SuperTuxKart

SuperTuxKart
Company type	Open-source software project
Industry	Video games
Predecessor	TuxKart
Founded	2007; 19 years ago
Founder	Joerg "Hiker" Henrichs, Eduardo "Coz" Hernandez Munoz
Fate	Ongoing development
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Joerg "Hiker" Henrichs, Marianne Gagnon ("Auria"), Benau, Alayan
Products	SuperTuxKart (kart racing game)
Owner	Community-driven project
Number of employees	Volunteer contributors
Website	supertuxkart.net

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article SuperTuxKart, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 8 August 2025

SuperTuxKart (commonly abbreviated as STK) is a free and open-source kart racing game first released in 2007, distributed under the GNU General Public License, version 3. It showcases characters from diverse open-source software initiatives and is designed to operate across multiple platforms, including Linux, macOS, Windows, iOS (in beta), Android, and the Nintendo Switch via homebrew.

The origins of SuperTuxKart trace back to a fork of TuxKart, a project initially created by Steve and Oliver Baker in 2000. Following the discontinuation of TuxKart development around March 2004, new contributors revived the concept in 2006 under the name SuperTuxKart, which continues to evolve through active community involvement.

Gameplay

The gameplay of SuperTuxKart draws inspiration from the Mario Kart franchise but introduces distinctive elements such as Nitro can collection alongside the use of track items like presents and bananas. The game features mascots from various open source projects; for example, Mozilla Thunderbird serves as the race official, managing race commencements and assisting players who stray off course. Players can enjoy single-player mode, local multiplayer, as well as WAN and LAN multiplayer options, with network play being incorporated starting from version 1.0.

Characters

Playable characters in SuperTuxKart primarily represent mascots affiliated with free and open-source projects. The antagonist Nolok, a creation of the SuperTux initiative, acts as the main adversary. Additional mascots from other projects are accessible as downloadable add-ons through the official SuperTuxKart website.

The core roster includes:

Tux, the Linux mascot penguin and protagonist
Nolok, an evil dragon serving as the primary villain
Gnu, representing the GNU Project, depicted riding a flying carpet
Adiumy, the duck mascot for Adium
Gavroche, goblin mascot representing MediaGoblin
Amanda, panda mascot associated with Window Maker
Emule, mule mascot from eMule
Puffy, pufferfish mascot symbolizing OpenBSD
Pidgin, pigeon mascot for Pidgin
Sara, wizard mascot linked to OpenGameArt.org
Hexley, platypus mascot of Darwin
Konqi, Asian dragon mascot representing KDE
Godette, mascot for Godot
Suzanne, chimpanzee mascot connected to Blender
Kiki, squirrel mascot for Krita
Wilber, mascot of GIMP
Pepper, witch character from webcomic Pepper&Carrot, depicted flying on a broomstick
Xue, mouse mascot for Xfce, piloting a hovercraft

Plot

Differing from Mario Kart, SuperTuxKart offers a story mode that unlocks new tracks and characters. The narrative revolves around Gnu, leader of the free/open-source community, who is abducted by Nolok. Tux and his allies must confront Nolok—the self-styled 'King of the Karts'—to rescue Gnu. Upon defeating Nolok at Fort Magma, Tux successfully liberates Gnu.

History

The project began as TuxKart, launched by Steve Baker in April 2000. Development halted due to internal disputes, leading to cancellation in 2004. Subsequently, it was forked into SuperTuxKart. The project lay dormant until 2006 when Joerg "Hiker" Henrichs revived it, collaborating with Eduardo "Coz" Hernandez Munoz to release a playable build. Marianne Gagnon ("Auria") joined in 2008 and eventually took over leadership after Coz's departure.

Initially licensed under GPLv2, the source code transitioned to GPLv3 in 2008. Game assets are distributed under various free licenses such as GPL, Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY/CC BY-SA), and Public Domain.

In 2010, with version 0.7, SuperTuxKart shifted from SDL and PLIB libraries to utilizing the Irrlicht Engine. The project participated in Google Summer of Code during 2013 and 2014. In 2014, its code repository migrated from SourceForge to GitHub while assets continued to be hosted on SourceForge. Version 0.9 (released in 2015) introduced Antarctica—a heavily customized renderer based on Irrlicht—enabling advanced graphical effects like dynamic lighting, ambient occlusion, depth of field, and real-time shadows. By early 2018, Antarctica incorporated Physically Based Rendering (PBR) leveraging OpenGL 3.3+ and GLSL shaders.

Although approved for Steam distribution in March 2017, as of July 2023, SuperTuxKart remains unavailable on that platform. Leadership changed in May 2019 when Joerg "Hiker" Henrichs stepped down; "Benau" and "Alayan" assumed project leadership roles.

The September 2021 update (version 1.3) introduced force feedback support—a feature uncommon among free software games.

In March 2025, plans were announced to transition development to the Godot Engine to replace the aging Antarctica renderer and foster greater contributor involvement.

Reception

In 2004, TuxKart earned the distinction of "Game of the Month" from The Linux Game Tome. By 2007, Full Circle Magazine had listed SuperTuxKart among the five best racing titles available for Linux, emphasizing its appeal to players interested in alternatives to realistic driving simulators. The Linux Journal commended its tracks for being "colorful," "imaginative," and "fun." While it did not secure a spot in the top five free games according to APC Mag, it was granted an honorable mention in 2008. In 2009, TechRadar recognized it as one of the premier games for Linux netbook users. Later, in 2016, OMG! Ubuntu! referred to SuperTuxKart as "the finest kart racing game without Mario, Toad, or Diddy Kong."

Since August 2007, download figures for SuperTuxKart have surpassed 3.2 million on SourceForge.net, along with more than 500,000 downloads via the Google Play store, indicating substantial user interest and engagement.

External links

Official website