Nakama vs OpenDungeons

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?
FeatureNakamaOpenDungeons
CategoryGame ServersGame Servers
LicenseApache-2.0GPL-3.0
LanguageGoC++
Setup difficultyMediumEasy
Min. RAM512 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, kubernetes, binarybare-metal, binary
GitHub stars★ 13,121★ 501
First released20172011
ReplacesPlayFab, FirebaseDungeon Keeper

Why pick each one

Choose Nakama if…

  • Released under the Apache-2.0 license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
  • Mature project with 13.1k GitHub stars
Nakama details

Choose OpenDungeons if…

  • Released under the GPL-3.0 license
  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • Written in C++
  • Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
OpenDungeons details

Frequently asked questions

Is Nakama or OpenDungeons better?

Neither is universally better. Nakama has the larger community, while OpenDungeons is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are Nakama and OpenDungeons free and open-source?

Yes. Nakama is licensed under Apache-2.0 and OpenDungeons under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Nakama and OpenDungeons with Docker?

Nakama: yes. OpenDungeons: check the project docs for container support.

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