Agones vs Colyseus
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted game servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Agones
Kubernetes-based hosting and scaling for dedicated game servers
VS
Colyseus
Authoritative multiplayer game server framework for Node.js
| Feature | Agones | Colyseus |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Game Servers | Game Servers |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Go | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | kubernetes, helm | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,967 | ★ 7,168 |
| First released | 2018 | 2016 |
| Replaces | GameLift | Photon Engine |
Why pick each one
Choose Agones if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Mature project with 7k GitHub stars
- Written in Go
Choose Colyseus if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 7.2k GitHub stars
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Agones or Colyseus better?
Colyseus is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Agones if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Agones and Colyseus free and open-source?
Yes. Agones is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Colyseus under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Agones and Colyseus with Docker?
Agones: check the project docs for container support. Colyseus: yes.