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Much of the media and commercial product designs that we see are protected by Copyright, preventing anyone but the owner (which may or may not be the creator) from reproducing the work, so that the owner can take all the profit coming from it. They are often designed by private organizations (or individuals), who often spend large amounts of money to employ people to work on projects of the more complicated media (film, software, etc), which is funded after the project's development is finished by revenue from product sales. When someone distributes their own version of a work, the organization who owns it often takes some serious business into killing-off the "copyright infringement".

Open source, on the other hand, is developed and protected far differently. While many works keep a "secret recipe", open source works allow free access to the design or blueprint. They allow anyone to redistribute the design free of charge. People may also make modifications to the product design, which is how they typically improve over time. Many open source projects have the first version of the design shared by the creator, and then others volunteer to collaboratively improve on the design.

The basic idea is Older Than Television, possibly even Older Than Feudalism in more casual forms. But the organized form of it, as well as the term "open source" really took off with the internet. The web really made it easier to get a large quantity of volunteers for an open source project, as well as easier to contribute. Probably the most famous application of open source today is computer software, as it is easy to view, duplicate, and edit via the internet. Their structure also works well to give free software about as good as similar commercial software. But there are many other applications that have been tried, including film, various machines, medicine, and even soft drinks.

Note that both "open source" and "free software" aren't equivalent terms. There are open source programs that are licensed under non-FOSS ("Free Open Source Software") licenses, while the very existence of closed source Freeware disproves the notion that all free software is also open source.note  Furthermore, open source software can also be paid. According to Richard Stallman, the founder of the Free Software Foundation, a software is qualified as "free software"note  if the following freedoms are granted to the users of a piece of software:

  • The freedom to run the program as you wish, for any purpose.
  • The freedom to study how the program works, and change it so it does your computing as you wish. Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
  • The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor.
  • The freedom to distribute copies of your modified versions to others. By doing this you can give the whole community a chance to benefit from your changes. Access to the source code is a precondition for this.

If the software is licensed in a way that does not provide these 4 freedoms, then it is categorized as "non-free" or proprietary. Note that free licenses, despite many of the works they apply on being freeware, allow their software to be sold to the public, something more restrictive "non commercial" (such as most Creative Commons licenses) forbid. These freedoms allow pieces of software to be integrated, for example, in commercial Linux distributions. This is another thing to bear in mind.

The other wiki already has a few articles about the details of open source, as well as lists of FOSS games and commercial games released under FOSS licenses.

Speaking of wikis, that is another example of open source. On TV Tropes and other wikis, people can edit the text on the articles to correct inaccuracies and add more information.

Compare Public Domain, which is a FOSS-compatible licensing where the piece can be used as its very own source. Not to be confused with Freeware, where the product itself is free to use, but is usually licensed under restrictive licenses or copyright. See also the Free Software Foundation's article on licenses.

    open/close all folders 

    Works completely licensed under FOSS licenses 
The following works are fully licensed under one of the many free open source software licenses from its very inception. For games, this means that both the game's source code as well as their assets are released under free software licenses. Note that this list also includes FOSS-compatible licenses such as Public Domain or Creative Commons Zero (CC0), so long as they adhere to at least one free license.

