Master of Orion: 5 Open Source Clones Compared
1oom-fork targets accurate reproduction of the original 1993 DOS release rather than reinterpretation, while Remnants of the Precursors deliberately goes the other way, modernizing and streamlining Master of Orion's mechanics instead of reproducing them — a contrast its own materials draw explicitly. Both 1oom and 1oom-fork require a legally owned copy of Master of Orion v1.3's LBX data files, whereas Remnants of the Precursors and FreeOrion do not. Notably, 1oom-fork's own README states that this particular fork is no longer under active development and points players to the 'vanilla' 1oom project for the latest engine updates. FreeOrion, meanwhile, is not a clone or remake at all — its own documentation describes it as merely inspired by the Master of Orion tradition, built around original assets and its own FOCS scripting system for customizing mechanics.
Comparison table
Availability
- Status
- Playable
- Platforms
- Windows, OSX, Linux
- Play in browser
- No
- Mobile
- No
Project health
- Development status
- Active
- Last updated
- today
- Stars
- 1,042
- Contributors
- 132
- License
- —
- Engine
- —
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- NoFreeOrion is an original game inspired by Master of Orion tradition, not a remake; uses its own original assets.
- Modding support
- YesSupports scripting capabilities via FreeOrion Content Scripts (FOCS) for customizing game mechanics and presentation.
- Multiplayer
- —
Availability
- Status
- Playable
- Platforms
- Windows, Linux, OSX
- Play in browser
- No
- Mobile
- No
Project health
- Development status
- Halted
- Last updated
- 3y ago
- Stars
- 221
- Contributors
- 16
- License
- —
- Engine
- —
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- NoFree to download and play standalone; does not require original Master of Orion game files.
- Modding support
- —
- Multiplayer
- —
Availability
- Status
- Playable
- Platforms
- Windows, Linux, DOS
- Play in browser
- No
- Mobile
- No
Project health
- Development status
- Active
- Last updated
- 14d ago
- Stars
- 109
- Contributors
- 21
- License
- GPL-2.0
- Engine
- SDL2
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- YesYou must legally own an original copy of Master of Orion v1.3 and provide the LBX files.
- Modding support
- —
- Multiplayer
- Multiplayer
Availability
- Status
- Playable
- Platforms
- Windows, Linux, DOS
- Play in browser
- No
- Mobile
- No
Project health
- Development status
- Halted
- Last updated
- 3y ago
- Stars
- 31
- Contributors
- 7
- License
- gpl-2.0+
- Engine
- —
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- YesRequires a copy of Master of Orion v1.3 LBX files.
- Modding support
- —
- Multiplayer
- —
Availability
- Status
- Semi-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 | FreeOrion | Remnants of the Precursors | 1oom-fork | 1oom | Space Opera |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Status | Playable | Playable | Playable | Playable | Semi-playable |
| Platforms | Windows, OSX, Linux | Windows, Linux, OSX | Windows, Linux, DOS | Windows, Linux, DOS | Windows, Linux, OSX |
| Play in browser | No | No | No | No | No |
| Mobile | No | No | No | No | No |
| Project health | |||||
| Development status | Active | Halted | Active | Halted | Not tracked |
| Last updated | today | 3y ago | 14d ago | 3y ago | Not tracked |
| Stars | 1,042 | 221 | 109 | 31 | Not tracked |
| Contributors | 132 | 16 | 21 | 7 | Not tracked |
| License | — | — | GPL-2.0 | gpl-2.0+ | Not tracked |
| Engine | — | — | SDL2 | — | Not tracked |
| Compatibility | |||||
| Requires original assets | NoFreeOrion is an original game inspired by Master of Orion tradition, not a remake; uses its own original assets. | NoFree to download and play standalone; does not require original Master of Orion game files. | YesYou must legally own an original copy of Master of Orion v1.3 and provide the LBX files. | YesRequires a copy of Master of Orion v1.3 LBX files. | — |
| Modding support | YesSupports scripting capabilities via FreeOrion Content Scripts (FOCS) for customizing game mechanics and presentation. | — | — | — | — |
| Multiplayer | — | — | Multiplayer | — | — |
| Preview | | | |
Known limitations
- compatibility: Older saved games may not work in newer versions of 1oom due to breaking changes.
Frequently asked questions
Are the Master of Orion 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 Master of Orion clones use?
1oom-fork (GPL-2.0); 1oom (gpl-2.0+).
Do I need to own the original Master of Orion to play these clones?
FreeOrion and Remnants of the Precursors run standalone, no original files needed; 1oom-fork and 1oom require original game assets to play.
Which Master of Orion clone is the most actively maintained?
FreeOrion and 1oom-fork are 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 Master of Orion.