3.0 GB
Ancient warfare, stunningly rendered, forever free.
Verified working 21 hours ago
0 A.D. is a free rts game released under Open Source (GPL-2.0). It runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, needs about 3.0 GB of disk space, and requires no account, payment or trial. On a computer, the fastest route is the PlayBound Launcher. On a phone or tablet, use the official store or site instead.
One-click install
PlayBound fetches the official release — no third-party mirrors.
Install the PlayBound Launcher, then find 0 A.D. and press Install. The launcher downloads the official release, unpacks it and creates a shortcut. This is the fastest route and it never uses third-party mirrors.
Alternatively, download 0 A.D. directly from the official site at https://play0ad.com. Always download from the official source — third-party mirrors of free games are a common malware vector.
Official releases are published on GitHub at github.com/0ad/0ad/releases. Pick the newest stable release matching your operating system.
0 A.D. is also on Steam and is free there. Open the store page and press Play Game to add it to your library.
steam://install/2188200Windows
Run the downloaded installer and follow the prompts. If Windows SmartScreen warns about an unrecognised publisher, that is normal for open-source projects without a paid code-signing certificate — choose More info, then Run anyway.
macOS
Open the downloaded .dmg and drag the app into Applications. On first launch macOS may refuse to open it as unidentified — right-click the app and choose Open to approve it once.
Linux
Check your distribution's package manager first, which is usually the easiest route. Otherwise download the AppImage from the official site, mark it executable and run it.
chmod +x *.AppImage && ./*.AppImageLaunch the game and look at the settings menu before your first session — resolution and control defaults are worth checking. 0 A.D. needs roughly 3.0 GB of free disk space.
Minimum
2.5 GHz dual-core CPU · 4 GB RAM · 1 GB VRAM GPU · 5 GB storage
Recommended
3.5 GHz quad-core CPU · 8 GB RAM · 2 GB VRAM GPU · 6 GB storage
Yes, entirely. 0 A.D. is open-source under GPL-2.0 with no purchase, subscription or in-game spending of any kind. It is funded by donations to Wildfire Games.
It is formally in alpha and has been for over a decade, but it is stable, feature-rich and content-complete in practice. Most players will not encounter anything that feels unfinished. The label reflects the project's own standards rather than the actual play experience.
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition has more civilisations, a ranked matchmaking service and decades of balance refinement. 0 A.D. has better visuals in places, deeper historical detail, and costs nothing. If you already own AoE2 it remains the more polished competitive game; if you do not, 0 A.D. is a genuine alternative rather than a compromise.
More than a dozen playable civilisations spanning 500 BC to 500 AD, including Athenians, Spartans, Macedonians, Romans, Carthaginians, Persians, Mauryans, Kushites, Gauls, Britons, Iberians, Seleucids, Ptolemies and Han Chinese.
Yes, with an in-game lobby for finding and hosting matches. There is no official ranked ladder, but casual and organised multiplayer both happen regularly.
A 2 GHz dual-core CPU, 4 GB of RAM and an OpenGL 2.1 GPU as a minimum, with roughly 3 GB of disk space. Large late-game battles benefit noticeably from a faster CPU.