  • Adventures with Anxiety - Licensed under CC0.
  • Argentum Online - Licensed under the GNU GPLv3-or-later.
  • Armagetron Advanced - Licensed under the GNU GPLv2-or-later.
  • Bos Wars - Licensed under the GNU GPLv2-or-later.
  • BZ Flag - Dual-licensed under the GNU Lesser GPLv2.1-only and MPL 2.0.
  • Cataclysm - the Dark Days Ahead fork is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0, and so are any forks that originate from it.
  • Crossfire (1992) - Licensed under the GNU GPLv2-or-later.
  • Dungeon Crawl: Stone Soup - Source code licensed under the GNU GPLv2-or-later. Game assets are licensed under the Free, Public Domain-like CC0.
  • Enigma - Licensed under the GNU GPLv2-or-later.
  • Flight Gear - Licensed under the GNU GPLv2-or-later.
  • Freeciv - Licensed under the GNU GPLv2-or-later.
  • Free Col - Licensed under the GNU GPLv2-or-later.
  • FreeDink - Licensed under the GNU GPLv3-or-later.
  • Frozen Bubble - Licensed under the GNU GPLv2-only.
  • :the game: (2008) - Licensed under CC0.
  • GL Tron - Licensed under the GNU GPLv2-or-later.
  • Globulation 2 - Licensed under the GNU GPLv3-or-later.
  • GNOME Games - Licensed under the GNU GPLv3-or-later.
  • GNU Chess - Licensed under the GNU GPLv3-or-later.
  • GNU Go - Licensed under the GNU GPLv3-or-later.
  • Hedgewars (previously named Wormux and Warmux) - Licensed under the GNU GPLv2-or-later.
  • HyperRogue - Licensed under the GNU GPLv2-or-later.
  • Lin City - Licensed under the GNU GPLv2-only.
  • Liquid War - Licensed under the GNU GPLv3-or-later.
  • Luanti (formerly Minetest) - Licensed under the GNU GPLv2+ between 2010-2013, and under GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL) version 2.1-or-later afterwards.
  • Spring Engine - Licensed under the GNU GPLv2-or-later.
  • Moria - Licensed under the GNU GPLv2-only.
  • NetHack - Licensed under the Nethack GPL license, which was deemed free license by the Open Source Initiative.
  • Nexuiz - Licensed under the GNU GPLv2-or-later.
  • OpenArena - Licensed under the GNU GPLv2-or-later.
  • Open City - Licensed under the GNU GPLv2-or-later.
  • Pingus - Licensed under the GNU GPLv3-or-later.
  • The Powder Toy - Licensed under the GNU GPLv3-only.
  • Rigs of Rods - Licensed under the GNU GPLv3-or-later.
  • Rocks N Diamonds - Licensed under the GNU GPLv2-only.
  • Scorched 3 D - Licensed under the GNU GPLv2-or-later.
  • The Secret Chronicles Of Dr M - Licensed under the GNU GPLv3-or-later.
  • Secret Maryo Chronicles - Source code and game assets licensed under the GNU GPLv3-or-later.
  • Tenes Empanadas Graciela - Source code and game assets licensed under the GNU GPLv2-only.
  • Triple A - Source code and game assets licensed under the GNU GPLv3-or-later.
  • Tux Of Math Command - Source code and game assets licensed under the GNU GPLv3-or-later.
  • Tux Racer - Source code and game assets licensed under the GNU GPLv2-or-later.
  • Ultra Star Deluxe - Source code and game assets licensed under the GNU GPLv2-or-later.
  • Vega Strike - Source code and game assets licensed under the GNU GPLv2-or-later.
  • Veloren - Source code and game assets licensed under the GNU GPLv3-only.
  • We Become What We Behold - Licensed under CC0.
  • Widelands - Source code and game assets licensed under the GNU GPLv2-or-later.
  • Worldforge - Source code and game assets licensed under the GNU GPLv2-or-later.
  • X Conq - Source code and game assets licensed under the GNU GPLv2-or-later.
  • X Moto - Source code and game assets licensed under the GNU GPLv2-or-later.
  • Xonotic - Source code and game assets licensed under the GNU GPLv2-or-later. Some binaries are licensed under GPLV3+.
  • X Pilot - Source code and game assets licensed under the GNU GPLv2-or-later.

    Works partially licensed under FOSS licenses or compatible 
The following works are partially licensed under one of the many free open source software licenses. For games, this means that the game's source code may be released under a free license while their assets may be released under a non-software license, which may or may not be a non-free license. These will be noted below.

