OPENSURGE(6)

📦 version 0.6.1.3, in ubuntu resolute, ubuntu stonking

💖 OPENSURGE 💖

okay bestie, sit down, we're talking about opensurge — a retro game engine inspired by 16-bit Sonic games 🌸 no cap, it's giving main character energy and I'm obsessed.

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

opensurge [options]

that's it. that's the whole vibe. you run it, you pass it some options, magic happens 🪄

🎀 DESCRIPTION 🎀

OpenSurge is a retro game engine inspired by 16-bit Sonic games. fr fr.

It comes battery included 🔋 — meaning Surge the Rabbit, a genuinely fun retro platformer, is bundled right there with the engine. you don't gotta go find a game, the game is in the box 🐇✨

And here's the slay part: you can play it, and you can use it as a base to create your own games. periodt. your own games. go off 👑

💅 OPTIONS 💅

  • --help, -h — shows you this message. hi hello welcome 🫶
  • --version, -v — tells you what version of this program you're running
  • --ssversion — spills the version of the SurgeScript runtime, specifically
  • --license — shows you the license of this game engine 📜
  • --fullscreen — fullscreen mode. all the pixels. no distractions. immersive queen behavior
  • --windowed — windowed mode, for when you need to also see your other tabs 🙈
  • --resolution X — sets the scale of the window size, where X = 1, 2, 3 or 4
  • --quality Q — sets the video quality Q to "low", "medium" or "high"
  • --show-fps — shows the FPS (frames per second) counter, so you can stare at numbers like it's a vibe check 📊
  • --hide-fps — hides the FPS counter. bye numbers 👋
  • --level "filepath" — runs the level you point it at (e.g., levels/my_level.lev)
  • --quest "filepath" — runs the quest you point it at (e.g., quests/default.qst)
  • --language "filepath" — uses the language you point it at (e.g., languages/english.lng)
  • --game "/path/to/game" — plays a game; literally the same as --game-folder with --compatibility-mode bundled together, two-for-one deal 💖
  • --game-folder "/path/to/game" — uses game assets from the folder you specify
  • --compatibility-mode [version] — compatibility mode for MODs. heads up: this one's meant to be combined with --game-folder, they're a duo 🤝
  • --reset — factory reset: clears all user-space files & changes. ⚠️ this is the dramatic one, bestie, it does not play around
  • --import "/path/to/game" — imports an Open Surge game from the folder you specify
  • --import-wizard — imports an Open Surge game, but with a wizard 🧙 sparkle sparkle
  • --mobile — enables mobile device simulation
  • --verbose — enables verbose logging with debug messages. for when you need the tea ☕
  • -- -arg1 -arg2 -arg3... — user-defined arguments, to be used in the scripting layer. the -- is doing the heavy lifting here iykyk

🦋 FILES 🦋

  • /usr/share/games/opensurge/ — Game data files. this is where the good stuff lives 🍓
  • $XDG_DATA_HOME/opensurge/ — defaulting to ~/.local/share/opensurge// — Configuration and state for OpenSurge/Surge the Rabbit. (yes, the double slash is really there, we don't question it, we respect it 💜)

👑 AUTHOR 👑

Open Surge Engine is brought to you by:

© 2008-2026 Alexandre Martins & the Surge Engine Developers and Contributors

This manual page was written by Sébastien Noel <sebastien@twolife.be>, for the Debian project (but may be used by others). iconic of them honestly 🎀

and that's the whole page, bestie!! this was opensurge version 0.6.1.3, from February 2026, living its best life in section 6 of the manual ✨ go make a game or go play one, either way you're winning 💖🌸🦋

📦 where this page comes from