SHSelfHostIndex

Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead vs Zero-K

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?
CA Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead Open-source turn-based survival roguelike VS ZE Zero-K Free open-source RTS with self-hostable multiplayer
FeatureCataclysm: Dark Days AheadZero-K
CategoryGame ServersGame Servers
LicenseCC-BY-SA-3.0GPL-2.0
LanguageC++Lua
Setup difficultyMediumHard
Min. RAM512 MB2,048 MB
Deploymentbare-metal, binary, sourcebare-metal, binary, source
GitHub stars★ 12,896★ 820
First released20132010
ReplacesNetHackSupreme Commander

Why pick each one

Choose Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead if…

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

Choose Zero-K if…

  • Deep strategy
  • Completely free
Zero-K details

Frequently asked questions

Is Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead or Zero-K better?

Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Zero-K if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

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

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

Can I run Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead and Zero-K with Docker?

Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead: check the project docs for container support. Zero-K: check the project docs for container support.

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