Linux Support
Linux support in Flashpoint is currently experimental due to a lack of maintainers. This page describes the current state of our Linux support. If you need assistance with installing or playing, ask in the help channel on the Discord server.
Flashpoint for Linux supports Flash, HTML5, Shockwave, Unity, Java and various other web platforms. The exceptions are content that uses the Chromium browser, and Shockwave content that plays in-browser. If you want support for platforms that are Windows-exclusive, there are a few options to get the Windows version of Flashpoint running on Linux:
- Download the Windows version of Flashpoint and run it in a Windows virtual machine. This is the recommended non-native option.
- Run the Windows version of Flashpoint with Wine. This works well on some computers, but does not work consistently.
Otherwise, follow any of the instructions below.
Immutable Version
Notes
This build is recommended for use on distros with an immutable rootfs, such as SteamOS 3 for the Steam Deck. If you don't fit this criteria or don't know what that means, it is recommended that you install the mutable version instead.
QEMU and PHP are bundled in an included Junest Arch proot Appimage.
Current Issues
QEMU with the default -display none crashes upon launch, but displays fine allowing the GTK window to appear. The install script accounts for this.
If running on the Steam Deck Game Mode session, mouse is locked to QEMU size and Flash games in Wine only render black. It is recommended to use desktop mode on the Deck.
HTML5/Unity/browser games that use FPSecure/Basilisk are a hit and miss for compatibility. This is down to the browser interaction with Wine.
Instructions
- Download this archive file to a memorable folder.
- Change directory to the folder it was moved to.
$ tar xvf fp121autolinux.tar.gz
- Run
install_flashpoint.shwithin a terminal session to see the progress.
You will end up with a Flashpoint folder. Run start-flashpoint.sh within to start the Launcher.
Mutable Version
Compatibility
Since the Flashpoint launcher is based on Electron, the minimum requirements are identical to Chromium. According to Google, they are as follows:
- 64-bit Ubuntu 18.04+, Debian 10+, or Fedora 32+
- An Intel Pentium 4 or later processor that's SSE3 capable
Rolling-release distros like Arch and Gentoo are also supported.
It is possible for a distro that doesn't meet these requirements to still be able to run Flashpoint if the system packages are new enough. If you use an older distro than the listed minimums and are unable to open the launcher, you could try adding a repository from a newer, supported version of the same distro and updating your packages that way. Beware though, because doing so could cause damage to your system if not done carefully.
Dependencies
This version of Flashpoint for Linux requires the following dependencies to be installed at runtime:
| Dependency package names on various distros | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Library/command name | PulseAudio1 | X112 | 32-bit Xcomposite | GTK3 | NSS | PHP | Wine | bash |
| Debian-likea | pulseaudio | xserver-xorg-core | libxcomposite1:i386 | libgtk-3-0 | libnss3 | php | (see this page) | bash |
| Ubuntu-likeb | pulseaudio | xserver-xorg-core | libxcomposite1:i386 | libgtk-3-0 | libnss3 | php | (see this page) | bash |
| Fedora-like | pulseaudio | xorg-x11-server-Xorg | libXcomposite.i686 | gtk3 | nss | php | (see this page) | bash |
| Arch-likec | pulseaudio | xorg-server | lib32-libxcomposite | gtk3 | nss | php | wine | bash |
a: E.g. ChromeOS Terminal, MX Linux | b: E.g. Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, Zorin OS | c: E.g. Manjaro, EndeavourOS
Note: Chances are that Wine and PHP will be the only packages that you'll need to install, as most distributions come with the rest of the packages already pre-installed.
There are also some packages that aren't required, but can enhance your experience:
| Optional dependencies | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Library/command name | GTK23 | LibXt3 | ||||||
| Debian-like | libgtk2.0-0 | libxt6 | ||||||
| Fedora-like | gtk2 | libXt | ||||||
| Arch-like | gtk2 | libxt | ||||||
1: PipeWire can also be used in place of PulseAudio by installing the pipewire-pulse package on Ubuntu-like and Arch-like distros, or pipewire-pulseaudio on Fedora-like distros. For Debian-like distros, see this link.
