The 20 Best ASCII Games on Linux System in 2020

If you are looking for the ASCII games on Linux, then you are in
the right place. Who doesn’t love to play games? In this modern
era, you have access to the various graphics-intensive games right
into your mobile phone. If you own a latest-generation console or a monster
gaming PC, then you are ahead of the time. You can play abundant
games of different categories that almost look like real movies.
^[1]

Even some of them are free to play. Some of them will let you
play with your friends. So, why on earth anyone needs to search for
the ASCII games? Well, as you searched for it, then I am sure you
already know what I am going to say. The ASCII games bring back the
nostalgia of the 80’s or 90’s childhood. Linux still has a great
library of ASCII games that you can check out.

ASCII games are also known as terminal-based games^[2]
because most of the ASCII games depend on the terminal window.
Although there are some exceptions, those who don’t know what’s
going on here, the ASCII game objects and scenes are created with
the ASCII characters.  They don’t have resource-heavy elements
that give stress on your computer. The main fact is that they are
great time killers for your potato PC.

Best ASCII Games on
Linux

---

Linux is not a gaming platform. The gamers always lean towards a
PlayStation, Xbox, or a Windows machine. But the ASCII games
library on Linux is huge. Although, these are not like those AAA
titles that everyone wants to play. Rather, these games will bring
you back to childhood.

And, some people have a great addition to retro games. I am that
kind of person. I thought as a tribute to the retro gamers, and I
should make this list. Hence, here I am presenting you the list of
the 20 best ASCII games for your Linux system that you must give a
try.

1. Curse of War

---

This is not a typical action game. This is not even possible for
an ASCII game to implement dynamic objects in the game. This game
is a war strategy game. Although there is no storyline or
historical basis for this game, you can feel the vibe of WWI from
the core concepts. The game might seem boring to some people, where
a little bit of patience will help you to get the fun out of
it.

Gameplay Highlights of Curse of
War

• You will have to build your army and construct your base.
• You have to set up your strategy and placement.
• All the rules will be on the homepage of the game.
• You will get different variants of this game on the
  internet.

Download^[3]

2. ASCII Sector

---

This is an ASCII game on Linux that is all about space
exploration. But that doesn’t mean it’s similar to those boring
arcade games. You will thoroughly get some action and adventure in
this game. All you have to do is just board on a spaceship, fight
with enemies, and gather resources. You can even trade them on an
in-game marketplace for upgrading your spacecraft.

Gameplay Highlights of ASCII
Sector

• It has both space and ground maps for exploring.
• You can buy from several spaceships from the in-game shop.
• You can download quests or develop your own by the scripting
  language.
• The players can create their storyline with amazing music for
  fun.

Download^[4]

3. Cataclysm DDA

---

This is a survival strategy game. The storyline features a
post-apocalyptic world where you have to fight with deadly
creatures to survive. The full name of the game is Cataclysm: Dark
Days Ahead. Although the game uses a small number of system
resources to run, the map is huge. It can be a great timekiller for
anyone who likes strategy with actions.

Gameplay Highlights of Cataclysm
DDA

• You are free to explore and conquest the whole map of the
  game.
• The players can collect food, vehicles, and different survival
  equipment from the map.
• You have to loot the dead bodies to get extra in-game
  stuff.
• The player has to fight and kill the monstrous weird
  creatures.

Download^[5]

4. Imperium

---

Imperium does not require a graphics card on your PC. It
features a fairly minimal game design. You just need to have a
display that supports at least 80 columns ASCII characters. The
most interesting fact about this game is the multiplying
capability. Up to 253 people can play this space exploration game
by communicating with each other.

Gameplay Highlights of
Imperium

• You can choose the playing character from different races.
• It can also be playable as a single-player offline game.
• The players can communicate with each other through private
  messages and chat rooms.
• The universe is considered as a flat surface in this game, and
  you can destroy enemy objects by attacking.

Download^[6]

5. Intricacy

---

Intricacy is a puzzle-based ASCII game on Linux. It runs inside
the terminal window via the command-line interface. The story is to
build locks for protecting your secret from others. While you also
have to find the flaws of locks built by others and hack them. But
the gameplay is not that simple. Rather it is much competitive and
fun to play.

Gameplay Highlights of
Intricacy

• You can try out this game without installing it by using
  SSH.
• You have to coordinate the given tools to hack or build your
  mechanism.
• Players can play this turn-based games with other players by
  accessing the network.
• This game runs completely on the terminal window with a line of
  command.

Download^[7]

6. Doom RL

---

Doom RL is considered as a Roguelike game. Roguelike is mainly a
sub-genre of role-playing games. They are called Roguelike because
they follow the fundamental concept of the original Rogue video
game. Hence, in Doom RL, you will feel the same old vibe. The
gameplay is not that vast, and it is quite a simple and
easy-to-play game.

