The native desktop build

The browser is the easy path.

Per ADR-003 the PWA is the primary client — no install, runs on Chromebook, Linux, Mac and Windows. Open the game in Chrome 121+, Edge 121+, or Brave with WebGPU enabled.

The native build is for desktop performance and split-screen multiplayer. It's open source — you build it from the engine source yourself. (The source repo is opening soon.)

Download an installer

Pick the installer for your platform. (Unsigned alpha builds — see "What the warnings mean" below.)

🐧 Linux — .deb (Debian/Ubuntu)

Install with: sudo apt install ./<file>.

Download axenstax-engine_0.2.18_amd64.deb · 21.1 MB

Verify checksum (sha256) fb31ef22b5e4eeca122e380024cc31da293bbfc5cb85d4d0627b0e654d0efae6
🐧 Linux — AppImage (portable)

chmod +x and run — no signing gate.

Download axenstax-engine_0.2.18_x86_64.AppImage · 20.6 MB

Verify checksum (sha256) 5d42a9297be918094dd1b403cff75c588eb55cf77da6289ea81ab8e62d6e799a

What the warnings mean (these are unsigned alpha builds)

  • 🐧 Linux — clean. No signing gate. chmod +x the AppImage and run, or sudo apt install the .deb.
  • 🪟 Windows — a warning, not a block. SmartScreen shows "Windows protected your PC" → click More info → Run anyway. It installs fine; the warning goes away once we code-sign.
  • 🍎 macOS — currently blocked. Until we notarise (Apple Developer account), Gatekeeper refuses a downloaded .dmg. macOS 15+ removed the easy Control-click bypass — you'd open System Settings → Privacy & Security → "Open Anyway". For now, the build-from-source path below is the reliable route on a Mac.

Build it yourself

The same Rust engine compiles to a native binary on all three desktop platforms. You'll need the Rust toolchain (rustup.rs) and the engine source. Then, in every case:

cd game/engine
cargo build --release

The binary lands at target/release/axenstax-engine (axenstax-engine.exe on Windows). Per-platform setup:

🐧 Linux

Install the build + runtime libraries first:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y \
    build-essential \
    libudev-dev \
    libvulkan1 \
    mesa-vulkan-drivers \
    vulkan-tools \
    libwayland-client0 \
    libxkbcommon0 \
    libx11-6 libxi6 libxcursor1 libxrandr2

libudev-dev is required to build (gamepad support via gilrs); the Vulkan + X11/Wayland packages are for running. NVIDIA cards also need the proprietary driver (sudo apt install nvidia-driver-550, then reboot). Verify the GPU with vulkaninfo --summary.

File dialogs (save/import) need xdg-desktop-portal running at runtime — standard on any desktop Linux, nothing extra to install; there's no GTK fallback.

🪟 Windows

  1. Install Rust from rustup.rs — it will prompt for the Visual Studio C++ Build Tools (the MSVC toolchain). Install those if you don't have them.
  2. Open a new terminal (PowerShell) so the toolchain is on PATH.
  3. cd game\engine then cargo build --release.
  4. Run target\release\axenstax-engine.exe.

Rendering uses DirectX 12 (or Vulkan). No extra libraries needed beyond the MSVC build tools.

🍎 macOS

  1. Install the Xcode Command Line Tools: xcode-select --install.
  2. Install Rust from rustup.rs.
  3. cd game/engine then cargo build --release.
  4. Run ./target/release/axenstax-engine.

Rendering uses Metal. Works on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. No extra libraries needed.

Controllers

Xbox and PlayStation controllers work out of the box via USB or Bluetooth. For split-screen, connect two controllers.

Chromebook & everything else

Use the browser path — the PWA in Chrome 121+ is the supported way to play on Chromebook, Mac, Windows, or Android. Crostini (Linux on Chromebook) might run a native Linux build, but GPU passthrough is limited — the browser is faster and easier.