2: X11 can also be used within Wayland by installing the xwayland package on Debian-like and Ubuntu-like distros, xorg-x11-server-Xwayland on Fedora-like distros, or xorg-xwayland on Arch-like distros.
3: Required for native Flash support. To support versions <27, the 32-bit version of this package must be installed instead.
To install them, use your distro's package manager:
| Distro | Package manager install command |
|---|---|
| Debian-like | sudo apt-get install {PACKAGE}
|
| Fedora-like | sudo dnf install {PACKAGE}
|
| Arch-like | sudo pacman -S {PACKAGE}
|
Setup
Make sure you have at least 4 GB of free space, and that you have p7zip installed to be able to extract from 7z files.
Installation
- Download this archive file.
- Extract the contents of the file to an empty folder that your user has read & write permissions for. This can be done graphically, or in the terminal by entering the following in the directory the file is in:
$ 7zr x fp121_linux_*.7z -oFlashpoint
- Open the folder you extracted Flashpoint to, then run
start-flashpoint.shto open the launcher.
After the installation is complete, you should not move any files in the Flashpoint folder at all. Moving the wrong file/folder could break the entire program until it is moved back.
A README document is provided that has a recap of some instructions shown in this section, as well as some additional notes.
Optional Enhancements
Wayland Support
This does not apply to the mutable version, which already has this enhancement applied.
The Flashpoint launcher is based on a version of Electron that has experimental support for running through Wayland instead of X11/Xwayland. If you use a Wayland compositor, like Mutter or Kwin, then you can enable this feature by opening the script used to run the launcher in a text editor and changing the following line from:
Launcher/flashpoint-launcher
to:
Launcher/flashpoint-launcher --ozone-platform-hint=auto
After making this change, the launcher should now open through Wayland when running the script. This only affects the launcher; content that runs in X11/Xwayland will continue to do so.
If you are following the Wine installation instructions below, you will have to make your own script and give it execute permissions to do this.
Using Wine
Alternatively, you can attempt to run the Windows version of Flashpoint using Wine, which is a Windows compatibility layer. There are several advantages to doing this, like being able to run more up-to-date versions of Flashpoint that have only been made for Windows. However, it is not guaranteed that Wine will work properly, as the experience varies greatly depending on the hardware, choice of distribution, and packages you have installed. For this to work, you currently need to install either the development or staging versions of Wine running a completely fresh prefix. How to install them depends on the distro, so consult WineHQ's download page for instructions on yours. Additionally, you will also need the php package for Flashpoint to work post-install.
As of now, you can install the latest Windows version of Flashpoint Infinity by running the installer through Wine. To be able to run the installer, you need to install a recent version of the .NET framework via Wine Mono, which should be provided upon creating a new Wine prefix or installed as a package on most distros. The process for installing Flashpoint this way is similar to how it is on Windows, except you may have to change the installation path to a location that can be written to, like your home folder. An example of a proper installation path would be Z:\home\$USER\Flashpoint, where you replace $USER with your username. You may get an error upon finishing the installation; this is expected behavior. Quit the installer and kill it from your process manager if needed, and all of the files should be where you installed them.
At this point, you can try to run the Windows version of the launcher through Wine, but it's recommended that you download the native Linux launcher as a 7z file and replace everything in the Launcher folder with the files that are extracted from it. You may need to install the p7zip package to be able to extract the contents of the file. Once done, you can then run Launcher/flashpoint-launcher and set the "Flashpoint Path" in the launcher's config to .., then click "Save and Restart" on the bottom of the page. If everything has been done correctly, you should now have a working Flashpoint install! Note that not all platforms will work when installing Flashpoint this way, as Wine is not a perfect simulation of a typical Windows environment.
If you are having issues running Flashpoint with Wine, you can instead try using various other "flavors" such as Wine GE, which has extra patches applied that aren't in mainline Wine. Users of Arch-based distros can install Wine GE as a package from the AUR, however no binary is provided, so the package must be compiled.