Blast blocks. Bounce protons. Break the high score.

Since 1993 · Free & Open Source · SDL2 Port by Jim Freeman

01 The Game

XBoing is a blockout-style arcade game: you control a paddle at the bottom of the arena, keeping a proton ball in play as it bounces around blasting apart walls of blocks. Every block carries its own point value — the more you destroy, the higher your score climbs.

Juggle up to five balls at once, trigger bombs and teleports, land sticky-paddle catches, and chase power-ups across 80 unchanged original levels — or build your own in the in-game editor.

This is a new website for XBoing, replacing the look of techrescue.org/xboing — same home for the game, just a fresh design. The original 1996 release stays downloadable below.

XBoing gameplay: a paddle bouncing a proton ball through rows of colourful blocks

02 History

July 1993

First released

Justin Kibell wrote and released the first version of XBoing in July 1993, built in pure Xlib on a SparcStation 2.

March 1994

Version 2.0

After heaps of feedback from a community of gamers and programmers suggesting improvements and bug fixes, version 2.0 shipped in March 1994.

May 1994

Into X11R6

XBoing was included in the X Window System's contribution section as part of the X11R6 distribution — a genuinely exciting moment for a game that started out as a way to learn Xlib.

November 1996

Version 2.4

Version 2.4 shipped in November 1996 via ftp.x.org/contrib/games and remained the last version for some time, as Justin changed jobs and moved on to other things.

Late 1990s–2000s

Showing its age

As displays, sound systems, and compilers moved on, the original Xlib and /dev/dsp audio code became harder to build and run. Interest faded along with easy compatibility.

2025–2026

Reborn on SDL2

Jim Freeman ported the game to SDL2 — swapping Xlib for SDL2, XPM for PNG, and /dev/dsp for SDL2_mixer — while keeping the original physics, scoring, and all 80 levels unchanged. He reached out to Justin, and XBoing now compiles and runs on modern Windows, macOS, and Linux again, under active development on GitHub.

2026

A new website

This is a new website for XBoing, replacing the design at techrescue.org/xboing — same home for the game, just a fresh look. The classic 1996 X11 release stays right where you'd expect it — in the download section below.

03 Features

Legend showing the many block types and their point values

20+ Block Types

Bombs, teleports, multipliers, sticky-paddle blocks — every wall plays differently.

Paddle and ball in play during a live game

Up to 5 Balls

Multi-ball power-ups pile on the chaos — keep them all in play at once.

The built-in level editor with its block palette

Built-in Level Editor

A full WYSIWYG editor lets you design and share your own boards.

A full wall of blocks from one of the 80 levels

80 Original Levels

The same 80 hand-designed levels from 1996, unchanged, from warm-up to mayhem.

In-game score and status HUD

Full Sound Support

Crisp arcade sound effects and music, now powered by SDL2_mixer.

Game controls screen listing keyboard and mouse commands

Keyboard & Mouse

Play it however feels right — precise mouse control or classic keys.

04 Screenshots

Click any shot for a closer look.

05 Get XBoing

Free and open source. Install with Homebrew, grab a Debian package, or build from source.

macOS & Linux — Homebrew
brew install jmf-pobox/xboing/xboing

SDL2 port maintained by Jim Freeman · Current release 1.0.10 · MIT licensed

06 Community

XBoing has always been better with company — come swap scores, tips, and opinions with other players.

💬

Join us on Facebook

Head over to the XBoing Facebook page to chat with other players. Share a screenshot of your highest score, ask questions, and tell us what you think — what's the hardest level, your favourite block, and the one you can't stand.

Visit the Facebook Page

07 Contact

Bug reports, feedback, or just want to say hi about the game? Get in touch.

Author — Justin Kibell