Download Tyrian 2000
Free for Windows, Mac and Linux, Steam Deck included. Unzip, run, play: the game data, the MIDI soundtrack and the HD (AI) art are all in the package.
Steam Deck: take the Linux package. Full packages with HD art: 704.0 MB (Windows), 683.4 MB (Linux), 727.3 MB (Mac). Smaller downloads and every file are below.
- SystemWindows 10/11, macOS or Linux, 64-bit
- GraphicsOpenGL 3.3
- DiskAbout 1.4 GB free (full)
- ControlsKeyboard, mouse or gamepad
On this page
Choose your system
Version v1.0-rc1, the first release (a release candidate). Each package is the whole game with the HD (AI) art. Short on space? The smaller download without HD art is less than a third of the size, and the HD pack can add the art later. Steam Deck uses the Linux package.
For 64-bit Windows and Linux PCs (Steam Deck included) and for Macs.
Also on itch.io (same files, itch app support).
All the files of v1.0-rc1
Take one game package for your system. The HD pack is only for the lite packages.
| Package | Size | What it is |
|---|---|---|
Windows · full · recommendedOpenTyrian2000- | 704.0 MB | The whole game with the HD (AI) art. |
Linux and Steam Deck · full · recommendedOpenTyrian2000- | 683.4 MB | The whole game with the HD (AI) art. |
macOS · full · experimentalOpenTyrian2000- | 727.3 MB | The whole game with the HD (AI) art, as a universal app for Intel and Apple Silicon Macs. |
Windows · liteOpenTyrian2000- | 197.3 MB | The whole game without the HD (AI) art, for a smaller download. |
Linux and Steam Deck · liteOpenTyrian2000- | 185.6 MB | The whole game without the HD (AI) art, for a smaller download. |
HD pack · optionalOpenTyrian2000- | 506.5 MB | The HD (AI) art for a lite package (Windows or Linux). |
ChecksumsSHA256SUMS.txt | < 1 KB | SHA-256 checksums of the six files, to check a download. |
Sizes in MB (1 MB = 1,000,000 bytes). The Mac app comes in a full package only. The lite and full packages play exactly the same game; only the HD (AI) graphics mode needs the art. All the files are also on the GitHub release page.
System requirements
- A 64-bit PC with Windows 10 or 11, or Linux on x86_64, or a Mac with macOS 10.13 or later (Intel) or macOS 11 or later (Apple Silicon). The Steam Deck uses the Linux package. On Windows, the Tyrian on Windows 11 guide covers SmartScreen, full screen and gamepads.
- Graphics with OpenGL 3.3 support. Integrated graphics are enough.
- Disk space: about 700 MB to download (about 200 MB for the lite package), plus the same again to extract it.
- A keyboard, a mouse or a gamepad. Every menu works with all three, and a second gamepad plays player 2.
No installer, no account, no game data to find: the Tyrian 2000 data and the MIDI soundtrack with its SoundFont are in every package, the HD (AI) art in the full one.
Install and play
There is nothing to install: extract the archive and start the game from its folder (on a Mac, the app).
Windows
- Download
OpenTyrian2000-(or the smallerEnhanced- v1.0- rc1- windows- x86_64. zip -lite.zip, without HD art). - Extract the whole archive, for example with right-click → Extract All.
- Open the
OpenTyrian2000-Enhancedfolder and runOpenTyrian2000-.Enhanced. exe - If Windows shows “Windows protected your PC” (SmartScreen), click More info → Run anyway. The archive's SHA-256 is listed in SHA256SUMS.txt so you can check it.
