Nakama vs Teeworlds

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?
FeatureNakamaTeeworlds
CategoryGame ServersGame Servers
LicenseApache-2.0Zlib
LanguageGoC++
Setup difficultyMediumEasy
Min. RAM512 MB128 MB
Deploymentdocker, kubernetes, binarybare-metal, binary, source
GitHub stars★ 13,121★ 2,630
First released20172007
ReplacesPlayFab, FirebaseWorms, Soldat

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 Teeworlds if…

  • Extremely lightweight server
  • Easy to host
Teeworlds details

Frequently asked questions

Is Nakama or Teeworlds better?

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

Are Nakama and Teeworlds free and open-source?

Yes. Nakama is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Teeworlds under Zlib. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Nakama and Teeworlds with Docker?

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

Related comparisons