Download and install

Lothal is free. Every build is published on GitHub Releases. This site does not host the files.

Each release has three zips and a checksum file:

File	For
Lothal-<version>-windows-x86_64.zip	Windows, 64-bit
Lothal-<version>-macos.zip	macOS (one app for Apple silicon and Intel)
Lothal-<version>-linux-x86_64.zip	Linux, 64-bit
SHA256SUMS.txt	Checksums for the three zips

The window opens at 1280 × 720 and cannot be made smaller than 1024 × 600. A gamepad is strongly recommended for flying; the keyboard works as a fallback.

Windows

1. Download the Windows zip and unzip it.
2. Open the folder and run Lothal.exe. Keep the folder together: Lothal.exe needs lothal_core.dll, the physics core, and Lothal.pck beside it.
3. The builds are not code-signed yet, so SmartScreen warns the first time. Click More info, then Run anyway. It does not ask again.

Screenshot needed: install-windows-smartscreen.png. The SmartScreen prompt with "More info" expanded and "Run anyway" visible.

macOS

1. Download the macOS zip. Open it to get Lothal.app, and move the app to Applications.
2. Open Lothal. The first launch is blocked because the build is not code-signed.
3. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll to the message about Lothal, and click Open Anyway. Confirm, and the app starts.

Screenshot needed: install-macos-open-anyway.png. System Settings, Privacy & Security, with the "Open Anyway" button for Lothal.

Linux

1. Download the Linux zip and unzip it. It unpacks into one folder.
2. Keep everything in that folder together. The program needs liblothal_core.so, the physics core, beside it.
3. Run Lothal.x86_64 in that folder, for example ./Lothal.x86_64 from a terminal inside it.

Check the download (optional)

SHA256SUMS.txt lists a SHA-256 checksum for each zip. To check yours, put it in the same folder as the checksum file and run:

# macOS or Linux
shasum -a 256 -c SHA256SUMS.txt --ignore-missing

# Windows (PowerShell): compare the output with the line for your zip in SHA256SUMS.txt
Get-FileHash .\Lothal-0.3.0-windows-x86_64.zip -Algorithm SHA256

A match means the file is exactly what was published.

Updates

Lothal checks once per launch, a few seconds after it starts, whether a newer release exists. If one does, a one-line bar appears at the bottom of the window: “Lothal version is available”, with Open download page and Not now. Open download page opens the release page in your browser; Not now hides the bar until the next launch. Lothal never downloads or installs anything by itself. If the check fails, for example because you are offline, nothing is shown. See Privacy for exactly what that check sends.

Next

First launch shows what you see when the app opens.