Gameplay Highlights of Doom RL

• You can choose from different levels of difficulty based on
  your expertise.
• The game is preloaded with some excellent sound effects and
  original background score.
• You will get to collect unique objects and artifacts for the
  mission progress.
• The players will be awarded medals and badges based on their
  advancements.

Download^[8]

7. Dwarf Fortress

---

This is yet another Roguelike fantasy game. You have to play
your character in a randomly generated ASCII world in this game.
You have to play as dwarves, and you can command them for
performing different tasks. The dwarves can build comfortable
places for them, gather food and treasures, and they fight for
survival. The game is quite fun to play with.

Gameplay Highlights of Dwarf
Fortress

• You can build as many as 200 fortresses and defend them from
  the enemies.
• The map is pretty huge in terms of ASCII games, which consists
  of almost 38957285376 squares.
• The developers designed different materials and minerals for
  collecting by the game characters.
• The players can choose from 8 different background colors to
  match the 16 colors ASCII characters.

Download ^[9]

8. XorCurses

---

XorCurses is yet another puzzle-based ASCII game on Linux. This
is the reboot of the original XOR game that was published by the
Astral Software in 1987. the game was quite popular in those days.
It uses 16 colors ASCII characters for displaying the game objects.
All you have to do in this game is to run through the mazes,
collect the masks, and get out of that.

Gameplay Highlights of
XorCurses

• It features different types of replay modes to enhance your
  engagement in this game.
• You can navigate through the menus easily via the
  keyboard.
• The first 15 difficulty levels are directly derived from the
  original game.
• This game features different objects like chickens, fish,
  masks, etc. for the collection.

Download^[10]

9. NetHack

---

This is quite a popular title in the world of ASCII games. This
is a D&D style role-playing game. Since role-playing games are
also known as a hack and slash, the developers included the “Hack”
word in the name. The rules of this game are almost similar to
other Dungeons, and Dragons styled games. Some of you might think
it is a challenging game in the first fight. But after getting used
to it you will enjoy killing time with it.

Gameplay Highlights of NetHack

• This game features more than 40 randomly generated difficulty
  levels.
• Although it is an ASCII game, the graphics are quite improved
  and modernized.
• The players can collect from a wide range of in-game elements
  for using them.
• The game is full of combat and action to give you the ultimate
  RPG vibe.

Download^[11]

10. Overkill

---

Overkill is an ASCII based game for Linux. The game features a
deathmatch type style in the gameplay. This is a multiplayer game
where you will play with the other players through the internet.
The interesting fact is that you can connect and disconnect anytime
to the server without getting any penalty. The developers
beautifully implemented some animations in the ASCII
characters.

Gameplay Highlights of
Overkill

• You can choose from different types of weapons like grenades,
  invisibility, armor, etc.
• You will get a graphics editor in this game with some basic
  functionalities.
• The players can have an in-game chat with other players and get
  online help.
• You can select from a variety of prebuilt character designs for
  heroes with gender choice.

Download^[12]

11. Angband

---

This is yet another Roguelike game for the Linux distros. The
gameplay fundamental is quite similar to what we saw earlier in the
NetHack game. However, this is a single-player game. The game lets
you explore the dungeon and fight the enemies. The ASCII interface
doesn’t mean it will feel boring to play. Rather I found this game
quite addictive and fun.

Gameplay Highlights of Angband

• This ASCII game on Linux is preloaded with hundreds of dungeon
  difficulty levels.
• New maps are randomly generated in this game for the
  players.
• You can choose different types of creatures as your hero apart
  from humans.
• The characters and gameplay are highly inspired by classical
  mythology.

Download^[13]

12. VMS Empire

---

This is a full-fledged war simulation game for Linux. Except for
the fact that it depends on the ASCII characters instead of
graphics rendering. This is not a multiplayer game. Rather you will
play against the computer’s AI. All you have to do is to choose a
city, and the computer will choose another city. This will lead to
an epic battle between the empires.

Gameplay Highlights of VMS
Empire

• You will have to command your forces by using the
  keyboard.
• The player has to create and defend his empire by building
  in-game objects.
• The auto move command is quite helpful for newbie players.
• If you can kill all your enemies and gain control of the other
  city, then you will be the winner.

Download^[14]

13. Empire

---

This is yet another war simulation game. But this time, it
supports real-time simulation. Hence, you need a constant internet
connection to play this game. At first, the game seemed a little
bit difficult for me. But, after going through some tutorials, I
figured everything out. The gameplay is quite similar to the VMS
Empire. Except for the fact that it supports a multiplayer mode to
play with other humans.

Gameplay Highlights of Empire

• There is no time limit. The game may run for a few months
  theoretically.
• There are some short versions of the game inside the menu that
  is called Blitzes.
• The game covers almost all the aspects of a real war-like
  political, economic, etc.
• You have to have patience and concentration if you want to do
  well in the game.

