Best games
Best Linux games of 1996
The 9 best Linux games released in 1996, ranked from 1,133 critic and player ratings.
The best Linux game of 1996 is Toonstruck, with a critic score of 88/100 — updated September 2026.
How this ranking is built
- Games are ranked on the aggregated critic score out of 100 imported from IGDB and Metacritic, never on Tier's own grades.
- A game only enters the ranking with at least 30 external ratings, so a single enthusiastic review never outranks a proven classic.
- Community grades from F to S are shown next to every game, and only stated as a fact above 5 Tier ratings.
- Release window covered: 1996.
- 9 games are listed on this page, carrying 1,133 ratings between them.
- Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 28 September 2026.
Top 9
01
Toonstruck
Toonstruck is an adventure game released in 1996 in which, although all the imagery is drawn and scanned into the game, the protagonist Drew Blanc (played and voiced by Christopher Lloyd) is an actual video-captured representation of the actor (the name is a pun, since the character has "drawn a blank" on coming up with a new idea for a character). Drew's sidekick, crudely named Flux Wildly, is a drawn character voiced by Dan Castellaneta. Toonstruck also features scan-line compressed FMV and was also one of the first video games to include stock music from APM Music, notably the classic "Spooky Scherzo" by Sam Fonteyn and "Lonely Hearts Club A" by David Bell.
88
/100
02
Quake
Quake is a first-person shooter video game, developed by id Software and published by GT Interactive in 1996 and featured music composed by Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails. It is the first game in the popular Quake series. In the game, players must find their way through various maze-like, medieval environments while battling a variety of monsters using a wide array of weapons.
83
/100
03
Metal Slug
Metal Slug is a 1996 run-and-gun arcade video game originally developed by Nazca Corporation and released by SNK for the Neo Geo MVS. It is the first installment in the eponymous series. Set in 2028, players assume the role of Peregrine Falcon Strike Force soldiers Marco Rossi and Tarma Roving in a fight against the Rebel Army led by Donald Morden and overthrow his coup d'état to prevent a New World Order.
82
/100
Toonstruck
Toonstruck is an adventure game released in 1996 in which, although all the imagery is drawn and scanned into the game, the protagonist Drew Blanc (played and voiced by Christopher Lloyd) is an actual video-captured representation of the actor (the name is a pun, since the character has "drawn a blank" on coming up with a new idea for a character). Drew's sidekick, crudely named Flux Wildly, is a drawn character voiced by Dan Castellaneta. Toonstruck also features scan-line compressed FMV and was also one of the first video games to include stock music from APM Music, notably the classic "Spooky Scherzo" by Sam Fonteyn and "Lonely Hearts Club A" by David Bell.
88
/100
02
Quake
Quake is a first-person shooter video game, developed by id Software and published by GT Interactive in 1996 and featured music composed by Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails. It is the first game in the popular Quake series. In the game, players must find their way through various maze-like, medieval environments while battling a variety of monsters using a wide array of weapons.
83
/100
03
Metal Slug
Metal Slug is a 1996 run-and-gun arcade video game originally developed by Nazca Corporation and released by SNK for the Neo Geo MVS. It is the first installment in the eponymous series. Set in 2028, players assume the role of Peregrine Falcon Strike Force soldiers Marco Rossi and Tarma Roving in a fight against the Rebel Army led by Donald Morden and overthrow his coup d'état to prevent a New World Order.
82
/100
04
Leisure Suit Larry: Love for Sail!
Love for Sail! was the first Larry game since the third to pick up immediately where its predecessor left off; typically, it features Larry getting dumped by the woman who represented the ultimate goal of Larry 6, Shamara. The formula was much the same as the previous games: the "twist" was that Larry was a passenger on a cruise ship populated by parodies of famous people. Among the other cruise guests were "Drew Baringmore" (Drew Barrymore), "Dewmi Moore" (Demi Moore), "Victorian Principles" (Victoria Principal), "Jamie Lee Coitus" (Jamie Lee Curtis), "Nailmi" and "Wydoncha Jugg" (Naomi and Wynonna Judd) and "Annette Boning" (Annette Bening). Various other pop icons were parodied in the background, such as the Archie Comics gang playing nude volleyball, various incarnations of James Bond in the ship's casino (itself an homage to Peter Sellers's famous Casino Royale parody), a Sierra staffer dressed as Sailor Moon, and porn icon Ron Jeremy walking around naked. Most of the male supporting cast (Peter the Purser, Johnson the bartender, Dick the guardrobe attendant, Wang the galley server, Bob Bitt the artist) are named after popular euphemisms for the male reproductive organ or are in some way related to it (Bob Bitt, for instance, is named after John Wayne Bobbitt; the character also shares the same first name and bears a passing resemblance to fellow artist Bob Ross).
81
/100
05
Stargunner
In the far distant future, an epic war for survival takes place... Deep within the Andromeda galaxy, the people of Zile grow restless and greedy. The Zilions secretly prepare for a massive strike against the nearby planet Ytima. Fearing such an attack, the Ytimians train an elite squad of "Stargunners." Their mission: To strike the planet Zile and cripple the Zilions’ three strongholds, where the Zilion war fleets await. If the Stargunners can surprise the Zilions on their own planet and wipe out their fleet, then good will triumph over evil once again.
