How to install Friday Night Funkin on a Chromebook

Today we're walking through the process of installing Friday Night Funkin on a Chromebook. This rhythm game has taken the indie gaming community by storm, and with a few tweaks to your Chromebook's Linux environment, you'll be able to enjoy it on Chrome OS.

Before we begin, it's important to note that this installation requires upgrading your Linux container to a newer version of Debian (Trixie) to meet the game's dependencies. We strongly recommend starting with a fresh Linux apps installation to avoid any conflicts with existing packages. If you encounter any issues during the process, please reach out via a YouTube comment and we'll be happy to help troubleshoot!

About Friday Night Funkin

Friday Night Funkin is a free-to-play rhythm game inspired by classic titles from the Dance Dance Revolution and PaRappa the Rapper series. The game features a unique art style, catchy music, and challenging gameplay that has resonated with players worldwide. While it runs natively on Windows, Mac, and Linux, getting it to work on Chrome OS requires some additional configuration—which is exactly what we'll cover in this guide.

Prerequisites

Before starting this tutorial, make sure your Chromebook supports Linux apps (Crostini). You can check the list of all currently supported Chromebooks with Linux Apps (Crostini) support to verify compatibility. Additionally, you'll need to enable GPU support for the best gaming experience, which we'll configure during the installation process.

Step-by-Step Installation Guide

Please follow along with the video tutorial above for a visual walkthrough, and use the commands listed below to complete each step. The video provides additional context and demonstrations that complement these written instructions.

Step 1: Enable Linux Apps

If you haven't already enabled Linux apps on your Chromebook, navigate to your system settings and click on the "Linux (Beta)" option in the left panel. Follow the prompts to set up Linux on your device. This will create a Debian-based Linux container where we'll install the game.

Step 2: Upgrade to Debian Trixie

Friday Night Funkin requires newer libraries than what's available in the default Debian stable repository. We'll add the Debian Trixie (testing) repository to access these updated packages. Open your terminal from the app launcher and run the following command:

Command 1:

sudo echo deb https://deb.debian.org/debian trixie main  | sudo tee -a /etc/apt/sources.list

This command adds the Trixie repository to your sources list, allowing you to install newer versions of required packages.

Step 3: Update and Upgrade Your System

Now that we've added the new repository, we need to update the package lists and upgrade existing packages. Run these commands in sequence:

Command 2:

sudo apt update

Command 3:

sudo apt upgrade

When prompted, press Enter to confirm the installation. This process may take several minutes depending on how many packages need updating.

Step 4: Install Required Dependencies

Friday Night Funkin relies on several libraries for audio, video, and graphics rendering. We'll install all necessary dependencies with a single command:

Command 4:

sudo apt install libvlc* vlc libsdl2-2.0-0 libsdl2-dev xorg-dev

Press Enter to confirm the installation when prompted. These packages include VLC media libraries for audio playback and SDL2 libraries for game rendering.

Step 5: Download Friday Night Funkin

Visit the official Friday Night Funkin page to download the Linux version of the game:

https://ninja-muffin24.itch.io/funkin

Download the 64-bit Linux version (funkin-linux-64bit.zip). Once downloaded, open your Files app and move the downloaded ZIP file to your Linux files folder. This makes it accessible from within your Linux container.

Step 6: Extract and Prepare the Game

Back in your terminal, navigate to your home directory and extract the game files:

Command 5:

unzip funkin-linux-64bit.zip

Next, we need to make the game executable. This tells Linux that the Funkin file is a program that can be run:

Command 6:

chmod 755 Funkin

Step 7: Install Flatpak and Menu Editor

To make launching the game more convenient, we'll install Flatpak and a menu editor that allows us to create a desktop launcher. First, update your repositories again:

Command 7:

sudo apt update

Command 8:

sudo apt install flatpak

Press Enter to confirm the installation.

Now add the Flathub repository, which is the primary source for Flatpak applications:

Command 9:

sudo flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

Finally, install the LibreMenuEditor application, which we'll use to create a launcher for the game:

Command 10:

sudo flatpak install flathub page.codeberg.libre_menu_editor.LibreMenuEditor

Press Enter twice when prompted to confirm the installation.

Step 8: Configure GPU Support

For optimal performance, we need to enable GPU support for Linux apps. Open a new browser tab and navigate to:

chrome://flags/#crostini-gpu-support

Enable the "Crostini GPU Support" flag, then restart your Chromebook for the changes to take effect.

Step 9: Create a Desktop Launcher

After your Chromebook restarts, open the LibreMenuEditor from your app launcher. Follow these steps to create a launcher for Friday Night Funkin:

Choose a category where you want the game to appear (Games is recommended)
Click "Continue"
Click on the hamburger menu (three horizontal lines)
Select "New Item"
Enter a name for the launcher (e.g., "Friday Night Funkin")
In the command field, enter the path to your game executable. If you extracted it to your home directory, this should be: Funkin
Save the launcher

You can also refer to this Google Doc used in the tutorial for additional visual guidance.

Launching the Game

Congratulations! You've successfully installed Friday Night Funkin on your Chromebook. You should now be able to launch the game from your app launcher. The game should appear in the category you selected when creating the desktop launcher.

If you experience any performance issues, make sure GPU support is properly enabled and that your Chromebook has sufficient resources available. Closing unnecessary tabs and applications can help improve game performance.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

If the game fails to launch or you encounter errors, here are some common solutions:

Audio issues: Ensure VLC and the libvlc libraries were installed correctly. You may need to restart your Linux container.
Graphics problems: Double-check that GPU support is enabled at chrome://flags/#crostini-gpu-support and that you've restarted your Chromebook.
Permission errors: Verify that you ran the chmod command correctly to make the Funkin file executable.
Missing dependencies: Try running sudo apt install -f to fix any broken dependencies.

Additional Resources

For more information about the game, updates, and community mods, visit the official Friday Night Funkin page: