OpenRCT2 vs Waterfall
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 OpenRCT2 with
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Compare Waterfall 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 Velocity
Feature OpenRCT2 Waterfall Category Game Servers Game Servers License GPL-3.0 MIT Language C++ Shell Setup difficulty Medium Medium Min. RAM 512 MB 512 MB Deployment bare-metal, binary, source bare-metal, docker GitHub stars ★ 16,049 ★ 751 First released 2014 2016 Replaces RollerCoaster Tycoon BungeeCord
Why pick each one
Choose Waterfall if… Released under the MIT license First-class Docker support for quick deployment Written in Shell Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM Waterfall details
Frequently asked questions Is OpenRCT2 or Waterfall 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 OpenRCT2 and Waterfall free and open-source? Yes. OpenRCT2 is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Waterfall under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run OpenRCT2 and Waterfall with Docker? OpenRCT2: check the project docs for container support. Waterfall: yes.