Xonotic
The fastest arena shooter on the planet. Completely free.
How to install Xonotic for free
Xonotic is a free fps game released under Open Source (GPL-2.0). It runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, needs about 1.1 GB of disk space, and requires no account, payment or trial. The fastest route is the PlayBound Launcher, which handles the download and setup in one click.
One-click install
PlayBound fetches the official release — no third-party mirrors.
Installation steps
- 1
Install the PlayBound Launcher, then find Xonotic and press Install. The launcher downloads the official release, unpacks it and creates a shortcut. This is the fastest route and it never uses third-party mirrors.
- 2
Alternatively, download Xonotic directly from the official site at https://xonotic.org. Always download from the official source — third-party mirrors of free games are a common malware vector.
- 3
Windows
Run the downloaded installer and follow the prompts. If Windows SmartScreen warns about an unrecognised publisher, that is normal for open-source projects without a paid code-signing certificate — choose More info, then Run anyway.
- 4
macOS
Open the downloaded .dmg and drag the app into Applications. On first launch macOS may refuse to open it as unidentified — right-click the app and choose Open to approve it once.
- 5
Linux
Check your distribution's package manager first, which is usually the easiest route. Otherwise download the AppImage from the official site, mark it executable and run it.
chmod +x *.AppImage && ./*.AppImage - 6
Launch the game and look at the settings menu before your first session — resolution and control defaults are worth checking. Xonotic needs roughly 1.1 GB of free disk space.
System requirements
Minimum
2 GHz CPU · 2 GB RAM · OpenGL 2.0 GPU · 2 GB storage
Recommended
3 GHz quad-core CPU · 8 GB RAM · GTX 1050 or better · 4 GB storage
Install questions
Is Xonotic free?
Yes, entirely. Xonotic is open-source under GPL-2.0 with no purchases, battle passes, cosmetics or advertising of any kind.
Is Xonotic like Quake?
Yes, directly. Xonotic descends from the Quake III Arena tradition via Nexuiz, with no loadouts, map-based weapon pickups and movement-centric play. Its movement is faster and somewhat more technical than Quake III's.
Does Xonotic have bots?
Yes, and they are good enough for genuine practice. You can learn maps and weapon timings entirely offline, which makes the game viable regardless of server population.
How many players does Xonotic have?
Public servers are consistently populated but numbers are modest compared with commercial shooters. Live server and player counts are shown on the Xonotic servers page.
Will Xonotic run on an old computer?
Yes, very well. The engine is efficient and reaches high frame rates on hardware that struggles with modern shooters, which matters in a game this fast.