Open-source alternatives to Minetest

Cubyz is a voxel game engine designed for building procedurally generated 3D sandbox worlds. It provides a framework for creating infinite landscapes with real-time terrain modification and exploration, supported by a dedicated voxel rendering engine. The project features a procedural terrain generator that utilizes a chunk-based system to allow for massive vertical construction without height or depth limitations. It optimizes performance through a distance-based rendering system that simplifies the geometric complexity of distant landscape elements to maintain wide view distances. The engi

minecraft-weekend is a voxel engine designed for rendering infinite three-dimensional environments. It utilizes procedural generation and mathematical noise functions to automate the creation of diverse landscapes, biomes, and height variations. The engine implements a voxel rendering system using buffer-based meshes and chunk-based world partitioning to manage GPU performance and memory usage. It includes a dynamic lighting system that calculates light values, transparency, and distance-based fog to simulate atmospheric depth. The project covers 3D game physics simulation through axis-align

Veloren is an open-source multiplayer RPG featuring a voxel-based action adventure in a procedurally generated fantasy world. It is built upon a voxel game engine that supports 3D rendering via Vulkan and Metal, utilizing a procedural world generator to create geography and ecosystems based on erosion algorithms and temperature maps. The project is distinguished by a sandboxed plugin system using WebAssembly, which allows for the addition of new game logic and equipment without recompiling the core engine. It also features a dedicated game server architecture designed to synchronize state, ma

tModLoader is a modding framework and toolset designed for expanding game content and extending core game logic. It provides a polymorphic content API that allows for the creation of new items, NPCs, projectiles, and world assets through object-oriented inheritance. The project is distinguished by its advanced code modification capabilities, utilizing intermediate language bytecode patching and reflection-based private access to alter internal game behavior. It features a hot-reloading assembly runtime that enables developers to recompile and apply source code changes in real-time without res

This project is a browser-based framework designed for building three-dimensional, block-based games and interactive simulations. It functions as a JavaScript library that provides the core infrastructure for rendering voxel environments, managing dynamic terrain data, and executing real-time physics within a web-based context. The engine distinguishes itself through a high-performance WebGL rendering pipeline that utilizes texture-atlas material mapping to consolidate visual assets and reduce draw calls. It manages large-scale environments by dividing the world into discrete, chunk-based spa

Craft is a multiplayer voxel sandbox written in C. It utilizes an OpenGL voxel engine to render a block-based world and implements an infinite terrain generator that uses noise functions to create deterministic, procedural landscapes. The project features a networked environment where players can build and modify a shared world using socket-based state synchronization. To maintain consistency across sessions, it employs a voxel world database to store and retrieve modified block coordinates. The system covers a range of capabilities including 3D collision detection for character movement, to

This project is a Python voxel game engine and real-time renderer designed for interacting with block-based 3D environments. It functions as a procedural terrain simulator and a first-person navigator, allowing users to explore and visualize worlds composed of individual cubes. The system enables direct procedural terrain manipulation, providing a mechanism to add or remove blocks in real time to create custom structures. It utilizes a first-person camera system to translate keyboard and mouse inputs into movement and perspective changes within the virtual space. The engine handles 3D space

TrinityCore is an open-source game backend and MMORPG game server emulator. It is implemented as a C++ game engine designed to handle real-time network traffic and game state synchronization, utilizing a MySQL database schema to store player profiles, inventories, and world state. The project provides the infrastructure necessary for MMORPG server hosting and private game server administration. It includes tools for game world customization, allowing for the modification of game mechanics, item statistics, and quest scripts. The system manages virtual world infrastructure through multi-threa

Mindustry is a cross-platform game engine and factory automation simulation that combines resource management with tower defense strategy. Players construct complex supply chains and automated networks to process materials while building defensive structures to protect a core from waves of hostile mechanical forces. The project utilizes a deterministic lockstep networking model to ensure simulation consistency across desktop and mobile devices. It is built on an entity-component-system architecture and a tile-based grid simulation, allowing for the efficient management of thousands of active