Linux
- Download
OpenTyrian2000-(or the smallerEnhanced- v1.0- rc1- linux- x86_64. tar. gz -lite.tar.gz, without HD art). - Extract it:
tar -xzf OpenTyrian2000- Enhanced- v1.0- rc1- linux- x86_64. tar. gz - From the
OpenTyrian2000-Enhancedfolder, run./. If you get “permission denied”, runOpenTyrian2000- Enhanced. x86_64 chmod +x OpenTyrian2000-first.Enhanced. x86_64 ./adds a launcher with the Tyrian icon to your applications menu.install- desktop- entry. sh
macOS
- Download
OpenTyrian2000-and double-click it to extractEnhanced- v1.0- rc1- macos- universal. zip OpenTyrian2000 Enhanced.. You can move the app to your Applications folder.app - The app is not signed or notarized by Apple yet. The first time, right-click (or Control-click) the app, choose Open, then Open again. After that, it opens with a double-click.
- If macOS still refuses to open it, run this in Terminal (with the path of the app), then open it again:
xattr -cr "/ Applications/ OpenTyrian2000 Enhanced. app" - To check the download, compare
shasum -a 256with SHA256SUMS.txt.
The game starts in full screen and remembers your choice; Alt+Enter switches between full screen and a window. The game's 320×200 picture is enlarged by whole-number steps.
On a Steam Deck, add the game to Steam as a non-Steam game so that its controller profile is applied: see the Steam Deck guide.
Add the HD pack to a lite package
The HD pack adds the HD (AI) graphics mode to a lite package. You do not need it with a full package, which already contains the art.
- Download
OpenTyrian2000-(506.5 MB). Take the pack of the same version as your game.Enhanced- v1.0- rc1- hd- pack. zip - Extract it into the
OpenTyrian2000-Enhancedgame folder, so that theupscaledfolder sits next to the executable. - Start the game and choose Setup → Graphics → Sprites → Remastered (HD (AI) art), or open the display options with F10 and set Graphics to HD (AI).
To remove the HD art, delete the upscaled folder. What each graphics mode looks like is on Tyrian in HD.
What's in the package
Everything sits in one OpenTyrian2000-Enhanced folder (on a Mac, inside OpenTyrian2000 Enhanced.).
| File or folder | What it is |
|---|---|
OpenTyrian2000- or OpenTyrian2000- | The game (Windows or Linux). |
.pck file | The game's resources. Keep it next to the executable. |
tyrian_godot.dll or libtyrian_godot.so | The game engine. Without it there is no game and no mods. |
data/ | The Tyrian 2000 data: levels, sprites, palettes, translated texts, plus the MIDI arrangements and the SoundFont used by the Enhanced MIDI engine. |
upscaled/ | The enlarged images of the HD (AI) graphics mode, in the full packages only (or added with the HD pack). Without this folder, that mode is not offered. |
mods/ | Five mod packs, all off until you turn them on in Setup → Mods: Alien Ship Pack and Bio Ships Pack (14 new ships), Alien Weapon Pack, Bio Weapons Pack and Elements Weapon Pack (18 new weapons). |
README.txt, COPYING | Quick start, and the licence of the code (GPL). |
DATA-NOTICES.txt | Notice about the game data and the third-party music files. |
Where your saves, replays and mods go
Your personal files live in a userdata folder next to the game, created on the first launch. Copy the game folder and your game goes with it; delete userdata to start fresh.
Inside userdata | Contents |
|---|---|
saves/ | Campaign saves, one small readable file per slot (10 named slots plus the automatic LAST LEVEL slot). |
replays/ | Replay files listed by the Replays screen, including the ones you record with F10 in a level. |
mods/ | Your mods. Setup → Mods → Open mods folder opens it for you. |
endless_leaderboard. | The top 10 of Endless Arcade (Endless Mode in the menu), and endless_run.json for a run in progress. |
controls.cfg | Your controls. Delete it to go back to the default layout. |
setup.cfg, display.cfg, mods.cfg | Setup options, display options and which mods are on. |
To update, extract the new version and move your userdata folder into it. If the game folder is read-only (for example under Program Files), the same files go to a user folder instead; on a Mac, they always go there:
| System | Fallback folder |
|---|---|
| Windows | %APPDATA%\ |
| Linux / Steam Deck | ~/ |
| macOS | ~/ |
More details in the wiki: Saves and files.
Your first minutes
- Start New Game asks for the mode, the episode and the difficulty, as in the original.
