Is StarCraft actually free?

Yes. Blizzard made StarCraft and its Brood War expansion free permanently in March 2017 with patch 1.18. You need a free Battle.net account and the Battle.net app, but there is nothing to buy.

What is the difference between the free version and Remastered?

The free Anthology is the complete original game and expansion with modern compatibility. Remastered is a paid upgrade that adds 4K artwork and some quality-of-life features. Gameplay and balance are identical, and the two can play together online.

Does the free version include Brood War?

Yes. Both the original campaign and the Brood War expansion are included, which is roughly sixty missions in total.

Can I play StarCraft on modern Windows and macOS?

Yes. Patch 1.18 added support for current Windows and macOS versions along with windowed mode. There is no native Linux client, though it runs under Wine and Proton.

Is anyone still playing StarCraft multiplayer?

Yes, though it is a small and extremely skilled population, particularly in South Korea. Expect a steep introduction if you go straight to ladder play.

Is StarCraft still being updated?

Not meaningfully. It receives occasional compatibility and security patches, but active development stopped and Blizzard disbanded its Classic Games team in 2024. The game is complete and stable as it stands.

Does StarCraft have multiplayer?

Yes. StarCraft supports up to 8 players. You can join a public community server from the PlayBound server browser and host a game on your own PC. There is no subscription and no paid multiplayer tier.

StarCraft — Free Strategy

B

Brood War HD Widescreen Launcher

Widescreen resolution patch and modern windowed rendering for classic SC 1.16.1.

Installs to Plugins/WMode · ~5 MBView

Details

B

BWAPI

AI research API (advanced).

Installs to maps · ~40 MBView

Details

C

Cosmonarchy BW

Extensive competitive overhaul rebalancing all factions and tech trees.

Installs to Cosmonarchy · ~350 MBView

D

Dark Evolution 1.2

A large StarCraft: Brood War campaign mod, with music pack.

Installs to mods/starcraft-dark-evolution · ~87 MBView

Details

G

Gundam Century

The legendary total conversion bringing Mobile Suit Gundam to StarCraft.

Opens in your browser via the launcher · ~90 MBView

Details

H

HunCraft Genocide

HunCraft Genocide is maybe the most detailed unofficial expansion pack for StarCraft: Brood War.

Installs to mods/starcraft-huncraft-genocide · ~644 MBView

O

OpenBW

Open replays research.

Installs to maps · ~40 MBView

Details

S

SC Revolution Mod

Enjoy the classic broodwar game with improved mechanics, new units, upgrades, abilities, and lot of changes that will improve the gameplay and open ne

Installs to mods/starcraft-sc-revolution · ~18 MBView

S