  • 0 A.D. - Source code licensed under the GNU GPLv2-or-later. Game assets are licensed under the free CC-BY-SA 3.0.
  • Alien Arena - Source code licensed under the GNU GPLv2-or-later. Game assets remain proprietary.
  • Angband - Source code and some game assets released under GNU GPLv2. Some game assets still remain proprietary.
  • Astro Menace - Source code and game assets licensed under the GNU GPLv3-or-later. Some game assets are licensed under the free CC-BY-SA 3.0.
  • The Battle For Wesnoth - Source code and game assets licensed under the GNU GPLv2+. Some game assets are licensed under the free CC-BY-SA 4.0.
  • The Dark Mod - Source code licensed under the GNU GPLv3-or-later. Game assets are licensed under the non-free CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0.
  • DRL - Source code licensed under the GNU GPLv2-or-later. Game assets are licensed under the free CC-BY-SA 4.0.
  • Dr. Robotnik's Ring Racers - Source code licensed under the GNU GPLv2-or-later. Game assets remain proprietary.
  • Endgame: Singularity - Source code licensed under the GNU GPLv2-or-later. Game assets are licensed under the free CC-BY-SA 3.0.
  • Frets on Fire - Source code and some game assets licensed under the GNU GPLv2-or-later. The remaining game assets remain proprietary.
  • Friday Night Funkin' - Source code licensed under Apache 2.0. Game assets remain proprietary.
  • Glest - Source code licensed under the GNU GPLv2-or-later. Game assets are licensed under the free CC-BY-SA 3.0.
  • Gravity Bone - Source code licensed under the GNU GPLv2. Game assets remain proprietary.
  • Maze Burrow - Source code licensed under MPL 2.0. Game assets are licensed under a variety of other, separate licenses, identified on the source code's repository.
  • MegaGlest - Source code licensed under the GNU GPLv2-or-later. Game assets are licensed under the free CC-BY-SA 3.0.
  • Narcissu - Source code licensed under the GNU GPLv1. Game assets remain proprietary.
  • Oolite - Source code and game assets licensed under the GNU GPLv2-or-later. Some game assets are licensed under the non-free CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0.
  • OpenJK (an open source recode of Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy listed below) - Source code licensed under the GNU GPLv2. Game assets remain proprietary.
  • OpenRCT2 (an open source recode of RollerCoaster Tycoon 1 and 2) - Source code licensed under the GNU GPLv3-or-later. Game assets remain proprietary.
  • OpenTTD - Source code licensed under the GNU GPLv2-only. Game assets distributed among four licenses: the free GNU GPLv2-only, the free GPLv2-or-later, the free CC-BY-SA 3.0 and the free, GPL incompatible CDDL 1.1.
  • OpenXcom (an open source recode of X-COM: UFO Defense) - Source code licensed under the GNU GPLv3. Game assets remain proprietary.
  • Pioneer - Source code licensed under the GNU GPLv3-only. Game assets are licensed under the free CC-BY-SA 1.0.
  • PlaneShift - Source code licensed under the GNU GPLv1. Game assets remain proprietary.
  • Sintel The Game - Source code and game assets licensed under the GNU GPLv1. Some game assets are licensed under the free CC-BY 1.0.
  • Smokin Guns - Source code licensed under the GNU GPLv2. Game assets remain proprietary.
  • Sonic Robo Blast 2 - Source code licensed under the GNU GPLv2. Game assets remain proprietary.
  • Sonic Robo Blast 2 Kart - Source code licensed under the GNU GPLv2. Game assets remain proprietary.
  • Star Control II: The Ur-Quan Masters - Source code and some game assets licensed under the GNU GPLv2-or-later. Remaining game assets remain proprietary.
  • Steel Storm Episode 1 - Source code licensed under the GNU GPLv2. Game assets are licensed under the non-free CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0.
  • StepMania - Source code and game assets licensed under MIT. Some game assets are licensed under the non-free CC-BY-NC 4.0.
  • SuperTux - Source code licensed under GPLv3-or-later. Game assets vary in license, some are released under GPL while others are released under the free CC-BY-SA 3.0.
  • SuperTuxKart - Source code licensed under GPLv3-or-later. Game assets vary in license, some are released under GPL while others are released under the free CC-BY-SA 3.0.
  • Tales of Maj'Eyal - Source code licensed under the GNU GPLv1. Some game assets licensed under the Free Art License. The remaining game assets remain proprietary.
  • TORCS - Source code licensed under the GNU GPLv3-or-later. Game assets are licensed under the non-free CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0.
  • Tremulous - Source code licensed under the GNU GPLv2. Game assets are licensed under the free CC-BY-SA 2.5.
  • UFO: Alien Invasion - Source code and game assets licensed under the GNU GPLv2-or-later. Some game assets are licensed under the free CC-BY-SA 3.0.
  • Unknown Horizons - Source code and game assets licensed under the GNU GPLv2-or-later. Some game assets are licensed under the free CC-BY-SA 3.0 and the free OFL 1.1.
  • Unvanquished - Some source code licensed under the GNU GPLv3-or-later, while other pieces were released under BSD-3 clause. Game assets are licensed under the free CC-BY-SA 2.5.
  • Urban Terror - Source code licensed under the GNU GPLv1. Game assets remain proprietary.
  • V Drift - Source code licensed under the GNU GPLv3-or-later. Game assets are licensed under the free CC-BY-SA 1.0.
  • Warsow - Source code released under the GNU GPLv2-or-later. Game assets released under either the free CC-BY-SA 4.0 or the also non-free CC-BY-ND 4.0.
  • World Of Padman - Source code licensed under the GNU GPLv1. Game assets remain proprietary.
  • Yo Frankie - Source code licensed under the GNU GPLv2-or-later. Game assets licensed under the free CC-BY 3.0.
  • Zero K - Source code released under the GNU GPLv2-or-later. Game assets released under various licenses, some of them non-free, such as CC-BY-NC-ND 2.0.

