{{Short description|Free and open-source voxel game engine}} {{for|the ancient Chinese ruling clan|Luandi}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2020}} {{Italic title}} {{Infobox software | name = Luanti | logo = Minetest logo.svg | logo alt = Luanti Logo | screenshot = 256px | caption = A screenshot of scenery from the VoxeLibre game made with Luanti | released = 0.0.1 / {{Start date and age|2010|11|02|df=y}} | latest release version = {{wikidata|property|preferred|references|edit|Q89114416|P348}} | latest release date = {{wikidata|qualifier|preferred|single|Q89114416|P348|P577}} | latest preview version = {{wikidata|property|preferred|references|edit|Q89114416|P348|P548=Q51930650}} | latest preview date = {{wikidata|qualifier|preferred|single|Q89114416|P348|P548=Q51930650|P577}} | author = Perttu Ahola | developer = [https://www.luanti.org/credits/ The Luanti Team] | repo = {{URL|https://github.com/luanti-org/luanti}} | engine = Irrlicht (Irrlicht-MT fork) | programming language = C++, Lua | platform = Microsoft Windows, MacOS, Linux, FreeBSD, Android | genre = Sandbox | license = 2013: LGPL-2.1-or-later<ref name="LICENSE.txt">{{cite web|url=https://github.com/minetest/minetest/blob/master/LICENSE.txt|title=LICENSE.txt|website=GitHub|date=October 25, 2021|access-date=July 8, 2021|archive-date=January 3, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103131726/https://github.com/minetest/minetest/blob/master/LICENSE.txt|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="2013-lgpl">{{cite web|url=https://github.com/minetest/minetest/commit/f0edd88dff26f408db895046b9411248ff3d51dd|title=Remove doc/gpl-2.0.txt, add doc/lgpl-2.1.txt|website=GitHub|date=2013-09-28|access-date=July 8, 2021|archive-date=August 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210806132856/https://github.com/minetest/minetest/commit/f0edd88dff26f408db895046b9411248ff3d51dd|url-status=live}}</ref><br />2010: GPL-2.0-or-later<ref name="2012-lgpl-gpl">{{cite web|url=https://github.com/minetest/minetest/commit/037b2591971d752e67fa7d47095b996b3f56da5a|title=Switch the license to be LGPLv2/later, with small parts still remaining as GPLv2/later, by agreement of major contributors|website=GitHub|date=2012-06-05|access-date=July 8, 2021|archive-date=August 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210806132858/https://github.com/minetest/minetest/commit/037b2591971d752e67fa7d47095b996b3f56da5a|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="2010-gpl">{{cite web|url=https://github.com/minetest/minetest/commit/24c4b7c68d283a4d1de72a3eb68f1268f1fe34e3|title=Working version before block send priorization update|website=GitHub|date=2010-11-27|access-date=July 8, 2021|archive-date=August 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210806132856/https://github.com/minetest/minetest/commit/24c4b7c68d283a4d1de72a3eb68f1268f1fe34e3|url-status=live}}</ref><br />Original: Proprietary<ref name="2010-proprietary">{{cite web|url=https://github.com/minetest/minetest/commit/4e249fb3fbf75f0359758760d88e22aa5b14533c|title=Initial files|website=GitHub|date=2010-11-26|access-date=July 8, 2021|archive-date=August 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210806132903/https://github.com/minetest/minetest/commit/4e249fb3fbf75f0359758760d88e22aa5b14533c|url-status=live}}</ref> | website = {{URL|https://www.luanti.org/}} }} '''''Luanti''''' (formerly '''''Minetest''''') is a community-driven, free and open-source voxel game engine, available on various platforms. Originally, ''Luanti'' was a voxel game created in October 2010 by Perttu Ahola to explore the mechanics of ''Minecraft''.<ref>[https://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Open_source_game_developer_Perttu_Ahola_talks_about_Minetest_with_Wikinews]</ref> Over time, ''Luanti'' evolved from the original ''Minetest'' game into a general game engine as developers integrated new features.
