[opensourcedex]

forgottenserver is a free, open source gaming project written in C++ and released under GPL-2.0. It has 1,841 GitHub stars, 1,142 forks and 226 open issues, and was last pushed 3 hours ago. On this registry it ranks #29 of 30 tracked projects in Gaming, with 5 head-to-head comparisons available.

What is forgottenserver?

The Forgotten Server is a free and open-source MMORPG server emulator written in C++ that lets a team run its own OpenTibia-compatible game world and connect players to it with a compatible client.

What it is

The Forgotten Server is an MMORPG server emulator written in C++ and released under the GPL-2.0 licence. It is a fork of the OpenTibia Server project, developed under the otland organisation on GitHub, where it has accumulated 1,841 stars and 1,142 forks and remains active, with the most recent push dated 28 September 2026. Its homepage and community hub is otland.net, and its repository topics place it in gaming infrastructure: game, game-server, mmorpg and server.

The problem it solves is the one every would-be game operator faces: an online multiplayer world needs a server process that runs the game rules and accepts connections from a game client, and writing that from scratch is a large undertaking. The Forgotten Server supplies that server, so an operator does not have to build one, and for anyone already working on the older upstream codebase it replaces the OpenTibia Server project from which it forked. Game behaviour is configured through a scripting interface rather than only through the C++ engine, and players connect with OTClient, which the README names as the client to use.

Key capabilities

  • Emulates an MMORPG server in C++, built through a vcpkg workflow (build-vcpkg.yml) and a separate Docker image workflow (docker-image.yml).
  • Exposes a scripting interface documented in the wiki as the Scripting Reference, so game logic can be written against a published API.
  • Publishes downloadable releases as an alternative to compiling the source yourself.
  • Works with OTClient as the connecting client, named explicitly in the README's introduction.
  • Maintains a dedicated support forum on OTLand, with the GitHub issue tracker deliberately reserved for issues rather than support requests.
  • Accepts pull requests from contributors, and suggests placing a bounty on an issue if you want it fixed faster.

Who uses it and how

  • Individuals and small teams running their own server and connecting players through OTClient.
  • Projects that fork the codebase to customise it; with 1,142 forks, forking is clearly a normal part of how the project is used.
  • Script authors who implement and adjust game behaviour against the wiki's Scripting Reference.
  • Operators who need help posting on the OTLand support forum, where users who cannot obtain assistance can become premium OTLand users for access to a premium support forum and to support the site financially.
  • Contributors who fix issues themselves and submit pull requests, or who place bounties to accelerate a fix.

Getting started

The README's Getting Started section directs you either to the Compiling wiki page or, alternatively, to the downloadable releases on the GitHub releases page. Builds are exercised by the project's vcpkg and Docker image workflows.

How it compares

The Forgotten Server is a fork of the OpenTibia Server project, so it sits downstream of that codebase rather than competing with it. Its natural companion is OTClient, which the README names as the client used to connect to the server; those two are complementary pieces, a server and a client, rather than rival implementations of the same thing.

When to use it — and when not to

Running it means either compiling the C++ source by following the wiki's Compiling instructions or deploying a released binary; the README itself does not document operational dependencies beyond pointing at the wiki and the releases, so expect to read outside the repository before going live. The GPL-2.0 licence is a real constraint for anyone who wants to distribute a closed-source derivative, and there is no commercial support contract here, since help runs through a community forum and a premium OTLand tier. It is also a poor fit for anyone expecting the issue tracker to act as a support desk, because the README states that issues used that way will be closed.

project readme (upstream, from github) — read inline

forgottenserver Build Status Build Status

The Forgotten Server is a free and open-source MMORPG server emulator written in C++. It is a fork of the OpenTibia Server project. To connect to the server, you can use OTClient.

Getting Started

Support

If you need help, please visit the support forum on OTLand. Our issue tracker is not a support forum, and using it as one will result in your issue being closed. If you were unable to get assistance in the support forum, you should consider becoming a premium user on OTLand which grants you access to the premium support forum and supports OTLand financially.

Issues

We use the issue tracker on GitHub. Keep in mind that everyone who is watching the repository gets notified by e-mail when there is activity, so be thoughtful and avoid writing comments that aren't meaningful for an issue (e.g. "+1"). If you'd like for an issue to be fixed faster, you should either fix it yourself and submit a pull request, or place a bounty on the issue.

Frequently asked questions

Is forgottenserver free to use?

forgottenserver is open source under the GPL-2.0 licence. There is no licence fee and no seat count — you can self-host it or, where the project offers one, pay a vendor for a managed version instead.

What does forgottenserver do?

A free and open-source MMORPG server emulator written in C++

What is forgottenserver written in?

forgottenserver is primarily written in C++. Its source is publicly available at https://github.com/otland/forgottenserver, and it has 1,841 GitHub stars.