DevilutionX vs KAPLAY
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted game engines & frameworks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
DevilutionX
Modernized Diablo engine with cross-platform multiplayer
VS
KAPLAY
Fun JavaScript library for making browser games fast
| Feature | DevilutionX | KAPLAY |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Game Engines & Frameworks | Game Engines & Frameworks |
| License | Unlicense | MIT |
| Language | C++ | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary, source | source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 9,667 | ★ 1,766 |
| First released | 2019 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Diablo original | Phaser |
Why pick each one
Choose KAPLAY if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (1.8k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is DevilutionX or KAPLAY better?
Neither is universally better. DevilutionX has the larger community, while KAPLAY is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are DevilutionX and KAPLAY free and open-source?
Yes. DevilutionX is licensed under Unlicense and KAPLAY under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run DevilutionX and KAPLAY with Docker?
DevilutionX: check the project docs for container support. KAPLAY: check the project docs for container support.