OpenXvT

OpenXvT is an open-source reimplementation of the 1997 game Star Wars: X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter with its Balance of Power expansion for Windows, macOS, and Linux. It runs the original game data natively on current systems while preserving the original experience and offering optional modern enhancements.

[!IMPORTANT] OpenXvT does not include any content from the original game. A complete installation of X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter with Balance of Power is required.

The game, including the expansion, is available from GOG and Steam.

Multiplayer

Play with up to eight players across Windows, macOS, and Linux. Face off in dogfights and team battles, or fly cooperative missions together, including the Rebel and Imperial campaigns from Balance of Power.

Host or join online games directly from the in-game browser, with no external app such as GameRanger required.

Graphics

OpenXvT offers classic and modern graphics modes. Classic mode preserves the original game's appearance, while modern mode combines the original models and cockpit artwork with high-resolution rendering and advanced lighting.

Modern graphics include:

• shadows, ambient occlusion, bloom, and motion blur
• anisotropic texture filtering
• 2x, 4x, or 8x MSAA
• AMD FidelityFX FSR 3.1.4 temporal anti-aliasing and upscaling
• HDR output
• optional smoothing of dithered cockpit artwork

Press TAB while the game is running to switch between classic and modern graphics.

Smoother flight and modern controls

Flight runs at a higher simulation rate for smoother motion and more responsive input on modern displays.

OpenXvT adds virtual-stick mouse flight control, with adjustable sensitivity and Y-axis inversion. Flight can be played with a mouse and keyboard, so a joystick or gamepad is no longer required. Modern gamepads and joysticks are also supported, with configurable axes, deadzones, and button bindings.

Getting started

1. Download the latest package for your platform from GitHub Releases.
2. Extract or install the package and launch OpenXvT.
3. Select the main X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter installation folder containing BalanceOfPower when prompted.
4. To fly with a mouse, open OpenXvT Settings, select the Mouse tab, and enable Mouse Flight Control.

Press ESC to open OpenXvT Settings.

Useful shortcuts:

For unattended or development launches, pass the game-data folder on the command line:

OpenXvT --game-data /path/to/xvt-data

Supported platforms

Current state

OpenXvT remains under active development. Bugs and differences from the original game are still possible.

OpenTIE and OpenXWA

Fans of Totally Games' space simulators may also be interested in OpenTIE, an open-source reimplementation of Star Wars: TIE Fighter, and OpenXWA, an open-source reimplementation of Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance. Both run on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Community

Join the TotallyOpen Discord server to discuss OpenXvT, OpenTIE, OpenXWA, development, and the Totally Games flight simulators.

System requirements

• a 64-bit system with a modern GPU
• a complete installation of X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter with Balance of Power
• a mouse and keyboard, gamepad, or joystick for flight

Release packages include the required runtime libraries. Keep the executable, libraries, resources, and shader directories together when moving an installation. Linux also requires the system libcurl library.

Building from source

The build requires CMake 3.20 or later, a C/C++ toolchain, SDL3 3.4, zstd, FFmpeg, libcurl, pkg-config, and SDL_shadercross. Release packaging pins its dependencies and provides the reference for reproducible builds.

Platform-specific instructions for Windows, macOS, and Linux are available in the packaging guide.