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# Now GNOME is Replacing its Default Video Player
- URL: https://itsfoss.com/news/gnome-new-default-video-player/
- Published: 2025-05-14T06:51:46.000Z
- Updated: 2025-05-14T06:51:46.000Z
- Description: GNOME ditches the proven Totem video player for a modern replacement.
- Author: Sourav Rudra
- Tags: Development Updates, News, #Import 2025-11-08 21:15

Usually, when a Linux user is configuring a fresh distro installation, they install VLC to handle media playback, and there's a good reason behind that. It's one of the [best open source video players](https://itsfoss.com/video-players-linux/) around, providing a reliable, feature-rich experience with support for a wide range of media formats.

However, the pre-installed video players in [desktop environments](https://itsfoss.com/what-is-desktop-environment/) like GNOME are quite capable for basic media playback. While most people ignore it, having such a utility as part of the stock experience is a great thing.

That being said, GNOME has decided to replace the aging [Totem](https://apps.gnome.org/Totem/?ref=itsfoss.com) video player with the newer [Showtime](https://itsfoss.com/gnome-showtime/) video player for its future releases.

They have been doing this for the past few releases. They replaced the legacy terminal, text editor and document viewer with a new breed of applications. It's time for the video player now.

## Totem Out, Showtime In: What to Expect?

![gnome showtime playing a video of a skier going down a winter forest slope](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2025/05/gnome-showtime-playing-video.png)

**Original video by* [**Vitaliy Bratkov*](https://www.pexels.com/video/young-skier-navigates-winter-forest-slope-31934326/?ref=itsfoss.com)**.*

Newly included in the [Core Apps](https://apps.gnome.org/en/?ref=itsfoss.com) suite, Showtime [is set to replace](https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-build-meta/-/merge%5Frequests/3727?ref=itsfoss.com) Totem as the default video player on the upcoming GNOME 49\. The reasoning behind this move is quite straightforward.

Totem was getting old, both in terms of its GTK3-based codebase and **lack of active development**. This put it at odds with GNOME's push towards more modern, maintainable applications built with [GTK4](https://docs.gtk.org/gtk4/?ref=itsfoss.com) and [Libadwaita](https://gnome.pages.gitlab.gnome.org/libadwaita/?ref=itsfoss.com).

As with other GNOME Core Apps, Showtime will be renamed to “***Video Player***” when it is officially included in a GNOME release. This generic naming scheme helps with consistency across the [GNOME](https://www.gnome.org/?ref=itsfoss.com) ecosystem and makes it more accessible for new users.

![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2025/05/gnome-totem-user-interface.png)

![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2025/05/gnome-showtime-user-interface-1.png)

**Totem on the left, Showtime on the right.*

I took **a quick look at both Totem and Showtime**, and I must say, Totem looks so dated. While it works fine, Showtime felt more intuitive, and its minimal, distraction-free design ensured that I didn’t have to stumble around looking for options.

Though, Totem does support DVD playback, while Showtime doesn't. This feature can still be useful for users who rely on physical media.

### Want to Try it Out?

Showtime is available on [Flathub](https://flathub.org/apps/org.gnome.Showtime?ref=itsfoss.com) for easy installation on Linux systems, with the source code being hosted over at GNOME's [GitLab](https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/showtime?ref=itsfoss.com) instance.

[Showtime (Flathub)](https://flathub.org/apps/org.gnome.Showtime?ref=itsfoss.com)

You can also run **one** of the following commands to get it:

```
flatpak install flathub org.gnome.Showtime
```

```
sudo apt install showtime #For Debian/Ubuntu
```

**Suggested Read** 📖

[Top 13 Awesome Video Players for Linux \[2024\]Wondering which video player you should use on Linux? Here’s a list of top open source video players available for Linux distributions.![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/icon/android-chrome-192x192-95.png)It's FOSSAnkush Das![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/thumbnail/top-video-players-in-linux-1.png)](https://itsfoss.com/video-players-linux/)