''Luanti'' allows for the creation, development, and customization of games and modules (shortened to mods) using its Lua scripting system. Games are collections of mods that together establish a complete gameplay experience (by defining major content and behavior), while individual mods serve to modify or complement specific features within games, and may be added, replaced, or removed by players to customize them. To download games and mods, ''Luanti'' provides a built-in browser to access ContentDB,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Welcome |url=https://content.luanti.org/ |access-date=2025-09-19 |website=ContentDB}}</ref> through which they can be installed.
Despite its origins, the community considers ''Luanti'' a game engine rather than a singular game, as it no longer offers any playable content without third-party games and mods. ''Luanti'' itself is based on the Irrlicht engine.
''Luanti'''s name is a portmanteau formed from Lua (the scripting language) and the Finnish word ''luonti'', meaning "creation".<ref name="newname">{{Cite web |title=Introducing Our New Name |url=https://blog.minetest.net/2024/10/13/Introducing-Our-New-Name/ |access-date=2024-10-13 |website=Minetest Blog |language=en}}</ref>
== Overview == [[File:Minetest-5.3.0-dry-green-jungle-biomes.jpg|thumb|alt=The meeting of dry plains, green plains, and jungles|Player character Sam<ref>{{Cite web |title=Player |url=https://docs.luanti.org/for-players/player/#trivia |access-date=2025-11-22 |website=Luanti Documentation |language=en-us}}</ref> near dry plains, green plains, and jungle biomes in ''Minetest'' 5.3.0]] Games installed on ''Luanti'' can be played through worlds, formed using 3D voxels called ''nodes'', which function like digital building blocks.<ref name="nodes">{{cite web |title=Nodes |url=https://docs.luanti.org/for-players/nodes/ |website=Luanti Documentation |access-date=20 January 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260120194221/https://docs.luanti.org/for-players/nodes/ |archive-date=20 January 2026 |url-status=live}}</ref> Scenery is created by using nodes to represent various types of landscape or immobile objects, such as land, water, trees, and rocks. Conversely, animated (moving) beings, often referred to as mobs or NPCs (characters controlled by the game) can be created to interact with the player and the world.<ref name="mobs">{{cite web |title=Mobs |url=https://docs.luanti.org/for-players/mobs/ |website=Luanti Documentation |access-date=20 January 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260120194527/https://docs.luanti.org/for-players/mobs/ |archive-date=20 January 2026 |url-status=live}}</ref> ''Luanti'' allows users to create their own scenery and mobs, or they can use packages that have been created by other users; these content creators are referred to as ''modders'' or developers.
A primary example of a game which consists of real-world biomes with a variety of mobs that can spawn is ''VoxeLibre''. Such games often have numerous game mechanics which allow for multiple player-set objectives such as building houses, farming, smelting, and cooking.<ref name="voxelibre">{{cite web |title=VoxeLibre (formerly MineClone2) |url=https://content.luanti.org/packages/Wuzzy/mineclone2/ |website=ContentDB |access-date=20 January 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260120195038/https://content.luanti.org/packages/Wuzzy/mineclone2/ |archive-date=20 January 2026 |url-status=live}}</ref>
On the other hand, games that include no mobs or clear game objectives, such as ''Minetest Game'' (''MTG'') also exist, being designed to be modding bases with sets of ''nodes'' and pre-generated biomes.<ref name="minetestgame">{{cite web |title=Minetest Game |url=https://content.luanti.org/packages/Luanti/minetest_game/ |website=ContentDB |access-date=20 January 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260120195336/https://content.luanti.org/packages/Luanti/minetest_game/ |archive-date=20 January 2026 |url-status=live}}</ref>
thumb|left|alt=Snowy conifers at the edge of ice plains|Snowy conifer biome at the edge of ice plains in first person mode in ''Minetest'' 5.3.0 As players explore an in-game world, new areas are procedurally generated (created using an algorithm) using a map seed optionally specified by the player. A new game puts the player in the center of a map spanning tens of thousands of nodes (62 000), a scale large enough that most players will rarely reach the edges.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Official website |url=https://www.minetest.net/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226155338/https://www.minetest.net/ |archive-date=February 26, 2021 |access-date=February 28, 2021}}</ref> An invisible wall exists at every edge of the world (including down and up), preventing players from leaving.
