head to head · open source
GDevelop vs dhewm3
GDevelop has 28,449 GitHub stars, 1,645 forks, 633 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. dhewm3 has 2,193 stars, 430 forks, 124 open issues and last shipped 5 months ago. GDevelop leads on adoption by 1,197% (28,449 vs 2,193 stars). GDevelop is written in JavaScript under a custom or non-standard licence; dhewm3 is written in C++ under GPL-3.0. GDevelop has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, dhewm3 20%. GDevelop was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (game-engine), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| GDevelop | dhewm3 | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 28K | ★ 2.2K |
| License | Custom / other | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-11-04 | 2026-06-08 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.6K | ⑂ 430 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick GDevelop if
- You weight community size — 28K stars and counting
- You want the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick dhewm3 if
- You want the dhewm3 feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and dhewm3 fits your workflow better
About GDevelop
GDevelop is a full featured, no code, open source game development software. You can build 2D, 3D and multiplayer games for mobile (iOS, Android), desktop and the web. GDevelop is designed to be fast and incredibly intuitive: make games using an easy to understand yet powerful event based system and modular behaviors. Create with AI that assists or builds alongside you. Getting started Are you interested in contributing to GDevelop for the first time? Take a look at the list of good first issues , good first contributions or the "🏐 not too hard" cards on the Roadmap. Games made with GDevelop Find GDevelop games…
read the full GDevelop overview →
About dhewm3
ABOUT dhewm 3 is a Doom 3 GPL source port, known to work on at least Windows, Linux, macOS and FreeBSD. The goal of dhewm 3 is bring DOOM 3 with the help of SDL to all suitable platforms. Bugs present in the original DOOM 3 will be fixed (when identified) without altering the original gameplay. The official homepage is: Mods supported by dhewm3: Mod SDK for dhewm3: The project is hosted at: Download the latest release: Consult the FAQ at: Report bugs here: CHANGES Compared to the original DOOM 3 , the changes of dhewm 3 worth mentioning are: 64 bit port SDL for low level OS support, OpenGL and input handling…
read the full dhewm3 overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is GDevelop or dhewm3 more popular?
GDevelop has 28,449 GitHub stars and dhewm3 has 2,193. GDevelop has the larger community by that measure.
Are GDevelop and dhewm3 free?
Both are open source. GDevelop has no licence declared in this registry, and dhewm3 is licensed under GPL-3.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between GDevelop and dhewm3?
GDevelop is written in JavaScript and dhewm3 in C++. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, GDevelop or dhewm3?
Choose GDevelop if you want the larger community (28,449 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose dhewm3 if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.