Zero-K
Open Source on Springrts engine. Zero-K is a traditional real time strategy game 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.
Activity has dropped noticeably. Check the repository before committing to it.
Commit activity more than 69% of tracked projects; popularity more than 32%. How this is calculated.
Commits, last 11 months
| Stars | 855 |
|---|---|
| Latest release | — |
| Repo updated | 27 Sept 2026 |
| Licence | GPL-2.0 |
| Built with | Lua |
Is Zero-K actively maintained?
Over the last 11 months the project absorbed 611 commits, of which 115 arrived in the most recent quarter — roughly 38 commits a month.
No tagged releases are published, so there is no stable version to pin to — you would deploy from the default branch or a container image built from it.
Zero-K ranks #9 of 20 in Games, placing it mid-table for maintenance activity.
What Zero-K actually does
Zero-K is an open-source real-time strategy game built on the Spring RTS engine. It offers competitive matches centred around physics-based mechanics, terrain manipulation, and a diverse unit roster.
Best fit: Self-hosters and communities looking to run an open-source, competitive RTS title with custom physics and terrain manipulation features.
Worth knowing: The project lacks tagged releases, which can complicate release management, and relies on an niche game engine that may present a steep operational learning curve.
Deployment notes
Hosting typically requires setting up the Spring engine environment and ensuring adequate persistent storage for game assets and server logs.
Links
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