    Commercial copyrighted works later fully released under FOSS licenses or compatible 
The following are proprietary games whose source code and game assets were released to the public under a Free license or into the Public Domain/CC0.

    Commercial copyrighted works later partially released under FOSS licenses or compatible 
The following are proprietary games whose source code or game assets were released to the public under a Free license.

  • Abuse - Source code and the shareware version's assets were released into the Public Domain in 1998.
  • Age Of Pirates - Source code was released under the GNU GPLv3-or-later in 2022. Game assets still remain proprietary.
  • Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs - Source code was released under the GNU GPLv3-or-later in 2020. Game assets still remain proprietary.
  • Amnesia: The Dark Descent - Source code was released under the GNU GPLv3-or-later in 2020. Game assets still remain proprietary.
  • Aquaria - Source code was released under the GNU GPLv2-or-later in 2010. Game assets still remain proprietary.
  • Arx Fatalis - Source code was released under the GNU GPLv3-or-later in 2011 as Arx Libertalis. Game assets still remain proprietary.
  • Blake Stone - Source code was released under the GNU GPLv2-or-later in 2013. Game assets still remain proprietary.
  • Catacomb - Source code was released under the GNU GPLv2-or-later in 2014. Game assets still remain proprietary.
  • Catacomb 3-D - Source code was released under the GNU GPLv2-or-later in 2014. Game assets still remain proprietary.
  • Catacomb Fantasy Trilogy (Catacomb Abyss, Catacomb Armageddon and Catacomb Apocalypse) - Source code was released under the GNU GPLv2-or-later in 2014. Game assets still remain proprietary.
  • Command & Conquer: Generals and its Expansion Pack Zero Hour - Source code was released under the GNU GPLv3-or-later in 2025. Game assets still remain proprietary.
  • Command & Conquer: Red Alert - Source code for the 2020 Remastered Collection version was released under the GNU GPLv3-or-later in 2020. The original version's source code was released under the same license in 2025. Game assets still remain proprietary.
  • Command & Conquer: Renegade - Source code was released under the GNU GPLv3-or-later in 2025. Game assets still remain proprietary.
  • Command & Conquer: Tiberian Dawn - Source code for the 2020 Remastered Collection version was released under the GNU GPLv3-or-later in 2020. The original version's source code was released under the same license in 2025. Game assets still remain proprietary.
  • Commander Keen in Keen Dreams - Source code was released under the GNU GPLv2-or-later in 2014. Game assets still remain proprietary.
  • Cortex Command - Source code was released under the GNU AGPLv3-or-later in 2019. Game assets still remain proprietary.
  • Doom (1993) - Source code released under GNU GPLv2-or-later in 1999. The 3DO version's source code was released under MIT license in 2014. The SNES version's source code was released under GNU GPLv3-or-later in 2020. Game assets still remain proprietary.
  • Doom II - Source code released under GNU GPLv2-or-later in 1999. Game assets still proprietary.
  • Doom³ and BFG Edition - Source codes released under GNU GPLv3+ in 2011 and 2012 respectively. Game assets still copyrighted.
  • Gish - Source code was released under the GNU GPLv2-or-later in 2010. Game assets still remain proprietary.
  • God of Thunder - Source code and sound assets were released into the Public Domain in 2020. Graphic assets were released as freeware.
  • Heretic - Source code was released under the GNU GPLv2-only in 1999. Game assets still remain proprietary.
  • Hexen - Source code was released under the GNU GPLv2-only in 1999. Game assets still remain proprietary.
  • Hexen II - Source code was released under the GNU GPLv2-only in 2000. Game assets still remain proprietary.
  • Hovertank 3D - Source code was released under the GNU GPLv2-or-later in 2014. Game assets still remain proprietary.
  • Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy - Source code was released under the GNU GPLv2-only in 2013. Game assets still remain proprietary.
  • Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast - Source code was released under the GNU GPLv2-only in 2013. Game assets still remain proprietary.
  • Little Big Adventure - Source code was released under the GNU GPLv2-only in 2021. Game assets still remain proprietary.
  • Little Big Adventure 2 - Source code was released under the GNU GPLv2-only in 2021. Game assets still remain proprietary.
