diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 8803620e7a9305cb28359aa31c973223d4df247f..358e62cc4d5bb72631cbcbe50f7b512a1e97da2a 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@ cmake_dependent_option(
 	OFF
 )
 option(SRB2_CONFIG_HWRENDER "Enable hardware render (OpenGL) support" ON)
+option(SRB2_CONFIG_USE_GME "Enable GME playback support" OFF)
 option(SRB2_CONFIG_STATIC_OPENGL "Enable static linking GL (do not do this)" OFF)
 option(SRB2_CONFIG_ERRORMODE "Compile C code with warnings treated as errors." OFF)
 option(SRB2_CONFIG_DEBUGMODE "Compile with PARANOIA, ZDEBUG, RANGECHECK and PACKETDROP defined." OFF)
diff --git a/src/CMakeLists.txt b/src/CMakeLists.txt
index 160174080c44996c49d8fafa91e2ff6a297acee5..1bdfc94f596dedbf125633ee682f7db5afdbd663 100644
--- a/src/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -173,11 +173,13 @@ if("${CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME}" MATCHES "Darwin")
 	target_compile_definitions(SRB2SDL2 PRIVATE -DMACOSX)
 endif()
 
-target_link_libraries(SRB2SDL2 PRIVATE gme)
-target_compile_definitions(SRB2SDL2 PRIVATE -DHAVE_GME)
-if(NOT "${SRB2_CONFIG_SYSTEM_LIBRARIES}")
-	# this sucks but gme doesn't use modern cmake to delineate public headers
-	target_include_directories(SRB2SDL2 PRIVATE "${libgme_SOURCE_DIR}")
+if("${SRB2_CONFIG_USE_GME}")
+	target_link_libraries(SRB2SDL2 PRIVATE gme)
+	target_compile_definitions(SRB2SDL2 PRIVATE -DHAVE_GME)
+	if(NOT "${SRB2_CONFIG_SYSTEM_LIBRARIES}")
+		# this sucks but gme doesn't use modern cmake to delineate public headers
+		target_include_directories(SRB2SDL2 PRIVATE "${libgme_SOURCE_DIR}")
+	endif()
 endif()
 
 target_link_libraries(SRB2SDL2 PRIVATE openmpt)
diff --git a/thirdparty/CMakeLists.txt b/thirdparty/CMakeLists.txt
index f33b3bf3f836b86b98fda8e78f73ec5be19758d8..19aa22c9b7a17613910dbdc9f28717e16e604986 100644
--- a/thirdparty/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/thirdparty/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -18,4 +18,6 @@ if(NOT "${SRB2_CONFIG_SYSTEM_LIBRARIES}")
 	include("cpm-openmpt.cmake")
 endif()
 
-include("cpm-libgme.cmake")
+if("${SRB2_CONFIG_USE_GME}")
+	include("cpm-libgme.cmake")
+endif()