From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Designer(s) Andreas Umbach
Platform(s) OS X(OS X 10.7 onwards currently unsupported), Mac OS 9, GNU/Linux, Windows, MorphOS, Symbian, Android
Genre(s) Light cycle game
Distribution Free download

GLtron is an open source computer game based on the light cycle portion of the film Tron.[1] It is released under the GNU General Public License (GPL) and is available on multiple platforms.


Light cycle and trail

The aim of the game is to be the last player riding. Cycles can be boosted with a limited turbo. There are various gameplay styles, including switching the gameplay from "booster" to "wall accel." to "both". "Booster" has an extra button for boosting, in addition to the standard left, right, glance left, glance right buttons, while "Wall ride" increases a player's light cycle's speed automatically depending on how close they are to an opponent's wall. "Both" incorporates both options for increasing the player's light cycle's speed.

There are several arena sizes that can be selected, from "tiny" (which is best for two players on normal speed or people practicing their reflexes with 3 "mcp himself" difficulty-level bots on "crazy" speed) to "vast".

The game is played using the keyboard to control the vehicle and the mouse to control the camera position, players can out ride competitors across the geometric grid.

The game's soundtrack features the track Revenge of the Cats, which was composed and performed by Finnish musician Peter Hajba, who is also known by his demoscene nickname Skaven.[2]

GLTron has been ported to mobile operating systems such as Symbian[3] and Android,[4] for phones that have support for OpenGL ES.


GLTron was recommended by The Mac Observer for its graphics and sound, considered good for a free software game, and support for different screen resolutions and input devices.[1]

See also[edit]


  1. ^ a b Chris Barylick (September 11, 2006). "The Slacker's Guide - Something Cool For the Nerds: GLTron". The Mac Observer. Retrieved 2008-11-12. 
  2. ^ "GLtron related links". Retrieved 2009-05-10. 
  3. ^ "Symbian Port". Retrieved 2011-01-26. 
  4. ^ "GL TRON". Google Play. Retrieved 2014-03-02. 

External links[edit]