Most worlds in major games are divided into biomes ranging from deserts to jungles to snowfields; the terrain can include plains, mountains, forests, caves, water, or even lava, depending on the game and mod installed. The in-game time system follows a day and night cycle, with one full cycle lasting 20 real-time minutes by default.
''Luanti'' provides two play-style options across games: ''Enable Damage'' and ''Creative Mode''. Disabling damage prevents taking damage and dying, thus losing items and any possible frustrations it may cause, while Creative Mode provides players with infinite resources to build whatever they want without having to gather them first.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Minetest, Free and Open Source Sandbox Game... {{!}} Linux Game News • Minetest, Free and Open Source Sandbox Game Inspired by Minecraft |url=https://linuxgamenews.com/post/21387368393/minetest-free-and-open-source-sandbox-game-inspired-by-m#.UDoHj6BF8gU |access-date=2024-05-28 |website=linuxgamenews.com}}</ref>
=== Multiplayer ===<!-- change to File:Minetest-5.5.0-join-game-screen.png after rename complete on commons. --> alt=Built-in Internet server browser|thumb|Built-in Internet server browser in ''Minetest'' 5.5.0 ''Luanti'' allows players to play together over the internet or the local network by joining a server or hosting their own.
Players can either connect by IP or select the server from the built-in server browser if the host chooses to publish it there by selecting the checkbox.
Rather than the centralized account systems typically used by proprietary games across multiple game servers, ''Luanti'' allows registering and logging into accounts on each individual server, thereby allowing players to have multiple different accounts on each server, entirely separate from each other.<ref name="getstart">{{cite web |title=Getting Started |url=https://docs.luanti.org/for-players/getting-started/ |website=Luanti Documentation |access-date=20 January 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260120200335/https://docs.luanti.org/for-players/getting-started/ |archive-date=20 January 2026 |url-status=live}}</ref>
=== Game development and customization === thumb|Built-in content browser ''Luanti'' gives developers the ability to create ''games'' and ''mods'' using Lua, a beginner-friendly programming language. Mods can be freely added, removed, or replaced within any game, giving players a simple and intuitive way to customize games to their liking.
When playing in Multiplayer, mods can be chosen to run automatically on game servers, such that players don't need to install them manually. Mods can be used to add or modify nodes, gameplay mechanics, tools, weapons, armour, monsters, player skins and the user interface.<ref name="modsdocs">{{cite web |title=Mobs |url=https://docs.luanti.org/for-players/mods/ |website=Luanti Documentation |access-date=20 January 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260120195629/https://docs.luanti.org/for-players/mods/ |archive-date=20 January 2026 |url-status=live}}</ref>
{{Gallery |width=180 | height=170 |align=center |File:Minetest-5.3.0-home-decor-mod.jpg|alt2=Interior design using Home Decor mod|Interior design using Home Decor mod |File:Minetest-5.3.0-animals (cropped).png|alt3=A horse from mobs_animal mod|A horse from the Mob Horse mod |File:Minetest-5.3.0-caverealms-mod.jpg|alt4=Crystal cave biome generated by caverealms mod|Crystal cave biome generated by Underground Realms mod |title=}}
''Luanti'' features a built-in content browser showing packages uploaded to ContentDB, allowing users to install games, mods and texture packs with a single click. Thousands of packages are currently available,<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Welcome |url=https://content.minetest.net/ |access-date=2024-10-14 |website=ContentDB |quote=CDB has 2526 packages, with a total of 14871145 downloads.}}</ref> with many more accessible on the forums. The five most popular games by downloads are ''VoxeLibre'', ''Minetest Game'', ''Mineclonia'', ''Backrooms Test'', and ''NodeCore''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Games |url=https://content.luanti.org/packages/?type=game&sort=downloads |access-date=2025-05-26 |website=ContentDB}}</ref>
{{Gallery |width=180 | height=170 |align=center |File:Minetest-5.3.0-texture-default.jpg|alt1=Default texture pack shipped with Minetest 5.3.0|Default texture pack shipped with Minetest 5.3.0 |File:Minetest-5.3.0-texture-rpg-16.jpg|alt2="RPG16" texture pack|"RPG16" texture pack |File:Minetest-5.3.0-texture-hand-painted.jpg|alt3="Hand Painted" texture pack|"Hand Painted" texture pack |title=}}
The full source code of ''Luanti'', as well as most of its games, mods, and their assets (such as textures and sounds), are distributed under free licenses, making it easy to publish modified versions and derivatives.
