Playing Games on Kali Linux

Linux is used by about 2% of computer users, which is why game developers haven't focused on it. So, Linux is not designed for hardcore gaming, and Kali is not either. It is designed for cybersecurity and digital forensics, as we all know.

However, after the default non-root update in 2020, many users use Kali Linux as their primary operating system. For this, a non-root upgrade is available, although as a full-time OS, there should be some games for time pass. The games we have listed can also be played on other Debian-based Linux distribution. There is a way to play Windows games in Linux via wine tool, but we will learn about direct installation in this tutorial.

Some Awesome Games for Kali Linux

Torcs

TORCS (The Open Racing Car Simulator) is a very cool game for those who like racing game. Torcs can be played like a standard racing game in which the player drives around the tracks hoping to obtain first place. Still, another usage is as a platform to develop an artificial intelligence driver who can drive itself through Torcs's tracks.

In C or C++, we can create our own AI driver (also known as a robot). Torcs is programmed to enable pre-programmed AI drivers in order to race against one another. There are single-player races ranging from practice runs to championships, as well as a split-screen multi-player option that can accommodate up to four players.

Torcs support keyboard, mouse, joystick, and wheel, all types of inputs.

In order to install torcs, we have to use the following command:

Because this is a large download (about half a GB), the installation will take some time, depending on our internet connection. After the installation process is complete, we may use the following command to play Torcs.

Gnome-Chess

Chess is one of the most famous board games in the world, having been played for over 1300 years. We can easily install chess in our Kali Linux.

In order to install the Gnome-chess, we have to use the following command:

After installing it, we can open it by just typing gnome-chess on the terminal.

Pacman

Pacman is another game that we can play on Kali Linux. The true king of an arcade is Pacman. Using the followings command, we can simply install Pacman on Kali Linux:

Then we have to type the following command to play Pacman:

Note: In a small terminal window, we cannot run pacman (pacman4console); before using the pacman4console command, it is a good idea to maximize the terminal.

GNOME Games

The GNOME desktop environment has a large number of puzzle games. Although chess has been mentioned, there are many other games available such as Sudoku, Tetris, Robots, Mines, 2048, Four in a row, and so on.

Although Kali Linux moved to Xfce from GNOME, these games will work here, and all other Debian-based Linux distributions. The look and feel of those games will remind us of the GNOME environments.

Full List of GNOME Games

The following is the full list of the GNOME games:

1. 2048 (clone of a popular game 2048).
2. Aisleriot (Pack of 88 Solitaire card games).
3. Tali (dice game close to Yahtzee/Kismet).
4. Gnome-tetravex(Based on edge-machine game Tetravex).
5. Swell-fool(Clone of SameGame).
6. Gnome-taquin (two 15-puzzle games).
7. Lightsoff (Brainteaser).
8. Gnome-mines (Clone of Minesweeper).
9. Quadrapassel (Tetris in Linux).
10. gnome-nibbles (Rebuild version of Nibbles).
11. Gnome-mahjongg (Clone of Mohjongg solitaire).
12. Gnome-klotski(Sliding block puzzle game).
13. Gnome-nibbles (Rebuild version of Nibbles).
14. Hitori (Hitori of Linux)
15. iagno (Clone of a game called Reversi).
16. Five-or-more (Clone of popular windows game color lines).
17. Gnome-chess (Chess game).
18. Four-in-a-row (Clone of Connect Four).
19. Gnome-robots(Clone of turn-based popular game Robots).

These games are simple to install; all we need is to use the apt install command with sudo. If we need to install gnome-sudoku, run the following command:

We may use sudo apt install gnome-games to install more gnome-games in the same way (game names are in in bold in the above list).