Terasology is a Java-based voxel game engine designed for creating and simulating complex three-dimensional voxel environments. It functions as a modular sandbox platform that allows for the integration of custom gameplay mechanics and core extensions. The project features a procedural world generator that uses deterministic algorithms to construct terrain and environmental features. It employs an entity component system framework to decouple game logic from data and a deferred shading renderer to handle lighting and atmospheric effects within block-based worlds. The engine provides capabili

Endless Sky is an open-source space trading simulation, 2D space combat simulator, and narrative exploration game. It functions as a plugin-based game engine that allows users to explore a vast universe, engage in tactical ship battles, and progress through a central plot within a sandbox environment. The project is distinguished by its highly moddable architecture, utilizing a directory-based plugin system and data-driven entity definitions to allow for content extensions and behavior overrides without recompiling source code. It further supports visual customization through programmable ver

BepInEx is a Unity game modding framework that enables the injection of custom C# code and external assemblies into running processes without modifying original binaries. It provides a plugin loader and a dependency resolution engine to ensure that external modules are initialized in the correct order based on defined metadata requirements. The framework includes a centralized plugin configuration system for storing and editing custom settings via files and interactive inputs. It also features a runtime object inspector for browsing and debugging active game objects and components within a Un

Minetest Game is an open-source voxel sandbox engine that provides a foundational environment for building, exploring, and modifying procedurally generated worlds. It functions as a creative platform where users can construct complex structures and interact with a three-dimensional, block-based landscape without predefined goals or hostile entities. The project distinguishes itself through a modular architecture that separates game mechanics from the core engine. By utilizing a sandboxed scripting environment and event-driven hooks, it allows for the dynamic modification of game behavior, ena

This project is a wave function collapse generator and voxel environment engine used for procedural world generation. It implements a constraint-based layout algorithm to resolve superpositions of modules into consistent 3D voxel grids. The system functions as a procedural city generator capable of creating infinite, walkable urban environments. It utilizes a dynamic dictionary to stream map data as a user approaches new areas, ensuring a continuous world without loading the entire layout at once. The engine manages layout consistency through adjacency rule definitions, boundary constraint e

OpenTTD is an open-source game engine and transport simulation game. It provides an isometric sandbox environment for building and managing complex logistics and transport networks. The project functions as a multiplayer simulation sandbox where users can build infrastructure cooperatively or competitively in a shared virtual world. The platform is designed as a moddable simulation system that supports external assets, graphics, and gameplay modifications. It includes mechanisms for downloading and integrating add-on content and utilizes a plugin-based system to extend game mechanics beyond t

OpenRCT2 is an open-source reimplementation of a classic amusement park management simulation engine. It functions as a cross-platform engine that modernizes the original game, enabling it to run on contemporary operating systems while maintaining full compatibility with legacy assets and data files. The project distinguishes itself by providing a comprehensive multiplayer simulation server that supports cooperative, real-time park management and construction across multiple connected clients. It utilizes a deterministic lockstep networking model and a centralized action-based validation syst

Pumpkin is a high-performance Minecraft game server implementation designed to host shared virtual worlds. It is specifically built to support multiple client editions, allowing different game versions to interact within a single world. The project distinguishes itself through a flexible plugin architecture that supports extensions written in Go and Python. These extensions are loaded as portable binary modules, enabling developers to implement custom game logic and modify server behavior without altering the core codebase. The server covers a broad range of operational capabilities, includi

This project is a community-curated directory of open-source software designed for deployment in private server environments and home labs. It serves as a comprehensive resource for discovering independent, self-hosted alternatives to mainstream cloud services, enabling users to maintain full data ownership and control over their digital infrastructure. The directory is structured through a hierarchical taxonomy that organizes a vast collection of applications into logical categories, ranging from media management and data analytics to private communication and team productivity tools. It dis

