Escape Velocity: 3 Open Source Clones Compared
Nox Imperii began as a fork of Naev, reusing most of its code and technical setup while adding its own galaxy and content; development on it has since halted. Endless Sky is unrelated to either project and is the most actively developed of the three, with over a decade of work from hundreds of contributors and an extensive plugin system for adding ships, weapons, and missions. Nox Imperii is also the only one of the three whose data lists online and LAN multiplayer support.
Comparison table
Availability
- Status
- Playable
- Platforms
- Windows, Linux, OSX
- Play in browser
- Mobile
- No
Project health
- Development status
- Active
- Last updated
- today
- Stars
- 7,559
- Contributors
- 393
- License
- GPL-3.0
- Engine
- —
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- NoAll content is original; no original game assets are required.
- Modding support
- YesExtensive plugin system allowing creation of new ships, weapons, missions, and other content with text editor and paint program.
- Multiplayer
- —
Availability
- Status
- Playable
- Platforms
- Windows, Linux, OSX
- Play in browser
- No
- Mobile
- No
Project health
- Development status
- Halted
- Last updated
- 9y ago
- Stars
- 15
- Contributors
- 92
- License
- GPL-3.0
- Engine
- SDL2
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- NoThis is a fork of Naev with original game content; no original assets are required.
- Modding support
- —
- Multiplayer
- Online, LAN
Availability
- Status
- Playable
- Platforms
- Windows, Linux, OSX
- Play in browser
- No
- Mobile
- No
Project health
- Development status
- Not tracked
- Last updated
- Not tracked
- Stars
- Not tracked
- Contributors
- Not tracked
- License
- Not tracked
- Engine
- Not tracked
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- —
- Modding support
- —
- Multiplayer
- —
| Title | Endless Sky | Nox Imperii | Naev |
|---|---|---|---|
| Status | Playable | Playable | Playable |
| Platforms | Windows, Linux, OSX | Windows, Linux, OSX | Windows, Linux, OSX |
| Play in browser | No | No | |
| Mobile | No | No | No |
| Project health | |||
| Development status | Active | Halted | Not tracked |
| Last updated | today | 9y ago | Not tracked |
| Stars | 7,559 | 15 | Not tracked |
| Contributors | 393 | 92 | Not tracked |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 | Not tracked |
| Engine | — | SDL2 | Not tracked |
| Compatibility | |||
| Requires original assets | NoAll content is original; no original game assets are required. | NoThis is a fork of Naev with original game content; no original assets are required. | — |
| Modding support | YesExtensive plugin system allowing creation of new ships, weapons, missions, and other content with text editor and paint program. | — | — |
| Multiplayer | — | Online, LAN | — |
| Preview | | | |
Frequently asked questions
Are the Escape Velocity clones on this page open source?
Yes — every clone catalogued here is an open-source project. Availability, license, and development-status details for each one are listed in the comparison table above.
What license do these Escape Velocity clones use?
Endless Sky and Nox Imperii (GPL-3.0).
Do I need to own the original Escape Velocity to play these clones?
Endless Sky and Nox Imperii run standalone, no original files needed.
Can I play any of these Escape Velocity clones directly in a browser?
Yes — Endless Sky has a browser-playable build linked in the comparison table above, no install required.
Which Escape Velocity clone is the most actively maintained?
Endless Sky is currently under active development, based on recent commit activity. See the "Development status" row above for every clone's current status.
See the full write-up for each clone, or go back to Escape Velocity.