8 Fun Linux Console Games and Terminal Toys

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The Linux terminal is more than a productivity tool—it also hides a surprising number of fun games and visual “Easter eggs.” Below are eight classic and entertaining console programs that can instantly liven up your command line.

🚂 Steam Locomotive (`sl`)
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A legendary prank for users who mistype ls as sl. Instead of listing files, a steam locomotive barrels across your terminal.

Install

sudo apt install sl

The binary usually lives in /usr/games. If needed:

export PATH=$PATH:/usr/games
source /etc/profile

Run

sl

💻 Matrix Digital Rain (`cmatrix`)
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Inspired by The Matrix, this command fills your screen with cascading digital rain.

Install

sudo apt install cmatrix

Run

cmatrix
cmatrix -C red
cmatrix -C blue

🐠 ASCII Aquarium (`asciiquarium`)
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Turn your terminal into a peaceful underwater world with animated fish and sea plants—all in ASCII art.

Install (Debian/Ubuntu)

sudo apt install perl libcurses-perl libterm-animation-perl
wget http://www.robobunny.com/projects/asciiquarium/asciiquarium.tar.gz
tar -xzf asciiquarium.tar.gz
sudo cp asciiquarium_1.1/asciiquarium /usr/bin
sudo chmod +x /usr/bin/asciiquarium

Run

asciiquarium

🧱 Evil Tetris (`bastet`)
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Short for “Bastard Tetris,” this game deliberately gives you the worst possible blocks to maximize frustration.

Install

sudo apt install bastet

Run

bastet

🐄 Talking ASCII Animals (`cowsay`)
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Make a cow—or dozens of other ASCII creatures—say anything you want.

Install

sudo apt install cowsay

Run

cowsay "Hello, Linux World!"
cowsay -l
cowsay -f elephant "I never forget!"
cowsay -f dragon "Fire!" | lolcat

📦 ASCII Text Frames (`boxes`)
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Wrap text in decorative ASCII frames to make terminal output stand out.

Install

sudo apt install boxes

Run

echo "Hello, Linux!" | boxes -d cat
echo "Hello, Linux!" | boxes -d dog | lolcat

🖥️ System Info Showcase (`neofetch`)
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Displays system information alongside a beautiful ASCII logo of your Linux distribution.

Install

sudo apt install neofetch

Run

neofetch

🎬 Hollywood Hacker Mode (`hollywood`)
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Instantly turn your terminal into a split-pane “movie hacker” interface—perfect for looking busy.

Install

sudo apt install hollywood byobu

Run

hollywood

📋 Quick Reference
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Command	Type	Highlight
`sl`	Prank	Steam locomotive animation
`cmatrix`	Visual	Matrix-style digital rain
`asciiquarium`	Visual	Relaxing aquarium screensaver
`bastet`	Game	Brutally unfair Tetris
`cowsay`	Toy	Talking ASCII animals
`boxes`	Utility	Decorative text frames
`neofetch`	Utility	System info with ASCII art
`hollywood`	Prank	Movie-style hacker terminal