The hacking game where the commands are real.
Most "learn Linux" games teach a toy. Terminal Tribe runs a hand-built, bash-accurate shell: every command you type is a command that works on a real machine — graded by what actually happened in the world, not by matching a string.
Play free — no signup See the full game
recruit@outpost-7:~$ pdw pdw: command not found Did you mean: pwd? recruit@outpost-7:~$ grep '^brennan:' /etc/passwd brennan:x:1001:1001:Brennan:/home/brennan:/bin/sh recruit@outpost-7:~$ cut -d: -f1 /etc/passwd | sort > users.txt ✓ objective proven — users.txt written to ~/living-system
What makes it real
- A real shell: pipes, && / ||, redirects, globs, quoting, $(…) command substitution, and POSIX-correct file permissions.
- Outcome-based grading: type your own idioms. grep '^brennan:' F, grep ^brennan: F, and reordered flags all pass — because the result is the same.
- Typos get bash, not a buzzer: command not found plus a "did you mean" nudge.
- Consequences are real: run sudo rm -rf / and you actually destroy the world — then get taught how to recover.
A working sysadmin's curriculum
The paid campaigns are RHCSA-adjacent and taught entirely in story: users & permissions, systemd, packages, storage, networking, SELinux, and ansible across a simulated fleet — 89 distinct concepts, each with real commands and verifiable outcomes.
Free forever vs. Complete Unlock
Campaign 1 — free
90 hand-authored levels. No account, no payment, no interruptions. Plays offline as an installable app. This is the whole first campaign, start to a three-ending finale.
Complete Unlock $19
One payment, yours forever — not a subscription. Five continuation campaigns (450 levels) plus Advanced Operations labs. Comparable hands-on practice platforms run $100–190/year.
Runs anywhere, keeps working offline
It's a browser game that installs as a PWA and keeps running with no network — your progress saves locally on your device. Create an optional account only if you want your unlock and progress to follow you across devices.