  • Lugaru - Source code was released under the GNU GPLv2-or-later in 2010. Game assets were released under the free CC-BY-SA 3.0 in 2016.
  • Machines: Wired For War - Source code was released under the GNU GPLv3-or-later in 2020. Game assets still remain proprietary.
  • Maelstrom - Source code was released under the GNU GPLv2-only in 1995. Game assets were released under the free CC-BY 3.0 in 2010.
  • Myst Online: Uru Live, the standalone multiplayer component of Uru: Ages Beyond Myst - Source code was released under the GNU GPLv3 in 2010. Game assets still remain proprietary.
  • Natural Selection - Source code was released under the GNU GPLv2 in 2014. Game assets still remain proprietary.
  • No One Lives Forever - Source code was released under the GNU GPLv1 in 2010. Game assets still remain proprietary.
  • No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy In H.A.R.M.'s Way - Source code was released under the GNU GPLv2 in 2011. Game assets still remain proprietary.
  • Penumbra Overture - Source code was released under the GNU GPLv3-or-later in 2020. Game assets still remain proprietary.
  • Quake - Source code released under GNU GPLv2+ in 1999. John Romero later released the source code for the maps of the game in 2006 as part of the celebration of the game's 10th anniversary. The actual compiled game content, as well as all non-released content sources, as well as the Expansion Packs Scourge of Armagon and Dissolution of Eternity are still proprietary. The entirety of Nightdive Studios's 2021 remaster is copyrighted. On April 6th, 2022, the QuakeC source code of the 2021 remaster was released under the GPLv2+ license.
  • Quake II - Source code released under GNU GPLv2+ in 2001. The actual game assets and the Expansion Packs The Reckoning and Ground Zero are still proprietary. The entirety of Nightdive Studios's 2023 remaster is copyrighted. Three days before QuakeCon 2023, the source code for the game logic of the remaster, including modding tools, was released under the GPLv2+ license.
  • Quake III Arena - Source code of the game and its Expansion Pack Team Arena released under GNU GPLv2+ in 2005. The actual game content is still proprietary.
  • Return to Castle Wolfenstein and the standalone multiplayer-based Mission-Pack Sequel Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory - Source code released under GNU GPLv3+ in 2010. Game assets still proprietary.
  • Rise of the Triad - Source code was released under the GNU GPLv2-or-later in 2002. Game assets still remain proprietary. The entirety of Nightdive Studios and New Blood Interactive's 2023 remaster is copyrighted.
  • Ryzom - Source code was released under the GNU AGPLv3-or-later in 2010. Game assets were released under the free CC-BY-SA 3.0 also in 2010.
  • Serious Sam: The First Encounter - Source code was released under the GNU GPLv2-only in 2016. Game assets still remain proprietary.
  • Seven Kingdoms - Source code and some game assets were released under the GNU GPLv2-or-later in 2008. The remaining assets are still proprietary.
  • Seven Kingdoms II - Source code was released under the GNU GPLv2-or-later in 2009. Game assets still remain proprietary.
  • Shogo: Mobile Armor Division - Source code was released under the GNU GPLv1 in 1998. Game assets still remain proprietary.
  • Siege of Avalon - Source code was released under the GNU GPLv3 in 2003. Game assets still remain proprietary.
  • Soul Ride - Source code was released under the GNU GPLv2-or-later in 2009. Game assets still remain proprietary.
  • System Shock (1994) - Source code was released under the GNU GPLv3-or-later in 2020. Game assets still remain proprietary.
  • Tears to Tiara - Source code was released under the GNU GPLv2 in 2005. Game assets still remain proprietary.
  • To Heart 2 - Source code was released under the GNU GPLv2 in 2005. Game assets still remain proprietary.
  • To the Moon - Source code was released under the GNU GPLv2-or-later in 2014. Game assets still remain proprietary.
  • Toki Tori 2+ - Source code was released under the GNU GPLv2-only in 2021. Game assets still remain proprietary.
  • Tyrian - Source code was released under the GNU GPLv2 in 2007 as OpenTyrian. Some game assets were released under the free CC-BY 3.0 US while others remained proprietary.
  • Vangers - Source code was released under the GNU GPLv3 in 2016. Game assets still remain proprietary.
  • Wolfenstein 3-D and its Expansion Pack Spear of Destiny - Source code released under GPLv2+ in 1995. Game assets still remain proprietary.
  • World in Conflict - Source code was released under the GNU GPLv2-or-later in 2017. Game assets still remain proprietary.