- Move with the arrow keys, the left stick or the mouse, fire with Space or A. P or Start pauses, Esc opens the in-game menu, F1 shows the original help panels.
- Outside a level, F9 opens the Controls screen and F10 the display options. F2 cycles the CRT filters and F3 the graphics modes: original pixels, sharp pixel art or HD (AI).
- In a level, the function keys are the original's: F3 achievements, F4 statistics, F5 / F9 quick save and load, F10 replay recording, F12 screenshot.
- Bullet time: press Left Shift, or the left trigger, for a few seconds of slow motion.
- On the title screen, M opens the side modes and mutators and 2 starts two-player Endless Arcade.
The full list of keys and buttons is in the wiki: Controls and Getting started.
Known issues
v1.0-rc1 is a release candidate: the whole game can be played from start to finish, and we want your feedback before calling it 1.0. What does not work yet:
- Network play is not available: “Modem/Network Game” is greyed out.
- The Mac app is experimental: it has had less testing than the Windows and Linux packages, and it is not signed by Apple yet (see how to open it).
Feedback
Found a bug? Use the contact form or open a GitHub issue; mention your system and the game version. Your feedback decides what is fixed before 1.0.
Questions
Is it free?
Yes. OpenTyrian2000 Enhanced Edition, a free remake of Tyrian 2000, costs nothing and needs no account: the code is open source under the GPL, and the Tyrian 2000 data it uses has been freeware since 2004.
Is this legal?
Yes. The Tyrian 2000 game data has been freeware since 2004, and the code of OpenTyrian2000 Enhanced Edition is open source under the GPL-2.0-or-later licence. The download is free and needs no account.
What are the system requirements?
OpenTyrian2000 Enhanced Edition needs a 64-bit PC with Windows 10 or 11, or Linux on x86_64 (Steam Deck included), or a Mac with macOS 10.13 or later (11 or later on Apple Silicon), graphics with OpenGL 3.3 support and about 1.4 GB of free disk space for the full package. A keyboard, a mouse or a gamepad works in every menu.
How do I install it on Windows 11?
There is no installer: extract the OpenTyrian2000 Enhanced Edition zip and run OpenTyrian2000- from the extracted folder. If Windows shows “Windows protected your PC” (SmartScreen), click More info → Run anyway.
Full, lite or HD pack: which one should I take?
The full package of OpenTyrian2000 Enhanced Edition (about 700 MB) is the one offered by default: the whole game with the HD (AI) art. The lite package (about 190 MB) is the same game without that art, for short space or bandwidth, and the HD pack adds the art to it later.
Do I need a copy of the original Tyrian?
No. The game data is included in every package.
Is there a Mac version?
Yes, as an experimental universal app for Intel and Apple Silicon Macs, HD (AI) art included. It is not signed by Apple yet: the first time, right-click the app, choose Open, then Open again.
Which file do I take for a Steam Deck?
A Linux package: the full OpenTyrian2000- includes the HD (AI) art, the -lite.tar.gz saves space. The Steam Deck page explains how to add it to Steam.
My gamepad does nothing. What can I do?
Player 1 uses the first gamepad the game detects and player 2 the second: connect player 1's gamepad first. If buttons were changed, Setup → Joystick → Reset to Defaults restores that gamepad's default assignments, and deleting controls.cfg from the userdata folder resets all controls. On a Steam Deck, start the game from Steam.
Where are my saves, and can I keep them when I update?
OpenTyrian2000 Enhanced Edition keeps saves, replays, controls and mods in the userdata folder inside the game folder. To update, move that folder into the folder of the new version. On a Mac, they stay in ~/ when you replace the app.
How do I uninstall it?
Delete the OpenTyrian2000-Enhanced folder; your saves go with it, since they are in its userdata folder. The game also writes a log file outside that folder, in %APPDATA%\ (Windows) or ~/ (Linux), where your saves also go if the game folder is read-only: delete that folder too. On a Mac, delete the app and ~/.
Questions, bugs, ideas?
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