How to fix ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'pygame' in Python

One error that you might encounter when working with Python is:

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'pygame'

This error occurs when Python can’t find the pygame module in your current Python environment.

This tutorial shows examples that cause this error and how to fix it.

How to reproduce the error

Suppose you want to use the pygame module to develop a video game using Python.

You import the pygame module in your code as follows:

import pygame

pygame.init()

But you get the following error when running the code:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "main.py", line 1, in <module>
    import pygame
ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'pygame'

This error occurs because the pygame module is not a built-in Python module, so you need to install it before using it.

To see if you have the pygame module installed, you can run the pip show pygame command from the terminal as follows:

$ pip3 show pygame      
WARNING: Package(s) not found: pygame

If you get the warning as shown above, then you need to install the pygame module.

How to fix this error

To resolve this error, you need to install the pygame library using pip as shown below:

pip install pygame

# For pip3:
pip3 install pygame

Once the module is installed, you should be able to run the code that imports pygame without receiving the error.

Install commands for other environments

The install command might differ depending on what environment you used to run the Python code.

Here’s a list of common install commands in popular Python environments to install the pygame module:

# if you don't have pip in your PATH:
python -m pip install pygame

python3 -m pip install pygame

# Windows
py -m pip install pygame

# apt-get mirror for Ubuntu/Debian/Mint
sudo apt-get install python3-pygame

# yum mirror for CentOS/Fedora/Red hat
sudo yum install python3-pygame

Once the module is installed, you should be able to run the code without receiving this error.

Other common causes for this error

If you still see the error even after installing the module, it means that the pygame module can’t be found in your Python environment.

There are several reasons why this error can happen:

1. You may have multiple versions of Python installed on your system, and you are using a different version of Python than the one where pygame is installed.
2. You might have pygame installed in a virtual environment, and you are not activating the virtual environment before running your code.
3. Your IDE uses a different version of Python from the one that has pygame

Let’s see how to fix these errors in practice.

1. You have multiple versions of Python

If you have multiple versions of Python installed on your system, you need to make sure that you are using the specific version where the pygame module is available.

You can test this by running the which -a python or which -a python3 command from the terminal:

$ which -a python3
/opt/homebrew/bin/python3
/usr/bin/python3

In the example above, there are two versions of Python installed on /opt/homebrew/bin/python3 and /usr/bin/python3.

Suppose you run the following steps in your project:

1. Install pygame with pip using /usr/bin/ Python version
2. Install Python using Homebrew, you have Python in /opt/homebrew/
3. Then you run import pygame in your code

The steps above will cause the error because pygame is installed in /usr/bin/, and your code is probably executed using Python from /opt/homebrew/ path.

To solve this error, you need to run the pip install pygame command again so that pygame is installed and accessible by the active Python version.

2. Python virtual environment is active

Another scenario that could cause this error is you may have pygame installed in a virtual environment.

Python venv package allows you to create a virtual environment where you can install different versions of packages required by your project.

If you are installing pygame inside a virtual environment, then the module won’t be accessible outside of that environment.

You can see if a virtual environment is active or not by looking at your prompt in the terminal.

When a virtual environment is active, the name of that environment will be shown inside parentheses as shown below:

In the picture above, the name of the virtual environment (demoenv) appears, indicating that the virtual environment is currently active.

If you run pip install while the virtual environment is active, then the package is installed only for that environment

Likewise, any package installed outside of that virtual environment won’t be accessible from the virtual environment. The solution is to run the pip install command on the environment you want to use.

If you want to install pygame globally, then turn off the virtual environment by running the deactivate command before running the pip install command.

3. IDE using a different Python version

Finally, the IDE from where you run your Python code may use a different Python version when you have multiple versions installed.

For example, you can check the Python interpreter used in VSCode by opening the command palette (CTRL + Shift + P for Windows and ⌘ + Shift + P for Mac) then run the Python: Select Interpreter command.

You should see all available Python versions listed as follows:

You need to use the same version where you installed pygame so that the module can be found when you run the code from VSCode.

Once done, you should be able to import pygame into your code.

Conclusion

In summary, the ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'pygame' error occurs when the pygame library is not available in your Python environment. To fix this error, you need to install pygame using pip.

If you already have the module installed, make sure you are using the correct version of Python, check if the virtual environment is active if you have one, and check for the Python version used by your IDE.

By following these steps, you should be able to import the pygame module in your code successfully.

I hope this tutorial is helpful. Until next time! 👋