Unciv is an open-source, cross-platform turn-based strategy game and a community-driven remake of a commercial strategy title. It simulates empire building, city management, and technological research for players on Android and desktop platforms. The project is designed as a moddable game engine, allowing users to override gameplay rules, modify units and buildings via external definition files, and replace audiovisual assets. It supports the distribution of custom maps and the ability to import mod archives from remote web addresses. The application includes a dedicated server for multiplay

Serious Engine is an open-source framework designed for the development and execution of first-person shooter titles. It provides an integrated environment for rendering complex three-dimensional combat spaces and managing the core gameplay logic required for high-speed action sequences. The engine utilizes an entity-component-system architecture to manage game objects, supported by script-driven logic that allows for gameplay modifications without requiring engine recompilation. It distinguishes itself through a specialized rendering pipeline that separates geometry calculations from lightin

Space Station 14 is a C# multiplayer game and roleplay simulation framework. It is built upon an Entity-Component-System (ECS) game engine that separates logic into systems and data into components to manage complex entity interactions. The project functions as a grid-based physics simulator with a YAML data-driven prototype system for defining game objects. The project features a specialized 2D sprite rendering engine that maps server-side appearance data to client-side shaders. It implements a networking model with client-side prediction and dirty-flagged state synchronization to reduce inp

FiveM is a multiplayer modification framework and game engine modding tool. It serves as a platform for creating and hosting community-driven modifications for open-world game engines, functioning specifically as a framework for Grand Theft Auto V to enable custom servers and multiplayer game modes. The project provides a dedicated game server host for managing network traffic and synchronized game states in modified environments. Its capabilities extend to modding Red Dead Redemption 2, allowing for the extension of game mechanics and the addition of custom content. The framework supports c

This project is an open-source, cross-platform rhythm game engine designed to execute musical gameplay by synchronizing visual hit objects with audio tracks. It functions as a comprehensive competitive gaming platform that tracks player performance metrics, manages official leaderboards, and facilitates the distribution of rhythm-based challenges across desktop and mobile operating systems. The engine distinguishes itself through a modular architecture that decouples core gameplay logic from the engine, allowing developers to implement distinct game modes as swappable rulesets. It includes a

Dokploy is a self-hosted platform-as-a-service designed to simplify the deployment and management of containerized applications and databases. It provides a centralized control plane that decouples administrative management from application workloads, allowing users to oversee infrastructure across multiple server nodes through a unified web interface or a command-line tool. The platform distinguishes itself through an extensive library of pre-configured application templates, enabling the rapid deployment of databases, identity providers, and various productivity or development tools. It sup

This project is a cross-platform, open-source emulator designed to execute handheld gaming software on modern desktop and mobile hardware. By recreating the original console environment and system libraries, it allows users to run game files without requiring original firmware. The software achieves high-performance execution through a combination of dynamic recompilation and just-in-time instruction translation, which map console-specific instructions to native host machine code. The emulator distinguishes itself by providing advanced visual and connectivity enhancements that extend beyond t

This project is a comprehensive educational resource for building a high-performance game engine from the ground up using C++. It serves as a technical guide for developers seeking to understand the low-level architecture of engine systems, providing a structured approach to implementing core components like rendering pipelines, entity-component-system patterns, and multi-threaded task scheduling. The resource distinguishes itself by focusing on the practical implementation of complex engine subsystems, including graphics API abstraction layers for cross-platform compatibility and data-driven

Gameplay is a high-performance C++ game engine and cross-platform framework designed for developing 2D and 3D interactive games. It functions as both a 3D graphics engine for rendering environments and a 2D game development kit for creating sprite-based mechanics. The framework provides a cross-platform abstraction layer to ensure that game logic and graphics run across various hardware and software platforms using a shared codebase. The engine implements a hardware-accelerated rendering pipeline and component-based game logic to separate data from behavior. It utilizes a native C++ impleme