OpenHV vs OpenRA

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

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FeatureOpenHVOpenRA
CategoryGame ServersGame Engines & Frameworks
LicenseGPL-3.0GPL-3.0
LanguageC#C#
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM512 MB512 MB
Deploymentbare-metal, binary, sourcedocker, bare-metal, binary, source
GitHub stars★ 1,024★ 17,194
First released20202010
ReplacesCommand & ConquerCommand & Conquer, Red Alert

Why pick each one

Choose OpenHV if…

  • Completely free including art
  • Classic RTS feel
OpenHV details

Choose OpenRA if…

  • Faithful yet modernized RTS
  • Active multiplayer scene
OpenRA details

Frequently asked questions

Is OpenHV or OpenRA better?

Neither is universally better. OpenRA has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are OpenHV and OpenRA free and open-source?

Yes. OpenHV is licensed under GPL-3.0 and OpenRA under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run OpenHV and OpenRA with Docker?

OpenHV: check the project docs for container support. OpenRA: yes.

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