Is Xonotic Free to Play and Modify?

Updated

Yes. Xonotic is free to play and free to modify. According to the official site, it "will always be free to play and modify under the copyleft GPLv3+ license." There is no purchase, subscription, or payment required to download and play it.

What the license actually covers

The GPLv3+ license is a copyleft license, which means two things in practice:

  • Playing is free. You can download Xonotic for Linux, Windows, or macOS and start playing without paying.
  • Modifying is allowed. You can change the game and redistribute your modified version, provided you follow the GPLv3+ terms — most importantly, that derivative works stay under the same license.

The "always" in the site's wording is a commitment about the project's future, not a temporary promotion.

What you get without paying

The free download is the complete game, not a demo or trial. The official site lists these as part of the package:

Feature Detail
Weapons 9 core weapons, 16 full weapons, each with primary and secondary fire
Game modes Deathmatch (FFA), Capture The Flag, Clan Arena, Nexball, Freeze Tag, Multiplayer Race, and more
Maps 25 official maps, plus community-made and classic Nexuiz maps
Map editor Ships with the game
Player stats XonStat, opt-in, no login required
HUD Built-in HUD editor
Platforms Linux, Windows, macOS — no installation needed

Practical notes before you download

  • No installation needed means you can run it directly after downloading, which is convenient for trying it on a machine where you don't want to install software.
  • Stats tracking is optional. XonStat is "completely opt-in, and no login is required" — so you can play without creating an account.
  • The site does not list any paid tier, DLC, or in-game purchase. Nothing in the available page content suggests a paid version exists.

If your question was whether you can try Xonotic without committing money or an account, the answer is yes on both counts.