Download^[15]

14. Nudoku

---

Who doesn’t know about the Japanese puzzle game Sudoku? Nudoku
is the exact copy of Sudoku for the Linux desktop. It uses the
ASCII characters for arranging the puzzle. As Sudoku deals with
numbers, it looks gorgeous even with the ASCII elements. Most of
the people are aware of the classic Sudoku rules. Hence, I don’t
need to present the rulebook here. Nudoku can make your terminal
window into a classic game console.

Gameplay Highlights of Nudoku

• You can use the keyboard for giving commands.
• The players can set the difficulty of the level.
• It can generate Sudoku puzzles for offline usage in PNG and PDF
  forms.
• The installer is just a few kilobytes that don’t take up much
  system resources.

Download^[16]

15. MyMan

---

Namco launched the original Pac-Man game in 1980 for the arcade
machines. Later it gained much popularity over time. From personal
computers to smartphones, Pac-Man is everyone’s favorite. MyMan is
the clone of that blockbuster game with some minor tweaks. It
doesn’t use modern graphic resources. Instead, ASCII characters
build the whole set of the game. Hence, it is one of the most
popular ASCII games on Linux.

Gameplay Highlights of MyMan

• It is not dependent on any external libraries for running on
  the terminal window.
• This game has the functionality to generate screenshots in
  plain text and HTML file format.
• You can copy and paste the puzzle anywhere for showing off your
  game status.
• It uses a classic black theme with a green accent and uses the
  letters A, C, for the game elements.

Download^[17]

16. Vitetris

---

A Russian developer coded the Tetris in the 80s as a puzzle
game. Since then, it never looked back. It is considered as one of
the highest-grossing gaming franchise of all time. Vitetris is an
unofficial clone of the classic masterpiece. Although EA Sports
brought a modern version of the game, Vitetris is quite old-school.
It uses the same ASCII elements for the gameplay. But like all
other Tetris ports, this thing will never fail to make you
addicted.

Gameplay Highlights of
Vitetris

• You can configure your keyboard buttons, and this game supports
  joysticks.
• This game supports two-player mode along with online mode via
  the internet.
• Vitetris saves the high score and displays it in a tabular
  format.
• The game elements use 16 colors, ASCII characters that run
  smoothly on any system.

Download^[18]

17. Bombardier

---

This game doesn’t need any strategy like all other games on this
list. Rather it is a pretty straightforward game. As the name
suggests, it is a game about aircraft. You will throw bombs from
it. But don’t assume that it’s a child’s play. It’s harder than you
think to set up a decent score. The graphics may not be liked by
every person as it uses the same 80s ASCII characters.

Gameplay Highlights of
Bombardier

• You will operate as a pilot of a bomber helicopter.
• All you need to throw as many bombs as possible to the
  buildings on the ground.
• The helicopter will lose altitude over time, and when it
  touches the ground, your game will be over.
• It will run on a tab in the terminal window.

Download^[19]

18. 2048

---

A 19 years old Italian developed created this puzzle game in
2014. Although the concept didn’t come from his brain. The game
went viral. Hence, many developers created different clones of 2048
for various platforms. This is yet another 2048 clone for Linux.
And, the specialty of this game is that it is a perfect example of
ASCII game on Linux.

Gameplay Highlights of 2048

• This is a 4X4 grid-based slide controlled puzzle.
• The goal of the player is to score 2048 anyway.
• You can move the slides by using the buttons of the
  keyboard.
• It helps to develop the calculation power of your brain.

Download^[20]

19. GNU Chess

---

This is probably the most minimalist version of chess. It runs
via the command line in the terminal window. The chess grids are
created with dots, and the chess pieces are denoted by the initial
of their name. The gameplay is just like typical chess except for
the controls of the pieces.

Gameplay Highlights of GNU
Chess

• The game uses the Fruit chess engine and UCI chess
  protocol.
• You can either play with the computer or against a human
  player.
• It displays the position and moves of the pieces.
• You might face some difficulty if you are not used to
  alphanumeric move notations.

Download^[21]

20. nSnake

---

This is a revamped version of Nokia’s popular Snake Xenzia game.
It has even the same gameplay, just like the original one. There is
also a forked version of this game that supports different types of
mazes and custom difficulty settings. You just have to roam with
the snake, feed it, and make the score higher.

Gameplay Highlights of GNU
Chess

• This game keeps track of your high scores.
• You can set the snake’s running speed to bring more fun into
  the gameplay.
• The player can turn the border on or off. Touching with the
  borders kills the snake.
• You can import and install a custom maze and level layout.

Download^[22]

Finally, Insights

---

Well, trying to play modern games on Linux is not always
possible. This is because of the lack of support. Besides, most of
the Linux geeks use their Linux distros for their work purpose.
Hence, if you want to try some games just for driving the boredom
away, these can be some great options.

ASCII games on Linux don’t require that much CPU, GPU, or RAM to
run. Instead, they are of just a few kilobytes of size. Moreover,
some of the games mentioned above will remind you of your
childhood. Lastly, if you think that we missed your favorite ASCII
game to include in this list, just let us know in the comment
section. Happy gaming!