widelands/widelands

Widelands is a free, open source real-time strategy game with singleplayer campaigns and multiplayer mode. The game draws inspiration from Settlers II but expands significantly on that foundation with greater variety and strategic depth.

The project addresses the desire for a deep, accessible real-time strategy experience available across multiple platforms without proprietary licensing. It accomplishes this by building a complete game engine in C++ with support for complex economic systems, territorial control, and unit management typical of the genre. The game includes scripted single-player campaigns alongside competitive multiplayer functionality, allowing players to engage with either structured narrative experiences or head-to-head competition.

Widelands suits developers or players seeking a strategy game that runs on Linux, Windows, and macOS without commercial restrictions. The project is appropriate for those who want to contribute to or modify a strategy game with established mechanics and a playable foundation, rather than starting from scratch. The codebase uses CMake for building and supports compilation through convenience scripts or direct CMake invocation, with dependencies including SDL libraries for graphics and audio, Python for scripting, and standard graphics libraries.

The project maintains active development across its codebase with regular commits addressing both gameplay features and technical infrastructure. Build system improvements and dependency management receive ongoing attention, indicating sustained effort to keep the compilation process functional across supported platforms. The team engages with cross-platform compatibility concerns, evidenced by documented support for multiple compilers and operating systems including Apple Silicon architecture.