Ludus
Take a little break
A small panel of games that lives in your menu bar or system tray. Click the controller, play a round of Snake, Sudoku or a quick duel against the computer, then get back to work. Your place is saved when you close it.
Mac: macOS 14 Sonoma or later on any Mac (Apple silicon or Intel). Windows: Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit. Both are free. Everything works offline except Play online, Map Hunt photos and updates. Version 1.12.61.
The download button always gives the newest build.
The games
Arcade, puzzles, duels and games for two
Every game has a light and a dark look, sound you can turn off, and an easy, normal or hard setting.
Arcade Beat your best score
BlocksFalling blocks with hold, ghost piece and a next queue.
Flap ThroughGuide the spark through the gaps.
ChompA maze chase with pellets, power sparks and four ghosts.
SnakeThe classic, smooth and quick.
Brick BreakClear the bricks, catch the power-ups.
Worm ArenaEat the dots, grow longer and avoid the other worms.
Sky RaidersRows of raiders march down. Shoot them before they land.
Rock BlasterSteer a little ship through drifting rocks and split them apart.
Sky HopBounce from platform to platform and climb as high as you can.
Garden DefencePlant a garden that holds five lanes against creeping weeds.
Hammer ClimbA spark in a pot climbs a mountain with nothing but a hammer.
StackDrop each sliding block on the tower. Perfect drops keep it wide.
City SwallowGrow a black hole by swallowing the city. Up to four players online.
Land ClaimClaim land by looping out and back home. Up to four players online.
Map HuntLook around a street photo and pin where in the world it is. Solo or online.
Pop FusionA solo balloon tower defence. Fuse towers into stronger ones to pop every wave.
Puzzle Take your time
2048Slide the tiles, merge the pairs.
MinefieldThe first click is always safe.
MemoryFlip two cards at a time and find every match.
Five LettersFind the hidden five-letter word in six tries.
Crate PushPush every crate onto its spot. Hand-made levels, with undo.
SolitaireKlondike solitaire, Ace to King.
SudokuFresh puzzles with exactly one solution.
Sweet MatchSwap gems to line up three or more.
Flag QuizName the country from its flag, or the US state, Canadian province, UK nation or region.
Clue SpotterSpot the clues in the road: signs, plates, lines and poles. Online rooms work.
Tongue TwisterRead a phrase and guess its language on a map. Works offline.
Mosaic HuntHunt pixel-art mosaics on a map, then crack the code. Map photos need the internet.
Turn RoomTurn the whole room to change which way is down. Walk, fall and reach the door.
Duel You against the computer
ChessFull chess against the computer at four levels, a friend, or online.
Four in a RowFour in a row, first to three games.
Dots and BoxesDots and boxes. Close a box and go again.
Ultimate Tic-Tac-ToeUltimate tic-tac-toe: your square picks their board.
Last WireNine wires, one is live. Take turns cutting.
Wall RaceRace across the board and block the computer with walls.
HexHex on a 7 by 7 board. Join your two sides first.
Rock Paper ScissorsRock, paper, scissors. First to three takes the match.
Dead CentreStop the needle on the line before the computer does.
Sword DuelA spear duel across five screens. Change height to get past the guard.
Pop DuelA balloon tower defence duel. Build towers and pop the balloons.
Stick BrawlA Stick Brawl. Punch, dodge and win the round.
Same laptop Two people, one keyboard
TagOne of you is it. Touch the other to pass it on.
Paddle DuelTwo-paddle table tennis.
Air HockeyAir hockey. Guard your goal.
Tank ArenaBouncing shells in a fresh maze every round.
Play online: 13 games can be played with a friend in another place. Create a room, share its 5 character code or invite link, and join on Mac or Windows. Tag, Land Claim and City Swallow take up to four players. Rooms are not private, so only share the code with people you trust.
The panel stays open when you click other menu bar icons. On Windows there is no accidental zooming, and the panel now fits different screen sizes and scaling. The line-up grows with new releases. The app itself always shows the current list.
What it is
A break you can close in one click
Ludus sits next to the clock. It opens as a small panel over whatever you are doing and closes the moment you click elsewhere. No windows to manage, no accounts, no ads.
Picks up where you left off
Close the panel mid-game and it pauses. Open it later and the game is still there, along with your best scores.
Rounds that fit a short break
Every game is built to be played in a minute or two, with keyboard controls and mouse or trackpad where it makes sense.
Private and offline
Everything runs on your computer. Ludus only goes online if you choose Play online, Map Hunt or an update, and collects nothing.
