You think good old DOOM game is Dead ? Think again.
From graphing calculators and printers to ATMs, traffic signs, refrigerators, and even experimental brain-computer interfaces, DOOM has proven itself less a game and more a force of nature. For decades, developers and hackers have ported it onto devices never meant for fast-paced demon slaying, simply because they could. This strange tradition says as much about DOOM’s elegant design as it does about the creativity – and stubbornness – of the open-source community. Perhaps as a mean of extension people from the free realm decide to create a a playable and free remake of it.
If you want classic DOOM action game to have fun on Linux without proprietary game data, Freedoom is the answer.
It’s free, open source, and designed to be fully compatible with the original DOOM engine ,while still delivering you a monsters to kill, shotguns, and extremely questionable life choices.
This article walks you through installing Freedoom, Phase1 Freedoom Phase 2, and running them with popular DOOM source ports on Linux such as gzdoom and chocolate-doom and freedm.
What Is Freedoom (and Why Should You Care)?
Freedoom is a free replacement for the original DOOM game data (WAD files).
Freedoom comes in two main flavors:
- Freedoom (Phase 1) – Doom-compatible (monsters, maps, weapons)
- Freedoom Phase 2 – Doom II – compatible (bigger maps, more enemies, more chaos)
Think of them as DOOM and DOOM II, but liberated from copyright hell.
1. Install Freedoom on Linux
On most Linux distributions, Freedoom is available directly from the package manager.
Debian / Ubuntu / Linux Mint
# apt install freedoom
This installs:
- freedoom1.wad (Phase 1)
- freedoom2.wad (Phase 2)
You now officially own free DOOM. Congratulations.
$ freedoom1
$ freedoom2
2. Choose a DOOM Engine (a.k.a. Source Port)
Freedoom doesn’t run by itself- you need a DOOM engine to play it. Luckily, Linux has lots of excellent options.
2.1. Chocolate Doom (Classic Experience)
Chocolate Doom aims to recreate exactly how DOOM felt in the 1990s. Same physics, same limits, same pixelated glory.
Doom engines closely-compatible with Vanilla Doom
Chocolate Doom aims to accurately reproduce the original DOS version of
Doom and other games based on the Doom engine in a form that can be
run on modern computers. Unlike most modern Doom engines, Chocolate Doom
is not derived from the Boom source port and does not inherit its
features (or bugs).
chocolate-doom package contains:
* Chocolate Doom, a port of Id Software's "Doom" (1993)
* Chocolate Heretic, a port of Raven Software's "Heretic" (1994)
* Chocolate Hexen, a port of Raven Software's "Hexen" (1995)
* Chocolate Strife, a recreation of Rogue Entertainment's "Strife" (1996)
These games are designed to behave as similar to the original DOS version as
is possible.
Chocolate Doom supports all flavors of Doom, including The Ultimate Doom, Doom
2 and Final Doom as well as Chex(R) Quest, HacX, Freedoom: Phase 1 and Phase 2
and FreeDM.
All Chocolate game engines require game data to play. For Chocolate Doom,
free game data is available in the freedoom package. Commercial game data for
all four engines can be packaged using "game-data-packager".
To install it simply run:
# apt install chocolate-doom
Run Freedoom:
$ chocolate-doom -iwad /usr/share/games/doom/freedoom1.wad
Or Doom II–style:
$ chocolate-doom -iwad /usr/share/games/doom/freedoom2.wad
2.2. PrBoom+ (Classic but Smoother)
PrBoom+ keeps the old-school feel but adds:
- Better performance
- Higher resolutions
- Fewer headaches
To install it:
# apt install dsda-doom
Run dsda-doom:
$ dsda-doom -iwad freedoom2.wad
Best for:
- Vanilla gameplay with modern comfort
- Speedrunners
- People who want fewer crashes than 1993 allowed
2.3. GZDoom (Modern, Fancy, Wild)
GZDoom is DOOM after drinking several energy drinks:
- Hardware acceleration
- Mouse look
- Mods, lighting, shaders, chaos
Add necessery repository:
$ rm –f /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/drdteam.gpg $ rm –f /etc/apt/sources.list.d/drdteam.list
# wget -P /etc/apt/sources.list.d https://debian.drdteam.org/drdteam-$(dpkg –print-architecture).sources
# apt update # apt install gzdoom
Run Original Doom WAD:
$ gzdoom -iwad /var/www/files/doom2.wad
If you need the original doom wads check out my earlier article DOOM 1, DOOM 2, DOOM 3 game wad files for download / Playing Doom on Debian Linux via FreeDoom open source doom engine
Run Freedoom WAD:
$ gzdoom -iwad freedoom2.wad
Best for:
- Mods
- Modern controls
- Turning DOOM into something unrecognizable (but fun)
3. Installing Other DOOM Engines
Once you have an engine, you can play nearly any DOOM-compatible game by pointing it at a WAD file.
Popular options include:
- FreeDM – A free deathmatch-focused DOOM experience
- Heretic / Hexen – Fantasy DOOM (if you own the WADs)
- User-made megawads – Thousands exist, ranging from brilliant to unhinged
Most engines let you load extra content like this:
$ gzdoom -iwad freedoom2.wad -file coolmap.wad
3.1. Installing FreeDM Port
Install it with:
# apt install freedm
$ freedm
3.2. Where Are the WAD Files located ?
Typically they are installed to:
/usr/share/games/doom/
Common files:
- freedoom1.wad
- freedoom2.wad
- freedm.wad
You can copy them anywhere if you prefer a custom setup.
3.3. Keyboard, Mouse, and Sanity Settings
After launching:
- Open Options → Controls
- Enable mouse look (if using GZDoom)
- Rebind keys (your pinky deserves mercy)
- Increase resolution unless you’re feeling retro
Final Thoughts, DOOM A Forever Classic
Freedoom proves that DOOM isn’t just a game—it’s a platform, a culture, and for those born in the mid and beginning of 90s a travel back machine.
On Linux, you get:
- Free game data
- Multiple engines
- Infinite mods
- Zero DRM
- Maximum demon destruction 🙂
Whether you want authentic 1993 vibes or modernized mayhem, Freedoom and Linux are a perfect match.
For old school fans and maniacs as well as IT tech guys with nostalgia or hard core angry system administrators this game is a real bliss
as it can be a true anti-stressor and a perfect for as a mean of anger management 🙂
Enjoy the Blast ! Happy Doom-Ing!
