Ubuntu developers have decided to stop shipping games in future installs.
Since Ubuntu 23.10 the distro defaults to a minimal install, which preinstall only core software essentials (like a terminal and web browser). But users can opt for a “full installation” that preinstalls extra software, including a small selection of simple games.
In Ubuntu 23.10 and earlier the following 4 games come included:
- Aisleriot Solitaire
- Mahjongg
- Mines
- Sudoku
But in Ubuntu 24.04 LTS no games will be provided.
As of the Noble Numbat, no games will be shipped in Ubuntu, in either the minimal or the full install option. The games also won’t be present in the ISO (which includes all software used in a full install so people opting for it can install everything without an internet connection).
When I started this blog Ubuntu included around 15 games (the entire gnome-gamesmeta-package, I think) as part of its standard software selection. In 2010 the number of games was reduced. And, bar the odd change, the same games have been present on the ISO ever since.
But no more.
Ubuntu developers say they no longer feel these GNOME games are “representative of what Ubuntu and the wider Linux community has to offer to gamers”.
Dropping them also frees up a bit of space: roughly 65MB (~15MB from the games and ~50MB from a dependency only needed by one game, though I am rounding numbers down to avoid doing maths).
Will anyone care (or even notice) that these games are no longer there?
On the one hand Ubuntu dropping games from its full install is a bit grinch-y. The full install is (somewhat) aimed at offering a complete, rounded computing experience and a few simple games, while not something people install an OS for, are a fun facet of that.
On the other hand, I imagine most people needing to waste 5 minutes while waiting for a download to finish/code to compile/render to complete do what I do: open a browser tab and trawl the internet, or pick their smartphone up.
To be clear:
- A ‘full install’ of Ubuntu 24.04 LTS will not include these games
- Upgrading to 24.04? These games will not be removed/uninstalled
- All of the games remain in the archives for anyone to install
So yeah – figured I’d pass on word.
Also, I’d love to know if any one reading this plays these games — ever? regularly? — and where you stand on the idea of Ubuntu including games in its full (obviously not minimal/default) install. Sound off down in the comment-o’s!