The Settlers III: 2 Open Source Clones Compared
JSettlers is further along and semi-playable, with online multiplayer, though it's alpha-status with acknowledged bugs, occasional save-incompatibilities between versions, and broken macOS support; it needs the original Settlers III's graphics/sound files to run, though the project has been gradually replacing them with more permissively licensed substitutes. X-Settlers is an earlier-stage C++ rewrite that's currently unplayable — only camera controls and terrain texture-atlas rendering have been implemented so far, with full game logic still planned.
Comparison table
Availability
- Status
- Semi-playable
- Platforms
- Windows, Linux, Android
- Play in browser
- YesPlay in Browser
- Mobile
- Android
Project health
- Development status
- Archived
- Last updated
- 10mo ago
- Stars
- 142
- Contributors
- 47
- License
- MIT
- Engine
- —
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- YesRequires GFX, SND, and optionally MAP folders from original The Settlers 3 installation or demo version.
- Multiplayer
- Online
Availability
- Status
- Unplayable
- Platforms
- Linux, Windows
- Play in browser
- No
- Mobile
- No
Project health
- Development status
- Halted
- Last updated
- 6y ago
- Stars
- 11
- Contributors
- 4
- License
- Apache-2.0
- Engine
- SDL2
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- —
- Multiplayer
- —
| Title | JSettlers | X-Settlers |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Semi-playable | Unplayable |
| Platforms | Windows, Linux, Android | Linux, Windows |
| Play in browser | YesPlay in Browser | No |
| Mobile | Android | No |
| Project health | ||
| Development status | Archived | Halted |
| Last updated | 10mo ago | 6y ago |
| Stars | 142 | 11 |
| Contributors | 47 | 4 |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Engine | — | SDL2 |
| Compatibility | ||
| Requires original assets | YesRequires GFX, SND, and optionally MAP folders from original The Settlers 3 installation or demo version. | — |
| Multiplayer | Online | — |
| Preview | |
Known limitations
- compatibility: Game is currently in alpha status with bugs and frequent changes making saved games invalid.
- platform: macOS support is broken regardless of CPU architecture.
Frequently asked questions
Are the The Settlers III 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 The Settlers III clones use?
JSettlers (MIT); X-Settlers (Apache-2.0).
Do I need to own the original The Settlers III to play these clones?
JSettlers requires original game assets to play.
Can I play any of these The Settlers III clones directly in a browser?
Yes — JSettlers has a browser-playable build linked in the comparison table above, no install required.
See the full write-up for each clone, or go back to The Settlers III.