands is an open source real-time strategy game, heavily inspired by the original Settlers I & II released by Bluebyte. In Widelands, you are the regent of a small clan, starting out with nothing but your headquarters, where all your resources are stored. In the course of the game, you will build an ever growing settlement. Every member of your clan will do his or her part to produce more resources - wood, food, iron, gold and more - to further this growth. The economic network is complex and different in the three tribes (Barbarians, Empire, Atlanteans).
As you are not alone in the world, you will meet other clans sooner or later. Some of them may be friendly and future will perhaps bring the possibility to trade with them. However, if you want to rule the world, you will have to train soldiers and fight.
Widelands offers single-player mode with different campaigns; the campaigns all tell stories of tribes and their struggle in the Widelands universe! However, settling really starts when you unite with friends over the Internet or LAN to build up new empires together - or to crush each other in the dusts of war.

 
In UFO: Alien Invasion, it is the year 2084. You control a secret organisation charged with defending Earth from a brutal alien enemy. Build up your bases, prepare your team, and dive head-first into the fast and flowing turn-based combat. UFO: Alien Invasion is a squad-based tactical strategy game in the tradition of the old X-COM PC games, but with a twist. The game combines military realism with hard science-fiction and the weirdness of an alien invasion. The carefully constructed turn-based system gives you pin-point control of your squad while maintaining a sense of pace and danger. Over the long term you will need to conduct research into the alien threat to figure out their mysterious goals and use their powerful weapons for your own ends. You will produce unique items and use them in combat against your enemies. If you like, you can even use them against your friends with the multiplayer functionality. The game takes a lot of inspiration from the X-COM series by Mythos and Microprose.
You can play UFO: Alien Invasion with your friends via LAN or Internet connection. One player controls a human team while another player takes command of the aliens for a bloody head-to-head battle. UFO:AI also supports cooperative team play with multiple players on both sides, up to a maximum of 3 teams for each side, 6 players total.

 
Warzone 2100 is a real-time strategy game, originally developed by Pumpkin Studios and published by Eidos Interactive, now developed by the Warzone 2100 Project. Compared to other real-time strategy games, it has a greater focus on artillery, radar, and counter-battery technologies, more frequent in-game cinematic updates as game play progresses, a massive research tree, as well as a vehicle design system.
 

 
Flight simulator

The FlightGear flight simulator project is an open-source, multi-platform, cooperative flight simulator development project. Source code for the entire project is available and licensed under the GNU General Public License. The goal of the FlightGear project is to create a sophisticated flight simulator framework for use in research or academic environments, for the development and pursuit of other interesting flight simulation ideas, and as an end-user application.
FlightGear includes over 20,000 detailed real world airports, detailed coverage of the entire world with accurate terrain, with lakes, rivers, roads, railroads, cities, towns, land cover, etc., night lighting, etc., accurate and detailed sky model, flexible and open aircraft modeling system (currently you can fly the 1903 Wright Flyer, a 747 and A320, various military jets, and several light singles), smooth and fluid instrument animation, etc.

 
And finally a game in progress worth following:

0 A.D. is a free, open-source, cross-platform real-time strategy (RTS) game of ancient warfare. In short, it is a historically-based war/economy game that allows players to relive or rewrite the history of Western civilizations, focusing on the years between 500 B.C. and 500 A.D. The project is highly ambitious, involving state-of-the-art 3D graphics, detailed artwork, sound, and a flexible and powerful custom-built game engine. The game has been in development by Wildfire Games (WFG), a group of volunteer, hobbyist game developers, since 2001. The graphics are incredible, but unfortunately game development is really slow and the game is still in alpha stage.