head to head · open source
Godot vs OpenRA
Godot has 119,638 GitHub stars, 27,378 forks, 18,870 open issues and last shipped today. OpenRA has 17,736 stars, 3,112 forks, 1,598 open issues and last shipped 9 days ago. Godot leads on adoption by 575% (119,638 vs 17,736 stars). Godot is written in C++ under MIT; OpenRA is written in C# under GPL-3.0. Godot has attracted 23% as many forks as stars, OpenRA 18%. Godot 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
| Godot | OpenRA | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 120K | ★ 18K |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | C++ | C# |
| Last push | 2026-11-06 | 2026-10-28 |
| Forks | ⑂ 27K | ⑂ 3.1K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Godot if
- You weight community size — 120K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick OpenRA if
- You want the OpenRA 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 OpenRA fits your workflow better
About Godot
Godot Engine 2D and 3D cross platform game engine Godot Engine is a feature packed, cross platform game engine to create 2D and 3D games from a unified interface. It provides a comprehensive set of common tools, so that users can focus on making games without having to reinvent the wheel. Games can be exported with one click to a number of platforms, including the major desktop platforms (Linux, macOS, Windows), mobile platforms (Android, iOS), as well as Web based platforms and consoles. Free, open source and community driven Godot is completely free and open source under the very permissive MIT license. No…
read the full Godot overview →
About OpenRA
OpenRA A Libre/Free Real Time Strategy game engine supporting early Westwood classics. Website: Chat: openra on Libera (web) or Discord Repository: Please read the FAQ in our Wiki and report problems at Join the Forum for discussion. Play Distributed mods include a reimagining of Command & Conquer: Red Alert Command & Conquer: Tiberian Dawn Dune 2000 EA has not endorsed and does not support this product. Check our Playing the Game Guide to win multiplayer matches. Contribute Please read INSTALL.md and Compiling on how to set up an OpenRA development environment. See Hacking for a (now very outdated) overview of…
read the full OpenRA overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Godot or OpenRA more popular?
Godot has 119,638 GitHub stars and OpenRA has 17,736. Godot has the larger community by that measure.
Are Godot and OpenRA free?
Both are open source. Godot is licensed under MIT and OpenRA under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Godot and OpenRA?
Godot is written in C++ and OpenRA 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, Godot or OpenRA?
Choose Godot if you want the larger community (119,638 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose OpenRA if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.