    Other examples 
  • An early example of an open source invention was the safety lamp, as developed by Sir Humphrey Davy. Since he invented it to reduce mining accidents (he used a layer of iron gauze to stop it igniting "firedamp" pockets and causing explosions), he chose not to patent it. As a result, the device could be easily adopted all over Britain (although the fact the Royal Society awarded him a cash sum probably helped).
  • OpenGL is an open source graphics programming API (as opposed to Microsoft's propriety Direct3D). It also has the advantage of being cross platform. Similarly, MonoGame was originally developed as an open source port of MS's XNA framework, but can also be used to develop for the PC from scratch. There's also an audio API equivalent, called OpenAL, created by Creative Labs (of the SoundBlaster audio cards fame).
  • LibreOffice originated from Sun's attempt at accelerating the development of StarOffice as the expected Killer App for their Solaris-powered machines by open-sourcing part of it as OpenOffice.org and selling the complete package with proprietary component. However, Sun barely put the effort to accept external patches to the point that multiple Linux distros got fed up and started their own Go-oo fork, eventually evolving into the current LibreOffice. Without the open-source license, StarOffice would've either died quietly or limped along as a niche product. Ironically, the availability of a relatively mature office suite does manage to convince regular computer users to adopt Linux, while Solaris is dead, survived by its open-source descendants as various illumos distros.
  • Godot is a free and open source Game Engine released under the MIT License.

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