A quick note on the name: in “GNOME games,” GNOME means the Linux desktop, not a garden gnome. The games are free and open source, and they’re designed as quick “five-minute” breaks. Each one is now a separate app, so you can install only the ones you want. On Debian and Ubuntu there’s also a single package that installs them all.
Every game in the GNOME collection
| Game | Package | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| AisleRiot | aisleriot | A solitaire collection with dozens of card games, including Klondike, FreeCell and Spider |
| Five or More | five-or-more | Line up five or more pieces of the same color to clear them. It’s a port of the Windows game Color Lines. |
| Four-in-a-row | four-in-a-row | Drop pieces to get four in a row, against the computer or a friend |
| GNOME 2048 | gnome-2048 | The sliding-tile number puzzle, to reach the 2048 tile |
| GNOME Chess | gnome-chess | Chess with 2D and 3D boards, against several chess engines or another person |
| GNOME Klotski | gnome-klotski | Sliding-block puzzles where you move one block out of a crowded box |
| GNOME Mahjongg | gnome-mahjongg | Mahjong solitaire: match pairs of tiles to clear the layout |
| GNOME Mines | gnome-mines | The classic minesweeper logic puzzle |
| GNOME Nibbles | gnome-nibbles | A snake game for up to four players, against people or the computer |
| GNOME Robots | gnome-robots | An updated version of the old BSD robots game. Make the robots crash into each other. |
| GNOME Sudoku | gnome-sudoku | Sudoku with unlimited generated puzzles, difficulty levels and printing |
| GNOME Taquin | gnome-taquin | Slide numbered tiles back into order (the 15-puzzle) |
| GNOME Tetravex | gnome-tetravex | Place square tiles so that the numbers on touching edges match |
| Hitori | hitori | A number logic puzzle similar to sudoku: shade cells until no row or column repeats |
| Iagno | iagno | Reversi (Othello): flip your opponent’s pieces by trapping them |
| Lights Off | lightsoff | Each tap flips a light and its neighbors. The goal is to turn them all off. |
| Quadrapassel | quadrapassel | A falling-blocks game similar to Tetris |
| Swell Foop | swell-foop | Clear the board by removing groups of same-colored balls |
| Tali | tali | A dice game in the style of Yahtzee. Its package description calls it “sort of poker with dice and less money.” |
How to install GNOME games
Ubuntu and Debian
To install the whole collection at once, use the gnome-games metapackage:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install gnome-gamesTo install only one game, use its package name from the table above:
sudo apt install gnome-mines gnome-sudoku aisleriotFedora
Fedora packages each game separately, under the same names:
sudo dnf install gnome-mines gnome-sudoku gnome-chess aisleriot quadrapasselArch Linux
sudo pacman -S gnome-mines gnome-sudoku aisleriotAny distro, with Flatpak
The latest versions of most GNOME games are on Flathub. GNOME Sudoku’s developers, for example, list this command:
flatpak install flathub org.gnome.SudokuIf you aren’t sure of a game’s ID, search for it first, then install from the results:
flatpak search minesIf you’d rather not use a terminal, open the Software app on GNOME (or Discover on KDE), search for the game by name, and click Install.
GNOME Games, the launcher app
There’s a second thing called “GNOME Games.” It was a separate app for browsing and launching your whole game library, including installed games, Steam games and emulator ROMs, from one window. That app is no longer developed under that name. Its repository is archived, and the work continues as a new project called Highscore. If a guide tells you to “open GNOME Games” to see your Steam library, it means this launcher, not the puzzle collection above.
Which ones to try first
- For a quick break: GNOME Mines and Lights Off. Both take a minute or two a round.
- For puzzle fans: GNOME Sudoku, Hitori and Tetravex. Sudoku can also print puzzles if you like to play on paper.
- For card players: AisleRiot, which has enough solitaire games to keep you busy for years.
- To play with someone: GNOME Chess, Four-in-a-row and GNOME Nibbles, which supports up to four players.
- For a little action: Quadrapassel and GNOME Robots.
Not on Linux? You can play our free browser gnome games on any computer or phone. For gnome-themed games on Steam, see the best gnome games.
Frequently asked questions
Are GNOME games free?
Yes. All of the GNOME games are free and open source, released under the GNU General Public License.
Do GNOME games work on KDE, Xfce or other desktops?
Yes. They’re designed for GNOME, but they run on any Linux desktop. They will just look like GNOME apps.
Can I play GNOME games on Windows or Mac?
Not as official native apps. The GNOME games are built for Linux. On Windows, you can run Linux apps through the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), but most people will be happier with a native game.
What happened to gnome-games in Ubuntu?
The games used to ship in one package. They’re now separate packages, and gnome-games is a metapackage that installs all of them. Many newer Ubuntu installs don’t include the games by default, so you may need to install them yourself.