== Development == thumb|Minetest-c55 0.4.dev, 8 April 2012 build|alt= ''Luanti'' was originally released in November 2010 under a proprietary license.<ref name="2010-proprietary" /> Shortly afterwards the license was changed to the GPL-2.0-or-later license.<ref name="2010-gpl" /> By agreement among major contributors, in June 2012 the project license was changed to LGPL-2.1-or-later, though at the time small parts still remained under the GPL-2.0-or-later license.<ref name="2012-lgpl-gpl" /> In September 2013, the transition to LGPL-2.1-or-later was completed.<ref name="2013-lgpl" /> While LGPL-2.1-or-later remains the main license for the ''Luanti'' engine, other free and open-source licenses are used for various other parts of the latest releases.<ref name="LICENSE.txt" />
Perttu Ahola (recognized as ''celeron55'' or ''c55'') was the only developer working on the project for about six months after its creation, until Ciaran Gultnieks started making code contributions in May 2011.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news |date=June 30, 2020 |title=Open source game developer Perttu Ahola talks about Minetest with Wikinews |newspaper=Wikinews |url=https://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Open_source_game_developer_Perttu_Ahola_talks_about_Minetest_with_Wikinews |url-status=live |access-date=July 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200712073905/https://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Open_source_game_developer_Perttu_Ahola_talks_about_Minetest_with_Wikinews |archive-date=July 12, 2020}}</ref> The roster of contributors grew and changed over the years. As of January 2026, Luanti's GitHub repository has more than 800 contributors.<ref>{{cite web |title=luanti-org/luanti |url=https://github.com/luanti-org/luanti |website=GitHub |access-date=20 January 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260108111915/https://github.com/luanti-org/luanti |archive-date=8 January 2026 |url-status=live}}</ref> Project participants do not have set roles, but rather keep their activity within their respective areas of expertise. Perttu Ahola's role morphed over the years: whereas initially it was engine development, it is now mostly web-hosting and administration, assigning core developer, moderator, and other roles to people, as well as being the final word in cases where other developers are unable to render a decision.<ref name=":3" />
Version 5.0.0 added an in-game browser that lets users download games and modifications as well as their dependencies from a ''Luanti''<nowiki/>'s ContentDB website. Version 5.5.0 forked the Irrlicht Engine.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Liam Dawe |date=2022-01-31 |title=Minetest 5.5.0 is out, forked their own rendering engine with IrrlichtMT |url=https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2022/01/minetest-550-is-out-forked-their-own-rendering-engine-with-irrlichtmt/ |access-date=2025-01-17 |website=GamingOnLinux |language=en}}</ref>
Prior to version 5.8.0, ''Luanti'' shipped a default game called Minetest Game, a practice which was ended due to concerns that new players would mistake ''Luanti'' for a single game instead of an engine.<ref>{{Cite web |date=11 December 2023 |title=Minetest 5.8.0 released! |url=https://blog.minetest.net/2023/12/04/5.8.0-released/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231211183050/https://blog.minetest.net/2023/12/04/5.8.0-released/ |archive-date=11 December 2023 |access-date=11 December 2023}}</ref> Despite no longer being officially shipped with ''Luanti'', Minetest Game can still be found on ContentDB.<ref name="minetestgame" />
In October 2024, the project’s name was officially changed from ''Minetest'' to ''Luanti''. The new name combines Lua (the scripting language) with the Finnish word ''luonti'', meaning "creation".<ref name="newname"\></ref>
== Usage in education == ''Luanti'' has been used in educational environments to teach subjects such as mathematics, programming, and earth sciences. Some notable examples include:
