About
Ashes 2063 is a Cacoward-winning post-apocalyptic total conversion for GZDoom with a heavy Fallout/STALKER atmosphere. Set in a bleak future wasteland, the full package spans two campaigns — Ashes 2063 and its sequel Ashes: Afterglow — plus the Dead Man Walking and Hard Reset expansions, all freely available from ModDB. It features original enemies, weapons, maps, and music built from scratch.
One of the most acclaimed GZDoom total conversions and an outstanding entry point for players new to Doom-engine mods. The standalone download bundles Freedoom Phase 2 as a fully legal free IWAD, so no commercial Doom II purchase is required.
Identity
Launch
- Binary
- flatpak
- Options
- run org.zdoom.GZDoom -iwad freedoom2.wad -file <PK3 files from the extracted standalone archive>
- Needs files
-
- Ashes standalone download from ModDB (free) — extract the PK3 files it contains
- Freedoom Phase 2 IWAD (freedoom2.wad), bundled in the standalone or free at freedoom.github.io/freedoom/releases/
Runtime
- Runs as
- Native Linux
- Proton
- not needed
⚙ Setup notes
Standalone (easiest): The current ModDB download (e.g. "Ashes: Stand Alone Version 1.51") is a free, ready-to-play package that bundles GZDoom and Freedoom Phase 2 and includes both campaigns — Ashes 2063 (Ep.1) and Ashes: Afterglow (Ep.2) — plus the Dead Man Walking and Hard Reset expansions. The bundled launcher is Windows-only, so on Linux/Deck you extract its PK3 files and run them with a native GZDoom instead.
Install GZDoom: flatpak install flathub org.zdoom.GZDoom. Place the extracted PK3 files plus an IWAD (freedoom2.wad is included in the standalone) into ~/.var/app/org.zdoom.GZDoom/, then load the PK3s with -file.
Exact filenames vary by release. Don't hardcode a guessed name — load whatever PK3 files ship inside the extracted standalone archive (these change across versions, e.g. AshesSAMenu.pk3, the Afterglow/menu/light-mode PK3s, etc.). The bundled Windows .bat shows the exact load order if you need it.
IWAD: Freedoom Phase 2 (freedoom2.wad, free) is a fully legal IWAD substitute — no Doom II purchase needed. A retail Doom II / Final Doom IWAD also works.
Controller: GZDoom has no built-in gamepad menu navigation, so configure it with mouse/keyboard first, then use Steam Input in Game Mode. GZDeck (github.com/flegald/GZDeck) is a controller-friendly GZDoom mod launcher for the Deck, but it is no longer maintained (archived). When launching the GZDoom flatpak as a non-Steam game, add --no-sandbox or Steam may hang.
The one thing to know
Free standalone: Grab the ModDB "Ashes: Stand Alone" download — it's free and bundles GZDoom + Freedoom Phase 2 with both campaigns and the expansions. The bundled launcher is Windows-only, so on Linux/Deck extract the PK3 files and run them with the native GZDoom Flatpak (flatpak install flathub org.zdoom.GZDoom).
Filenames change per release. The exact PK3 names differ between versions, so load whatever PK3 files are inside the extracted archive rather than a fixed name. Use the IWAD that ships in the bundle (freedoom2.wad).
IWAD: Freedoom Phase 2 (free, also at freedoom.github.io) works as the IWAD — no Doom II purchase needed. Retail Doom II / Final Doom also works.
Controller: GZDoom has no native gamepad menu navigation — set up controls with mouse/keyboard first, then map a Steam Input layout in Game Mode. GZDeck (github.com/flegald/GZDeck) helps but is no longer maintained. Add --no-sandbox to the GZDoom flatpak launch options when adding it as a non-Steam game, or Steam can hang. Highly recommended as a first GZDoom total conversion.
Community guides
Write-ups and threads from people who got this (or a similar) game running. deckport links to them — it doesn't reproduce them.
Get the artwork
deckport never hosts game images. Open this game on SteamGridDB, pick
the cover / hero / logo / icon you like, and drop them into the
game folder under .deckport-art/ before you push it to the
Deck. The importer files them under the right names automatically.
Run it on your Deck
Two files: the one-time importer (deckport.py) in your
Deck's home folder, and this game's install helper. Copy the game
into ~/Games and run the helper with Steam closed — it
writes the recipe (binary, launch options)
and registers the shortcut with artwork.