diff --git a/desktop/src/player.rs b/desktop/src/player.rs
index dd32d6daf3e45..74a6082a473ec 100644
--- a/desktop/src/player.rs
+++ b/desktop/src/player.rs
@@ -224,16 +224,16 @@ impl ActivePlayer {
             #[cfg(feature = "external_video")]
             {
                 use ruffle_video_external::backend::ExternalVideoBackend;
-                let path = tokio::task::block_in_place(ExternalVideoBackend::get_openh264);
-                let openh264_path = match path {
-                    Ok(path) => Some(path),
+                let h264_codec = tokio::task::block_in_place(ExternalVideoBackend::load_openh264);
+                let h264_codec = match h264_codec {
+                    Ok(codec) => Some(codec),
                     Err(e) => {
-                        tracing::error!("Couldn't get OpenH264: {}", e);
+                        tracing::error!("Failed to load OpenH264: {}", e);
                         None
                     }
                 };
 
-                builder = builder.with_video(ExternalVideoBackend::new(openh264_path));
+                builder = builder.with_video(ExternalVideoBackend::new(h264_codec));
             }
         } else {
             #[cfg(feature = "software_video")]
diff --git a/tests/framework/src/options.rs b/tests/framework/src/options.rs
index 068abaf38825b..b837c9f666402 100644
--- a/tests/framework/src/options.rs
+++ b/tests/framework/src/options.rs
@@ -178,11 +178,11 @@ impl PlayerOptions {
             #[cfg(feature = "ruffle_video_external")]
             {
                 use ruffle_video_external::backend::ExternalVideoBackend;
-                let openh264_path = ExternalVideoBackend::get_openh264()
-                    .map_err(|e| anyhow!("Couldn't get OpenH264: {}", e))?;
+                let openh264 = ExternalVideoBackend::load_openh264()
+                    .map_err(|e| anyhow!("Couldn't load OpenH264: {}", e))?;
 
                 player_builder =
-                    player_builder.with_video(ExternalVideoBackend::new(Some(openh264_path)));
+                    player_builder.with_video(ExternalVideoBackend::new(Some(openh264)));
             }
 
             #[cfg(all(
diff --git a/video/external/src/backend.rs b/video/external/src/backend.rs
index d441d42eb6d06..d684294be6a15 100644
--- a/video/external/src/backend.rs
+++ b/video/external/src/backend.rs
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ enum ProxyOrStream {
 }
 
 struct OpenH264Data {
+    local_filenames: Vec<&'static str>,
     download_filename: &'static str,
     download_sha256: &'static str,
 }
@@ -49,6 +50,12 @@ impl ExternalVideoBackend {
         const OS: &str = std::env::consts::OS;
         const ARCH: &str = std::env::consts::ARCH;
 
+        let local_filenames = match OS {
+            "linux" => vec!["libopenh264.so.7", "libopenh264.so.2.4.1", "libopenh264.so"],
+            // TODO: investigate other OSes
+            _ => vec![],
+        };
+
         // Source: https://github.com/cisco/openh264/releases/tag/v2.4.1
         let (download_filename, download_sha256) = match (OS, ARCH) {
             ("linux", "x86") => (
@@ -87,17 +94,19 @@ impl ExternalVideoBackend {
         };
 
         Ok(OpenH264Data {
+            local_filenames,
             download_filename,
             download_sha256,
         })
     }
 
-    pub fn get_openh264() -> Result<PathBuf, Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
+    fn download_openh264(
+        openh264_data: &OpenH264Data,
+    ) -> Result<PathBuf, Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
         // See the license at: https://www.openh264.org/BINARY_LICENSE.txt
         const URL_BASE: &str = "http://ciscobinary.openh264.org/";
         const URL_SUFFIX: &str = ".bz2";
 
-        let openh264_data = Self::get_openh264_data()?;
         let (filename, sha256sum) = (
             openh264_data.download_filename,
             openh264_data.download_sha256,
@@ -140,19 +149,32 @@ impl ExternalVideoBackend {
         Ok(filepath)
     }
 
-    pub fn new(openh264_lib_filepath: Option<PathBuf>) -> Self {
-        let h264_codec = if let Some(openh264_lib_filepath) = openh264_lib_filepath {
-            tracing::info!("Using OpenH264 at {:?}", openh264_lib_filepath);
-            OpenH264Codec::new(&openh264_lib_filepath)
-                .inspect_err(|err| tracing::error!("Error loading OpenH264: {:?}", err))
-                .ok()
-        } else {
-            None
-        };
+    pub fn load_openh264() -> Result<OpenH264Codec, Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
+        let openh264_data = Self::get_openh264_data()?;
+
+        for filename in &openh264_data.local_filenames {
+            match OpenH264Codec::new(filename) {
+                Ok(codec) => return Ok(codec),
+                Err(err) => {
+                    tracing::warn!(
+                        "Failed to load system OpenH264 library {}: {}",
+                        filename,
+                        err
+                    );
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        tracing::info!("Downloading OpenH264 library");
+        let filename = Self::download_openh264(&openh264_data)?;
+        tracing::info!("Using OpenH264 at {:?}", filename);
+        Ok(OpenH264Codec::new(&filename)?)
+    }
 
+    pub fn new(openh264_codec: Option<OpenH264Codec>) -> Self {
         Self {
             streams: SlotMap::with_key(),
-            openh264_codec: h264_codec,
+            openh264_codec,
             software: SoftwareVideoBackend::new(),
         }
     }