Skip to main content

8 Fun Linux Console Games and Terminal Toys

·394 words·2 mins
Linux Console CLI Games
Table of Contents

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)
#

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

Steam Locomotive


💻 Matrix Digital Rain (cmatrix)
#

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

Matrix Digital Rain


🐠 ASCII Aquarium (asciiquarium)
#

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

ASCII Aquarium


🧱 Evil Tetris (bastet)
#

Short for “Bastard Tetris,” this game deliberately gives you the worst possible blocks to maximize frustration.

Install

sudo apt install bastet

Run

bastet

Evil Tetris


🐄 Talking ASCII Animals (cowsay)
#

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

Talking ASCII Animals


📦 ASCII Text Frames (boxes)
#

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

ASCII Text Frames


🖥️ System Info Showcase (neofetch)
#

Displays system information alongside a beautiful ASCII logo of your Linux distribution.

Install

sudo apt install neofetch

Run

neofetch

System Info Showcase


🎬 Hollywood Hacker Mode (hollywood)
#

Instantly turn your terminal into a split-pane “movie hacker” interface—perfect for looking busy.

Install

sudo apt install hollywood byobu

Run

hollywood

Hollywood Hacker Mode


📋 Quick Reference
#

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

The Linux console doesn’t have to be serious all the time. With these tools, your terminal can be playful, artistic, and just a little mischievous.

Related

Linux exec指令
·278 words·2 mins
Linux Exec
Top 10 Essential Server O&M Shell Scripts
·635 words·3 mins
Linux Server Automation DevOps
Linux Socket Programming How To
·1671 words·8 mins
Linux Socket Programming