Marble Madness: 2 Open Source Clones Compared
Marble Madness 3d aims to be closer to a direct remake, rendering the courses in true 3D rather than the original's isometric view, but per its own README, player movement controls are not yet implemented, leaving it unplayable. Trackballs is playable and actively developed, but its README explicitly states it is not intended as a replica of Marble Madness — it uses its own graphics and game data rather than reproducing the original's assets, and adds a Guile scripting extension and built-in level editor not present in the source game.
Comparison table
Availability
- Status
- Playable
- Platforms
- Linux
- Play in browser
- No
- Mobile
- No
Project health
- Development status
- Active
- Last updated
- 2mo ago
- Stars
- 59
- Contributors
- 9
- License
- GPL-2.0
- Engine
- —
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- NoIncludes its own graphics and game data; not based on original Marble Madness assets.
- Modding support
- YesHighly configurable via Guile scripting extension; includes a simple level editor for creating new levels.
Availability
- Status
- Unplayable
- Platforms
- Windows, Linux
- Play in browser
- No
- Mobile
- No
Project health
- Development status
- Halted
- Last updated
- 14y ago
- Stars
- 4
- Contributors
- 5
- License
- —
- Engine
- SDL2
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- —
- Modding support
- —
| Title | Trackballs | Marble Madness 3d |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Playable | Unplayable |
| Platforms | Linux | Windows, Linux |
| Play in browser | No | No |
| Mobile | No | No |
| Project health | ||
| Development status | Active | Halted |
| Last updated | 2mo ago | 14y ago |
| Stars | 59 | 4 |
| Contributors | 9 | 5 |
| License | GPL-2.0 | — |
| Engine | — | SDL2 |
| Compatibility | ||
| Requires original assets | NoIncludes its own graphics and game data; not based on original Marble Madness assets. | — |
| Modding support | YesHighly configurable via Guile scripting extension; includes a simple level editor for creating new levels. | — |
| Preview | |
Known limitations
- gameplay: Controls are not yet implemented; marble movement and player input features are planned but not functional.
Frequently asked questions
Are the Marble Madness clones on this page open source?
Yes — every clone catalogued here is an open-source project. Availability, license, and development-status details for each one are listed in the comparison table above.
What license do these Marble Madness clones use?
Trackballs (GPL-2.0).
Do I need to own the original Marble Madness to play these clones?
Trackballs runs standalone, no original files needed.
Which Marble Madness clone is the most actively maintained?
Trackballs is currently under active development, based on recent commit activity. See the "Development status" row above for every clone's current status.
See the full write-up for each clone, or go back to Marble Madness.