Mindustry
Factorio-like tower defense game. Build production chains to gather more resources, and build complex facilities.
Best self-hosted Games software in 2026
Multiplayer game servers and browser games.
We track 20 open-source, self-hosted Games apps. 17 of them had commits in the last 90 days, 4 can run with Docker, and the most common licenses are GPL-3.0 (5), MIT (5), Zlib (4). The most-used languages are C++, Nodejs, Lua. Below are the top picks by GitHub stars, followed by every app ranked by stars weighted by maintenance health.
Top 5 by GitHub stars
| # | App | Stars | Health | Last activity | License | Language | Docker |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mindustry | 29.9k | Active | 2026-11-04 | GPL-3.0 | Java | – |
| 2 | Lila | 19k | Active | 2026-11-09 | AGPL-3.0 | Scala | – |
| 3 | Luanti | 13.8k | Active | 2026-11-09 | LGPL-2.1, MIT, Zlib | C++, Lua | – |
| 4 | OpenTTD | 8.5k | Active | 2026-11-09 | GPL-2.0 | C++, Docker | ✓ |
| 5 | A Dark Room | 8.4k | Slowing | 2025-05-23 | MPL-2.0 | Javascript | – |
- Mindustry — Factorio-like tower defense game. Build production chains to gather more resources, and build complex facilities.
- Lila — Ad-less chess server powering lichess.org, with official iOS and Android client apps.
- Luanti — Voxel game engine (formerly Minetest). Play one of our many games, mod a game to your liking, make your own game, or play on a multiplayer server.
- OpenTTD — Transport tycoon simulation game.
- A Dark Room — Minimalist text adventure game for your browser.
Head-to-head comparisons
Lila vs MindustryLuanti vs MindustryMindustry vs OpenTTDLila vs LuantiLila vs OpenTTDLuanti vs OpenTTD
All 20 self-hosted Games apps
Ranked by GitHub stars weighted by maintenance health.
Lila
Ad-less chess server powering lichess.org, with official iOS and Android client apps.
Luanti
Voxel game engine (formerly Minetest). Play one of our many games, mod a game to your liking, make your own game, or play on a multiplayer server.
OpenTTD
Transport tycoon simulation game.
The Battle for Wesnoth
Turn-based tactical strategy game with a high fantasy theme, featuring both singleplayer and online/hotseat multiplayer combat.
Veloren
Multiplayer RPG. Inspired by Cube World, Legend of Zelda, Dwarf Fortress and Minecraft.
MTA:SA
Add network play functionality to Rockstar North's Grand Theft Auto game series, in which this functionality is not originally found.
Hypersomnia
Competitive top-down shooter blending Counter-Strike with Hotline Miami. Runs on Linux, Windows, MacOS and the Web.
Razzia
Quiz game platform, designed for smaller events (alternative to Kahoot!).
Zero-K
Traditional real time strategy game on the Springrts engine, with a focus on player creativity through terrain manipulation, physics, and a large roster of unique units - all while being balanced to support competitive play.
DDraceNetwork
Cooperative platformer version of DDRace, a Teeworlds modification featuring unique cooperative gameplay.
Scribble.rs
Web-based pictionary game.
Red Eclipse 2
Arena first-person shooter similar to Unreal Tournament.
Suroi
2D battle royale game inspired by surviv.io.
piqueserver
Server for openspades, the first-person shooter in a destructible voxel world.
A Dark Room
Minimalist text adventure game for your browser.
0 A.D.
Cross-platform real-time strategy game of ancient warfare.
Digibuzzer
Create a virtual game room around a connected buzzer (documentation in French).
Posio
Geography multiplayer game.
Cubiks-2048
Clone of 2048 game in 3D.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best self-hosted Games software in 2026?
By GitHub stars, the most popular self-hosted Games apps are Mindustry (29,854 stars), Lila (18,962 stars), Luanti (13,843 stars). Popularity is only one signal: also check maintenance health, license and whether it fits your setup.
How many self-hosted Games apps are actively maintained?
17 of the 20 apps listed had commits in the last 90 days.
Which self-hosted Games apps can I run with Docker?
4 of the 20 apps can run with Docker.
Which licenses do self-hosted Games apps use?
The most common licenses in this category are GPL-3.0 (5 apps), MIT (5 apps), Zlib (4 apps).
How much does it cost to self-host Games software?
The software itself is free to download. Based on our rough hardware estimates, the cheapest suitable VPS plan starts at about $3.5/month (median $5/month across apps in this category). Several light apps can share one server.
Related categories
Figures from GitHub and Docker Hub as of 2026-11-15; hosting costs are rough estimates.