80
/100
06
Realms of the Haunting
Forged in the Beginning and protected by the Seven Seals, there lies a place where thought and creation intertwine. The center for all realms of existence, it is the balancing force between good and evil, man and spirit. A focal point for all energies, and the one element that has kept the consuming nature of darkness at bay... Until now.
71
/100
07
Normality
A sinister force now controls the city of Neutropolis. A once-thriving city full of beauty and light, Neutropolis has been reduced to a a stagnant pit of apathy.
70
/100
08
Sonic 3D Blast (1996)
Sonic 3D Blast is a 1996 platform video game developed by Traveller's Tales and Sonic Team, and published by Sega for the Genesis, Saturn, and Windows. Part of the Sonic the Hedgehog series, the game abandons previous Sonic games' side-scrolling style in favor of isometric gameplay, making use of some pre-rendered 3D models converted into sprites. The game features creatures known as Flickies, which first appeared in the 1984 arcade game Flicky. Controlling only Sonic himself, the player's goal is to collect Flickies and carry them to safety, periodically sparring with the series antagonist Dr. Robotnik, who is imprisoning them within robots.
59
/100
09
Fantasy General
Fantasy General is a turn-based strategy game based on a traditional hex map. The game is situated in a fantasy world. The player can play either a scenario or a campaign. There are two sides, Good and Evil, each with unique units. In campaign mode, the player selects a heroe and his goal is to defeat the Shadowlord and his four generals. The game ends with the final defeat of the Shadowlord at his Fire Isle.
52
/100
Leisure Suit Larry: Love for Sail!
Love for Sail! was the first Larry game since the third to pick up immediately where its predecessor left off; typically, it features Larry getting dumped by the woman who represented the ultimate goal of Larry 6, Shamara. The formula was much the same as the previous games: the "twist" was that Larry was a passenger on a cruise ship populated by parodies of famous people. Among the other cruise guests were "Drew Baringmore" (Drew Barrymore), "Dewmi Moore" (Demi Moore), "Victorian Principles" (Victoria Principal), "Jamie Lee Coitus" (Jamie Lee Curtis), "Nailmi" and "Wydoncha Jugg" (Naomi and Wynonna Judd) and "Annette Boning" (Annette Bening). Various other pop icons were parodied in the background, such as the Archie Comics gang playing nude volleyball, various incarnations of James Bond in the ship's casino (itself an homage to Peter Sellers's famous Casino Royale parody), a Sierra staffer dressed as Sailor Moon, and porn icon Ron Jeremy walking around naked. Most of the male supporting cast (Peter the Purser, Johnson the bartender, Dick the guardrobe attendant, Wang the galley server, Bob Bitt the artist) are named after popular euphemisms for the male reproductive organ or are in some way related to it (Bob Bitt, for instance, is named after John Wayne Bobbitt; the character also shares the same first name and bears a passing resemblance to fellow artist Bob Ross).
81
/100
05
Stargunner
In the far distant future, an epic war for survival takes place... Deep within the Andromeda galaxy, the people of Zile grow restless and greedy. The Zilions secretly prepare for a massive strike against the nearby planet Ytima. Fearing such an attack, the Ytimians train an elite squad of "Stargunners." Their mission: To strike the planet Zile and cripple the Zilions’ three strongholds, where the Zilion war fleets await. If the Stargunners can surprise the Zilions on their own planet and wipe out their fleet, then good will triumph over evil once again.
80
/100
06
Realms of the Haunting
Forged in the Beginning and protected by the Seven Seals, there lies a place where thought and creation intertwine. The center for all realms of existence, it is the balancing force between good and evil, man and spirit. A focal point for all energies, and the one element that has kept the consuming nature of darkness at bay... Until now.
71
/100
07
Normality
A sinister force now controls the city of Neutropolis. A once-thriving city full of beauty and light, Neutropolis has been reduced to a a stagnant pit of apathy.
70
/100
08
Sonic 3D Blast (1996)
Sonic 3D Blast is a 1996 platform video game developed by Traveller's Tales and Sonic Team, and published by Sega for the Genesis, Saturn, and Windows. Part of the Sonic the Hedgehog series, the game abandons previous Sonic games' side-scrolling style in favor of isometric gameplay, making use of some pre-rendered 3D models converted into sprites. The game features creatures known as Flickies, which first appeared in the 1984 arcade game Flicky. Controlling only Sonic himself, the player's goal is to collect Flickies and carry them to safety, periodically sparring with the series antagonist Dr. Robotnik, who is imprisoning them within robots.
59
/100
09
Fantasy General
Fantasy General is a turn-based strategy game based on a traditional hex map. The game is situated in a fantasy world. The player can play either a scenario or a campaign. There are two sides, Good and Evil, each with unique units. In campaign mode, the player selects a heroe and his goal is to defeat the Shadowlord and his four generals. The game ends with the final defeat of the Shadowlord at his Fire Isle.
52
/100
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Linux game of 1996?
Toonstruck currently tops the ranking with a score of 88/100 across 43 ratings. Ranking updated September 2026.
How is this ranking built?
Games are ranked on their aggregated critic score out of 100, with a minimum vote threshold so a single glowing review never outranks a proven classic; the Tier community's own F-to-S grades are shown alongside each game.