One of the lesser known Fedora spins under the “Fedora Labs” initiative is the Fedora Games Lab that showcases some open-source games and can serve as an easy demonstrator for Linux gaming. Looking forward to 2026 with Fedora 44, there is a proposal to revitalize Fedora Games Lab to become a better showcase for the modern potential of Linux gaming.
Fedora Games Lab as it is right now just is a showcase of Fedora with the Xfce desktop and installing a few open-source games by default. They include classic titles such as BZFlag and Freeciv to games popular among Linux die-hards like Extreme Tux Racer as well as some more well known open-source game efforts like Battle for Wesnoth and Warzone 2100.
The proposal for Fedora 44 is to rework Fedora Games Lab to be a better showcase for Linux gaming, which would also include switching away from Xfce to KDE Plasma to better support Wayland and other modern Linux desktop technologies. The new Games Lab would focus not only on “high quality” gaming but also on Linux game development.
Part of the reason for the lack of innovation in Fedora Games Lab in recent time has been due to “minimal maintenance” with “nearly all members having left”. But the hope is with the growing success of Linux gaming namely due to Valve’s efforts, Fedora Games Lab could be ripe for an overhaul. Some of the rework ideas include:
– Refreshing Fedora gaming documentation to showcase the new capabilities of Linux gaming, and give references to game playing, emulation, development, installation, ways to improve, etc.
– Providing an environment to upstream common gaming patches that provide functionality for handhelds and other gaming hardware, that have otherwise stayed within downstreams.
– Showcasing a strong set of open source games and creation tools to demonstrate what an open gaming platform is capable of.
– Leveraging the work of the Fedora KDE Plasma Desktop Edition as the basis for building our experience.
– Emphasizing the role of downstreams (ex. Bazzite) in delivering to the needs of users, by providing a commons for Fedora-based gaming focused downstreams to acheive common goals.
A handful of Fedora contributors are currently engaged in this Fedora change proposal to rework Fedora Games Lab. Fedora Games Lab still needs to be voted on by the Fedora Engineering and Steering Committee (FESCo) but we’ll see what comes about for the Fedora 44 cycle in the spring.
