SHSelfHostIndex

OpenArena vs Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead

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?
OP OpenArena Free Quake III-style arena shooter with servers VS CA Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead Open-source turn-based survival roguelike
FeatureOpenArenaCataclysm: Dark Days Ahead
CategoryGame ServersGame Servers
LicenseGPL-2.0CC-BY-SA-3.0
LanguageCC++
Setup difficultyEasyMedium
Min. RAM256 MB512 MB
Deploymentbare-metal, binary, sourcebare-metal, binary, source
GitHub stars★ 249★ 12,896
First released20052013
ReplacesQuake III ArenaNetHack

Why pick each one

Choose OpenArena if…

  • Tiny dedicated server
  • Easy to host
OpenArena details

Choose Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead if…

  • Enormous depth
  • Active development
Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead details

Frequently asked questions

Is OpenArena or Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead better?

Neither is universally better. Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead has the larger community, while OpenArena is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are OpenArena and Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead free and open-source?

Yes. OpenArena is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead under CC-BY-SA-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run OpenArena and Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead with Docker?

OpenArena: check the project docs for container support. Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead: check the project docs for container support.

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