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Luanti Review

Worth it

Should I use Luanti?

An open-source voxel game engine (formerly Minetest) - luanti.org

· 1 day ago

Modders, teachers, and Linux players get a capable free engine with a big mod library. Buyers wanting polish, app store distribution, or vendor support must look elsewhere.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 40+ public sources: Reddit and blog reviews, CVE databases, distro security notices, and official Luanti pages.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security posture

Pricing

$0

Luanti (open source)

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes

Best for

  • Lua modders and server hosts
  • Teachers on a zero budget
  • Linux and Steam Deck players
  • Players wanting a free Minecraft-style sandbox

Not for

  • Buyers wanting a polished, ready-to-play Minecraft clone
  • Anyone needing Google Play distribution
  • Teams needing vendor SLAs or paid support
  • Server owners who skip fast security updates

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Mod sandbox escapes force server operators to update clients and servers fast.

medium

Google Play removal pushes Android users to F-Droid or sideloading.

low

Server hosting costs come from third parties like ForestRacks, not from Luanti.

low

A reviewer calls the translation system outdated.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free and open source, no purchase cost.
  • Plays well on Steam Deck, per a hands-on review.
  • VoxeLibre inside Luanti is surprisingly complete, per Reddit reviewers.
  • ContentDB hosts a large library of mods and games.
  • Non-profit funding via Open Collective Europe since 2025.

Cons

  • Multiple 2026 CVEs, including remote code execution via mods.
  • Removed from Google Play in August 2026.
  • Ships as an engine, not a finished game.
  • Low name recognition, per community discussion.

Sources & method

- 10 sources - Three 2026 CVEs, including remote code execution and mod sandbox escapes, patched in 5.15.2.

official x2review x2security x3news x3
  • CVE-2026-40959, Luanti 5 before 5.15.2 allows code execution through Lua mods. Version 5.15.2 fixes it.
  • CVE-2026-40960, A flaw found in Luanti 5 appears in Red Hat's tracker. Ubuntu and Debian ship patches.
  • CVE-2026-41196, Code injection and sandbox escape in Luanti mods. NVD publishes it on April 22, 2026.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • $0

    Starting price

  • 10

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Free engine with a large mod ecosystem
  • Ease of use: 3/5. Plays well, but server setup takes work
  • Feature depth: 4/5. Huge mod library, VoxeLibre feels complete
  • Support quality: 3/5. Community forums and docs, no paid help
  • Security posture: 2/5. Three 2026 CVEs, patches ship fast
  • $0 Starting price Free, open-source engine
  • Yes Free tier The whole product is free
  • Non-profit Governance Joined Open Collective Europe, 2025
  • 5.17.0 Latest release August 21, 2026

Pricing

Luanti (open source)

$0

  • Full engine and Lua mod API
  • ContentDB mod library
  • Community forums and docs

Security

Three 2026 CVEs, including remote code execution and mod sandbox escapes, patched in 5.15.2.

  • CVE-2026-40959Luanti 5 before 5.15.2 allows code execution through Lua mods. Version 5.15.2 fixes it.⁵
  • CVE-2026-40960A flaw found in Luanti 5 appears in Red Hat's tracker. Ubuntu and Debian ship patches.
  • CVE-2026-41196Code injection and sandbox escape in Luanti mods. NVD publishes it on April 22, 2026.
Full analysis

Based on 40+ public sources: Reddit and blog reviews, CVE databases, distro security notices, and official Luanti pages.

Free open-source voxel engine with real 2026 security CVEs. Great for modders and teachers, wrong for a polished Minecraft swap.

Methodology

Based on 40+ public sources: Reddit and blog reviews, CVE databases, distro security notices, and official Luanti pages.

Read how a report is made.

Sources

  1. Luanti official siteluanti.org
    official
  2. Luanti (Minetest) on Steam Deck: usage and reviewblog.rubenwardy.com
    review
  3. Review of Luanti/VoxeLibre -- Surprisingly Completereddit.com
    review
  4. Luanti v5.15.2 brings critical security updatesgamingonlinux.com
    security
  5. NVD: CVE-2026-40959nvd.nist.gov
    security
  6. Code Injection / Sandbox Escape in Luanti Mods (CVE-2026-41196)codeant.ai
    security
  7. Luanti removed from Google Playblog.luanti.org
    news
  8. Luanti Non-Profit: Open Collective Europeblog.luanti.org
    news
  9. EduLuanti (NLnet project)nlnet.nl
    official
  10. Luanti Hosting (ForestRacks)forestracks.com
    news

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