# Install solarus with Homebrew

Action-RPG game engine. Version 2.1.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-26.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:solarus
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install solarus
```

  Evidence: provider-native install command

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:solarus
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 2.1.0
- **Source summary:** Action-RPG game engine
- **Homepage:** <https://www.solarus-games.org/>
- **Last updated:** 2026-07-26T18:59:37Z
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T00:40:33+00:00

## Executables

- solarus-run (alias)

## Install behavior

- Bottle: not available

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-08-03
- Package-manager version: 2.1.0
## Project history and usage

Solarus is a free and open-source 2D game engine and toolchain for making Lua-scripted action-RPG games, distributed to package-manager users primarily through the `solarus-run` command-line runner and companion graphical tools.

### Project history

The official project describes Solarus as a C++ engine designed with 16-bit classic action-RPGs in mind and able to run games scripted in Lua. Its current GitLab project describes the wider distribution as a 2D game engine with a game editor and game launcher.

Solarus moved through a long 1.x release series before the 2.x line. The official changelog records Solarus 1.6.5 in 2021 and Solarus 2.0.0 on April 1, 2025, with the 2.0 release adding multiplayer-oriented engine changes such as multiple maps, cameras, heroes, and game controllers.

### Adoption history

Solarus has remained a niche but recognizable open-source game-engine package: the supplied package-manager facts list it in Homebrew, Nix, and openSUSE/zypper, while the official site publishes games, downloads, documentation, and release news.

For package users, Solarus is most often interesting as a runtime for packaged quests and as a reproducible engine dependency for game projects that script gameplay in Lua.

### How it is used

The repository identifies `solarus-run` as the CLI used to play Solarus games, alongside the Solarus Launcher for playing and Solarus Editor for creating games. Documentation and tutorials live on the official Solarus docs site.

### Why package nerds care

Solarus matters to package maintainers because it sits at the intersection of game engines, Lua scripting, SDL-style native dependencies, desktop launchers, and content runtimes. It is the sort of package where ABI compatibility, asset paths, and platform support can matter as much as the executable itself.

### Timeline

- 2015: Solarus 1.4.5 appears in the official GitLab tag history.
- 2018: Solarus 1.6.0 appears in the official GitLab tag history.
- 2021: Solarus 1.6.5 is recorded in the official changelog.
- 2025: Solarus 2.0.0 is released with multiplayer-oriented engine changes.
- 2026: Solarus 2.0.4 is listed by the official site as the stable version.

### Related projects

- Solarus Launcher and Solarus Editor are companion applications named in the official repository README. Solarus games, or quests, are the content packages run by the engine.

### Sources

- Input package-manager facts: source_facts.package-manager
- Official changelog: https://gitlab.com/solarus-games/solarus/-/blob/dev/changelog.md
- Official documentation: https://docs.solarus-games.org/
- Official repository README: https://gitlab.com/solarus-games/solarus
- Official site: https://www.solarus-games.org/


## Security Notes

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

- **Geiger risk:** green / low
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals


## Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/solarus.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/solarus.yml)


## Sources

- Nucleus package database
- Geiger risk classifier
- curated package history
- pkgdb category and tag curation