Direct answer

By Tuna, who maintains this catalog. The notes below are filled from this page’s real record, not from a rewritten list of other sites.

If you only want to play, freeware is enough. If you want to modify or redistribute, stay with a page that shows an open-source, Creative Commons, or public-domain license file.

How this page was checked

  • Labels come from the license field and any license files stored with the game.
  • We do not relicense someone else’s game by listing it.
  • A missing file is reported as missing, not filled in with a guessed license.

Source: license labels and license objects on game records.

Checked when this page was requested, 2026-10-30 (UTC).

This page is not legal advice. The upstream license text wins.

Our call

Read the license on the game page, not this summary. This page explains the labels. The file, when we have it, is the evidence.

Do not fork, sell, or ship a mod of a freeware game just because this site hosted the download.

Whether a license file is attached is a per-game fact in our storage, visible on that game page.

Developers who want a label corrected can use the contact form. We do not invent a rights holder quote.

Edge cases this page will not skip

  • GPL and MIT are both open source and they are not interchangeable.
  • Creative Commons games may forbid commercial use. Check the code (BY, NC, ND, SA).
  • Public domain is rare. Do not assume it from the word “free”.
Original diagram: open the catalog record, read the license, then download a hosted file or follow the source link.

Game licenses

Play a freeware title if you only want to play. Modify or share a game only when its page includes an open-source, Creative Commons, or public-domain file. This summary is not that file.

Open Source (GPL, MIT, etc.)

Games with source code available under open source licenses

Creative Commons

Games licensed under Creative Commons, allowing sharing and modification

Freeware

Free to download and play. That is not permission to fork, sell, or ship a mod. If the game page has no license file, stop at playing.

Public Domain

Games in the public domain, free for anyone to use