Details
Small things that make it feel finished
Offline mode
Everything except Online, Map Hunt photos and updates works with no internet at all. The Online page says so and waits quietly.
An update button
Settings, App: Check, then Update. Ludus checks the download against its SHA-256 fingerprint, swaps itself and reopens. It always asks first.
Online
Play online with up to four friends
Make a room, share the code and play together on Mac and Windows. No accounts, nothing to sign up for.
A room for up to four
Create a room, then share its 5 character code or the invite link. Friends type the code or click the link and they are in.
Single game or Tournament
Play one game, or line up several in a Tournament. Every game you win is worth 1 point, and the scoreboard shows who is ahead.
Rejoin with the same code
Dropped out or closed the panel by mistake? Rejoin brings you back into the same room, with the same code.
Works with older versions
Friends on an older Ludus can still join your room. They play one game at a time, and everyone else can enjoy the new modes.
Smooth for the person joining
Paddle Duel, Air Hockey, Tag, City Swallow, Land Claim and Worm Arena feel quick even on a slow connection, because the joiner's own moves show up at once.
Mac and Windows together
A Mac player and a Windows player can sit in the same room. Rooms are not private, so only share the code with people you trust.
Featured game
Map Hunt: where in the world is this?
A real street-level photo from somewhere on Earth. Look around, work out where you are and drop a pin on the map. Needs an internet connection for the photos.
Look around and move
Turn the view to read the signs, the road and the trees, and move along the road to see more.
A timer and three modes
Play with a timer if you like. Choose Move, No move, or NMPZ, where you cannot move, pan or zoom.
Five rounds
Each game has five rounds. The closer your pin, the more points you get.
Online for 2 to 4 players
Play it in an online room and everyone gets the same places, so you can compare guesses.
A closer look
Small panel, lots to play
Ludus follows your light or dark setting, or you can pick one.
Install
Install Ludus
Download it, open it, drag it into Applications. Mac builds are signed and checked by Apple, so Ludus opens like any normal app.
MacYour computer
macOS 14 Sonoma or later, any Mac (Apple silicon or Intel)
Download for Mac Ludus.dmgOr paste this into Terminal. It downloads, installs and opens Ludus in one go.
curl -fsSL https://solomon-69.github.io/Mac-Apps/download/install.sh | bash -s ludus- Open the downloaded file and drag Ludus into Applications.
- Open Ludus from Applications. Look for the controller icon in the menu bar and click it.
WindowsYour computer
Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit
Download for Windows Ludus-windows.zip- Right-click Ludus-windows.zip and choose Extract All. Keep the folder somewhere permanent, for example Documents.
- Open the folder and run Ludus.exe.
- If Windows shows "Windows protected your PC", click More info, then Run anyway.
- If Windows asks for the free .NET Desktop Runtime (or WebView2), accept the Microsoft download, then run Ludus.exe again.
- Click the controller icon in the system tray. If you cannot see it, click the small arrow next to the tray icons.
Questions
Good to know
Does it work offline?
Yes, for almost everything. Every game and every sound is inside the app. Ludus only uses the internet for Play online, and for Map Hunt, which loads street photos and map pictures.
Where are my scores and saved games kept?
On your own computer only. On a Mac they are kept in the app's preferences; on Windows in a file at %APPDATA%\Ludus\state.json. Closing the panel or quitting keeps your place.
What does Ludus collect about me?
Nothing. There are no accounts, no analytics, no ads and no tracking of any kind, and nothing you do in Ludus leaves your computer.
How do I open it when my computer starts?
Turn on "Open at login" in Ludus settings (the gear icon), or on Windows right-click the tray icon.
What keys do the games use?
Arrow keys or WASD for most games, Space to act, Esc or P to pause. Each game shows its own controls under the play area. Two-player games share one keyboard.
How do I remove it?
Turn off "Open at login" and quit Ludus from its settings. On a Mac, drag Ludus from Applications to the Bin. On Windows, delete the Ludus folder, and %APPDATA%\Ludus if you also want to remove your scores.
Can I read the code?
Yes, you can read it and build it for yourself, but the source is not licensed for reuse (all rights reserved). It is on GitHub.
Opening the app
Mac: every app here is signed and checked by Apple (notarized), so it opens like any normal app: open the download, drag to Applications, double-click. Windows: the first time, SmartScreen may warn you: click More info, then Run anyway. You can check a download against the SHA-256 fingerprints in each release (the SHA256SUMS file) on GitHub.