* In 2017, some French schools began using ''Luanti'' to teach calculus and trigonometry.<ref name="SERIOUSGAMING">{{Cite journal |last=Boutet |first=Henri |date=January 2017 |title=Mathématiques et "serious gaming": l'exemple de Minetest |trans-title=Mathematics and "serious gaming": the example of Minetest |url=http://revue.sesamath.net/spip.php?article940 |url-status=live |journal=Mathématice |issue=53 |language=fr |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190629075729/http://revue.sesamath.net/spip.php?article940 |archive-date=June 29, 2019 |access-date=October 12, 2019}}</ref> * In 2016, at the Federal University of Santa Catarina in Brazil, a variant of ''Luanti'' called "MineScratch" was used to teach programming.<ref name="MINESCRATCH">{{Cite journal |last=da Rocha |first=Jhonata |date=2016-11-23 |title=MineScratch: integração minetest-scratch para apoiar o ensino de programação |trans-title=MineScratch: Minetest-Scratch Integration to Support Programming Teaching |url=https://repositorio.ufsc.br/handle/123456789/171545 |url-status=live |journal=Repositório Institucional da UFSC |language=pt-BR |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210203071244/http://150.162.242.35/handle/123456789/171545 |archive-date=February 3, 2021 |access-date=February 16, 2019}}</ref> * In 2018, for Laboratory Education and Apprenticeships (EDA) at the Paris Descartes University, ''Luanti'' was used to teach life and Earth sciences to year 6 students who could not observe some phenomena in person but could experience them in the ''Luanti'' virtual world.<ref name="LES">{{Cite web |last=Pauty-Combemorel C. |date=February 7, 2018 |title=Utilisation d'un jeu vidéo dans le cadre de l'enseignement des SVT: le cas de Minetest. De 0 à 1 ou l'heure de l'informatique à l'école. |trans-title=Using a video game as part of the teaching of Life and Earth Sciences: the case of Minetest. From 0 to 1 or computer time at school. |url=https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01753090/document |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191011091553/https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01753090/document |archive-date=October 11, 2019 |access-date=October 11, 2019 |language=fr}}</ref>
== Reception == Opensource.com listed ''Luanti'' at #1 in its "Best open source games of 2015",<ref name="OSS#1">{{Cite web |last=Muilwijk |first=Robin |date=December 30, 2015 |title=Best open source games of 2015 |url=https://opensource.com/life/15/12/top-5-open-gaming |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190501235454/https://opensource.com/life/15/12/top-5-open-gaming |archive-date=May 1, 2019 |access-date=February 16, 2019 |website=Opensource.com |language=en}}</ref> stating that it is maybe "the most complete alternative to ''Minecraft''", and noted its expansibility, saying that it contains a user-friendly API for creating mods in Lua.<ref name="OSS#2">{{Cite web |last=Baker |first=Jason |date=October 12, 2017 |title=10 open source alternatives to Minecraft |url=https://opensource.com/alternatives/minecraft |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191030202103/https://opensource.com/alternatives/minecraft |archive-date=October 30, 2019 |access-date=October 12, 2019 |website=Opensource.com |language=en}}</ref> PC Magazine listed ''Luanti'' among "The best Sandbox Creation Games for ''Minecraft'' Fans".<ref name="PCMAG">{{Cite magazine|last=Cohen |first=Jason |date=August 28, 2019 |title=The Best Sandbox Creation Games for Minecraft Fans |url=https://www.pcmag.com/feature/369999/the-best-sandbox-creation-games-for-minecraft-fans |magazine=PC Magazine |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191217072855/https://www.pcmag.com/feature/369999/the-best-sandbox-creation-games-for-minecraft-fans |archive-date=December 17, 2019 |access-date=December 17, 2019}}</ref>
== See also == {{Portal|Free and open-source software|Video games}} * List of open-source video games * Open-source video game * Linux gaming * ''Minecraft'' {{Commons category|Minetest}} {{Wikinews|has=an interview related to ''Minetest''|Open source game developer Perttu Ahola talks about Minetest with Wikinews}}
== References == {{Reflist}}
{{Video game engines}} {{FLOSS}}
Category:Survival video games Category:Sandbox games Category:Linux games Category:Windows games Category:Android (operating system) games Category:Multiplayer online games Category:Open-source video games Category:Open-world video games Category:Formerly proprietary software Category:Free and open-source Android software Category:MacOS games Category:Multiplayer and single-player video games Category:2010 video games Category:Minecraft clones Category:Lua (programming language)-scripted video games Category:Lua (programming language)-scriptable game engines