Pygame is an open source cross-platform Python module used for designing and scripting video games.

Pygame can be a great module to use on a device like Raspberry Pi.

I tried using Pip to install Pygame, but that did not work, here is the right way to get it installed on Fedora.

Pygame is available as a package in Fedora’s repository.

I ran a search and here is my result.

[darryl@linuxbox ~]$ dnf search pygame
Last metadata expiration check: 0:10:16 ago on Mon 18 May 2020 11:02:17 PM EDT.
====================== Name & Summary Matched: pygame =======================
pygame-devel.i686 : Files needed for developing programs which use pygame
pygame-devel.x86_64 : Files needed for developing programs which use pygame
=========================== Name Matched: pygame ============================
python3-pygame.x86_64 : Python3 modules for writing games
[darryl@linuxbox ~]$ Code language: PHP (php)

In the repository Pygame is a Python 3 module. We can install by running the installation command.

sudo dnf install python3-pygame

Below is the dependencies dnf will download and install.

[darryl@linuxbox ~]$ sudo dnf install python3-pygame
Last metadata expiration check: 0:05:52 ago on Mon 18 May 2020 11:08:33 PM EDT.
Dependencies resolved.
=============================================================================
 Package                      Arch      Version             Repository  Size
=============================================================================
Installing:
 python3-pygame               x86_64    1.9.6-7.fc32        fedora     2.9 M
Installing dependencies:
 SDL                          x86_64    1.2.15-43.fc32      fedora     213 k
 SDL_image                    x86_64    1.2.12-23.fc32      fedora      44 k
 SDL_mixer                    x86_64    1.2.12-19.fc32      fedora      95 k
 SDL_ttf                      x86_64    2.0.11-17.fc32      fedora      25 k
 fluidsynth                   x86_64    1.1.11-7.fc32       fedora      25 k
 fluidsynth-libs              x86_64    1.1.11-7.fc32       fedora     209 k
 gnu-free-fonts-common        noarch    20120503-22.fc32    fedora     122 k
 gnu-free-sans-fonts          noarch    20120503-22.fc32    fedora     782 k
 jack-audio-connection-kit    x86_64    1.9.14-2.fc32       fedora     534 k
 libffado                     x86_64    2.4.1-10.fc32       fedora     901 k
 libgfortran                  x86_64    10.1.1-1.fc32       updates    823 k
 libmikmod                    x86_64    3.3.11.1-8.fc32     fedora     154 k
 libquadmath                  x86_64    10.1.1-1.fc32       updates    197 k
 libxml++                     x86_64    2.40.1-10.fc32      fedora     103 k
 openblas                     x86_64    0.3.9-2.fc32        fedora      30 k
 openblas-threads             x86_64    0.3.9-2.fc32        fedora     4.5 M
 portmidi                     x86_64    217-32.fc32         fedora      31 k
Installing weak dependencies:
 python3-numpy                x86_64    1:1.18.4-2.fc32     updates    4.4 M

Transaction Summary
=============================================================================
Install  19 Packages

Total download size: 16 M
Installed size: 78 M
Is this ok [y/N]: 
Code language: JavaScript (javascript)

We can now run import pygame to check if it is working correctly.

[darryl@linuxbox ~]$ python3
Python 3.8.2 (default, Feb 28 2020, 00:00:00) 
[GCC 10.0.1 20200216 (Red Hat 10.0.1-0.8)] on linux
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>> import pygame
pygame 1.9.6
Hello from the pygame community. https://www.pygame.org/contribute.html
>>> 
Code language: JavaScript (javascript)

The below response is what you should get when you run import pygame.

>>> import pygame
pygame 1.9.6
Hello from the pygame community. https://www.pygame.org/contribute.htmlCode language: JavaScript (javascript)

Done, now you can code games with the pygame module, I would love to see what you developed.

Happy coding!

I compiled a list of software and services that I use to improve my workflow, here is the link to the list.

Darryl Dias

I’m Darryl. I’m a 3D Artist, Programmer and Linux enthusiast. On this site I share my insights, tips and tricks, tutorials, methods and best practices.