Strife: 5 Open Source Clones Compared
Crispy Doom is a fork of Chocolate Doom that adds a higher internal resolution, widescreen support, and an uncapped framerate, but leaves most of these enhancements off by default and doesn't support Boom or ZDoom map features, specifically to preserve Chocolate Doom's demo, savegame, and netplay compatibility. Chocolate Doom itself aims for the most literal reproduction of the original DOS engine, including its bugs, prioritizing compatibility with original DOS demo and config files over new features. The Eternity Engine takes the opposite approach, adding extensive modding tools (ACS scripting, EDF definitions, portal rendering) at the cost of still-incomplete Strife support, while Strife: Veteran Edition is Night Dive Studios' official GPL-licensed source release, now halted, which ships no game data and requires a copy purchased separately from GOG or Steam.
Comparison table
Availability
- Status
- Playable
- Platforms
- Linux, OSX, Windows
- Play in browser
- No
- Mobile
- No
Project health
- Development status
- Active
- Last updated
- 6d ago
- Stars
- 2,416
- Contributors
- 96
- License
- GPL-2.0
- Engine
- SDL2
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- YesRequires the original game data (IWAD files) to play.
- Modding support
- —
- Multiplayer
- —
Availability
- Status
- Playable
- Platforms
- Linux, Windows, OSX
- Play in browser
- Mobile
- No
Project health
- Development status
- Active
- Last updated
- 6d ago
- Stars
- 947
- Contributors
- 128
- License
- GPL-2.0
- Engine
- SDL2
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- YesRequires original Doom WAD files; the shareware version of Doom is available free.
- Modding support
- YesSupports DEHACKED files and lumps in BEX format, advanced features like ANIMATED and SWITCHES lumps, and custom WAD mods.
- Multiplayer
- Online
Availability
- Status
- Playable
- Platforms
- Windows, OSX
- Play in browser
- No
- Mobile
- No
Project health
- Development status
- Active
- Last updated
- 7d ago
- Stars
- 268
- Contributors
- 31
- License
- GPL-3.0
- Engine
- SDL2
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- YesRequires original DOOM game files (pak0.pak and pak1.pak) to run.
- Modding support
- YesSupports extensive modding through ACS scripting and EDF (Eternity Definition File) for defining monsters, decorations, sounds, and other game data.
- Multiplayer
- —
Availability
- Status
- Playable
- Platforms
- Windows, Linux, OSX
- Play in browser
- No
- Mobile
- No
Project health
- Development status
- Halted
- Last updated
- 4y ago
- Stars
- 143
- Contributors
- 3
- License
- GPL-2.0
- Engine
- SDL2
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- YesGame data is not included in the source release and must be obtained separately from GOG or Steam.
- Modding support
- —
- Multiplayer
- Multiplayer
Availability
- Status
- Playable
- Platforms
- Windows, Linux
- 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 | Chocolate Doom | Crispy Doom | The Eternity Engine | Strife: Veteran Edition | K8Vavoom |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Status | Playable | Playable | Playable | Playable | Playable |
| Platforms | Linux, OSX, Windows | Linux, Windows, OSX | Windows, OSX | Windows, Linux, OSX | Windows, Linux |
| Play in browser | No | No | No | No | |
| Mobile | No | No | No | No | No |
| Project health | |||||
| Development status | Active | Active | Active | Halted | Not tracked |
| Last updated | 6d ago | 6d ago | 7d ago | 4y ago | Not tracked |
| Stars | 2,416 | 947 | 268 | 143 | Not tracked |
| Contributors | 96 | 128 | 31 | 3 | Not tracked |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-2.0 | GPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 | Not tracked |
| Engine | SDL2 | SDL2 | SDL2 | SDL2 | Not tracked |
| Compatibility | |||||
| Requires original assets | YesRequires the original game data (IWAD files) to play. | YesRequires original Doom WAD files; the shareware version of Doom is available free. | YesRequires original DOOM game files (pak0.pak and pak1.pak) to run. | YesGame data is not included in the source release and must be obtained separately from GOG or Steam. | — |
| Modding support | — | YesSupports DEHACKED files and lumps in BEX format, advanced features like ANIMATED and SWITCHES lumps, and custom WAD mods. | YesSupports extensive modding through ACS scripting and EDF (Eternity Definition File) for defining monsters, decorations, sounds, and other game data. | — | — |
| Multiplayer | — | Online | — | Multiplayer | — |
| Preview | | | | |
Known limitations
- feature: Heretic, Hexen, and Strife support is in-progress.
Frequently asked questions
Are the Strife 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 Strife clones use?
Chocolate Doom, Crispy Doom, and Strife: Veteran Edition (GPL-2.0); The Eternity Engine (GPL-3.0).
Do I need to own the original Strife to play these clones?
Chocolate Doom, Crispy Doom, The Eternity Engine, and Strife: Veteran Edition require original game assets to play.
Can I play any of these Strife clones directly in a browser?
Yes — Crispy Doom has a browser-playable build linked in the comparison table above, no install required.
Which Strife clone is the most actively maintained?
Chocolate Doom, Crispy Doom, and The Eternity Engine 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 Strife.