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Version: 2025-06

Installation

We made efforts to make the latest releases of GAMA as easy as possible to install, by providing a version with an embedded Java JDK, limiting the installation to a 3-steps procedure: download, install and launch.

Download GAMA​

GAMA comes in a version for each 3 environments Windows, macOS and Linux packaged in easy to use installers. You simply have to go on the downloads page and pick the one for your system.

For advanced users :

  • GAMA provide also some versions without embedded JDK allowing you to download a lighter archive
    • This version requires Java 21 JDK to be installed on your computer
  • It's also possible to download these 2 kinds of releases in simple zip archive (i.e. without installers), if you do so, please refer to the post-installation procedure at the end of this page

You'll find them on the Github Release page

Install procedure​

After downloading the chosen GAMA version from the Downloads page for your computer, you only have run the installer, follow steps, and launch GAMA.

Step-by-step Windows​

On windows, in addition to running GAMA from the zip file, we have to ways of installing it: the standard installer that you can get from our website, or the winget command.

Installer from the website​

This is the standard way of installing GAMA on windows.

  1. Download the installer .exe for Windows
  2. Double-click on the downloaded .exe file
  3. Accept to run the app

Pass Microsoft Defender SmartScreen

  1. Follow the installer with the onscreen steps
  2. Done, you can start GAMA from your computer now.

NB: If you need to launch GAMA Headless, GAMA is installed under C:\Program Files\Gama by default

From winget​

For advanced users, you may want to install GAMA from winget, the process is very simple:

  1. Open PowerShell
  2. Run the command
winget.exe install GamaPlatform.Gama

That's it, GAMA is installed on your computer!

Step-by-step macOS​

In macOS we have two ways of installing gama: either the regular and user friendly .dmg installer, or the command line way with the homebrew package manager.

DMG version​

  1. Download the installer .dmg for macOS
    • There is a built specifically for Macintosh M1 (also called with Apple silicon). You can check by clicking on the top-left apple, About this Mac: the pop-up window will give details about the processor. If you're not sure and your Macintosh is from 2021 (or earlier) you probably need this specific version
  2. Double-click on the downloaded .dmg file
  3. Drag'n'drop GAMA icon to your computer (Applications folder or Desktop for instance)

drag-n-drop

  1. Done, you can start GAMA from your computer now. At the first launch of GAMA, a popup window will appear warning you that GAMA is a software downloaded from internet and asking whether you want to open it. Click on the Open button.

Open GAMA

NB: Note that the first launch of GAMA should be made in GUI mode (clicking on the icon) and not in headless mode. NB2: If you need to launch GAMA Headless after, GAMA is installed where you dragged and dropped the Gama.app

brew version​

  1. Install brew on your computer: just follow the instruction from the website.
  2. Open a terminal
  3. Run the command brew install gama or brew install gama-jdk for the JDK version

Step-by-step Linux​

Debian/Ubuntu based​

You have two ways of installing GAMA on Debian and Ubuntu based systems: either by downloading a .deb installer or from the ppa repository.

  1. Open a terminal.
  2. Run the following commands.
sudo -i # Type your password
apt update
apt install ca-certificates # This might be needed if you are on debian, install it just in case
echo "deb [trusted=yes] https://ppa.gama-platform.org ./" | tee -a /etc/apt/sources.list

  1. You can now install GAMA with the command apt install gama-platform or apt install gama-platform-jdk for the JDK version. If you want to see all available packages head over to the ppa page.

  2. If you want to update GAMA, just run apt update && apt upgrade when a new release comes out.

From a .deb installer to get a specific version​
  1. You can download a .deb file from 3 different sources:
  2. Double-click on the downloaded .deb file
  3. Click on install

install in app store

  1. You could be asked for your password
  2. Done, you can start GAMA from your computer now

Note: If you need to launch GAMA Headless, GAMA is always installed under /opt/gama-platform

Arch Linux based​

AUR packages with latest version of GAMA exists for both version with and without embedded JDK. You can download them with a command as follows:

yay -S gama-platform{-jdk}

Step-by-step Docker​

A Docker image of GAMA exists to execute GAMA Headless inside a container.

  1. Install docker on your system following the official documentation
  2. Pull the GAMA's docker you want to use (e.g. docker pull gamaplatform/gama:latest)
  3. Run this GAMA's docker with your headless command (e.g. docker run gamaplatform/gama:latest -help)

You can found all the tags and more detailed documentation on the Docker Hub or on the corresponding Github's Repository

System Requirements​

GAMA requires approximately 540MB of disk space and a minimum of 2GB of RAM (to increase the portion of memory usable by GAMA, please refer to these instructions).

Windows post-installation setting (only for zip install)​

If you decided to install gama yourself from the zip file, it is important that you change the Windows HDPI compatibility settings. To do so, go to your Gama.exe file, right click and it and select properties, then go to the Compatibility tab and click on the Change high DPI settings button:

image

In the new window, check the Override high DPI scaling behavior option and select the System value.

image

These options are necessary to avoid most graphical problem using gama on Windows