0 A.D. vs OpenRA
Short answer
0 A.D. and OpenRA are the two best free real-time strategy games, serving different tastes. 0 A.D. follows the Age of Empires tradition — slow, historical, visually ambitious, a 3 GB install. OpenRA rebuilds Command & Conquer and Red Alert — fast, retro, 350 MB, with an active competitive ladder. Both are free and open-source with no monetisation.
The two strongest free RTS entry points, and they are not really competitors — they descend from different traditions and reward different instincts. If you are choosing a first free strategy game, this is the decision that matters.
0 A.D. vs OpenRA at a glance
| 0 A.D. | OpenRA | |
|---|---|---|
| Lineage | Age of Empires | Command & Conquer / Red Alert |
| Setting | Bronze and Iron Age history | Retro-futurist Cold War |
| Pace | Slow — long build-up, decisive late pushes | Fast — matches can end in minutes |
| Economy | Villagers gathering from resource nodes | Harvesters and refineries |
| Download size | ~3.0 GB | ~350 MB |
| Visual fidelity | High — rivals commercial releases | Modernised sprites, deliberately retro |
| Ranked play | No official ladder | Active competitive ladder |
| Development status | Formally alpha, playable for years | Stable releases |
Choose 0 A.D. if…
You loved Age of Empires, you want a slower game where the build-up is the point, and you have the disk space and hardware for a visually ambitious title.
Choose OpenRA if…
You loved Red Alert, you want short decisive matches and a real competitive ladder, or you need something that installs in 350 MB and runs on old hardware.
Against the PlayBound Bar
0 A.D. clears all five. It is formally still in alpha, but it has been comfortably playable and content-complete for years, and its production values match commercial historical strategy games that charge full price.
OpenRA clears all five: genuinely free with no monetisation, stable and complete, actively developed, good enough to recommend at full price, and open-source under GPL-3.0 so nothing can take it away.
Questions
0 A.D. or OpenRA — which should I play?
0 A.D. and OpenRA are the two best free real-time strategy games, serving different tastes. 0 A.D. follows the Age of Empires tradition — slow, historical, visually ambitious, a 3 GB install. OpenRA rebuilds Command & Conquer and Red Alert — fast, retro, 350 MB, with an active competitive ladder. Both are free and open-source with no monetisation.
Who should choose 0 A.D.?
You loved Age of Empires, you want a slower game where the build-up is the point, and you have the disk space and hardware for a visually ambitious title.
Who should choose OpenRA?
You loved Red Alert, you want short decisive matches and a real competitive ladder, or you need something that installs in 350 MB and runs on old hardware.
Are 0 A.D. and OpenRA both free?
Yes. 0 A.D. is released under Open Source (GPL-2.0) and OpenRA under Open Source (GPL-3.0). Both are entirely free with no trials, paid tiers or in-game purchases.