FreeOrion vs OpenRCT2
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?
Compare FreeOrion with
choose an app… Mindustry Lichess papermc-docker ArchiSteamFarm Cytopia Note - games browser alt 2048 Nakama Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead Paper Note - PaperMC server alt Spigot Unciv
Compare OpenRCT2 with
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Feature FreeOrion OpenRCT2 Category Game Servers Game Servers License GPL-2.0 GPL-3.0 Language C++ C++ Setup difficulty Medium Medium Min. RAM 1,024 MB 512 MB Deployment bare-metal, binary, source bare-metal, binary, source GitHub stars ★ 1,031 ★ 16,049 First released 2003 2014 Replaces Master of Orion RollerCoaster Tycoon
Frequently asked questions Is FreeOrion or OpenRCT2 better? Neither is universally better. OpenRCT2 has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are FreeOrion and OpenRCT2 free and open-source? Yes. FreeOrion is licensed under GPL-2.0 and OpenRCT2 under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run FreeOrion and OpenRCT2 with Docker? FreeOrion: check the project docs for container support. OpenRCT2: check the project docs for container support.