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5 Open Source Alternatives To Minecraft

It's not difficult to see why Minecraft is a favorite game for millions. Because it is written in Java, it can run on a variety of platforms including Linux. There are many Minecraft tinkerers who would love access to the source code and begin to work on it. Unfortunately the source code isn't accessible to the general public.



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There's good news. Minecraft's popularity has led to a variety of attempts to recreate the game, and others in a similar vein as open source software. Are you looking for a no-cost Minecraft alternative to Minecraft? Here's a brief look at some clones and derivatives out there that you really ought to investigate.



These projects are in varying stages of completion and serve different objectives. Some attempt to recreate the Minecraft experience completely, while others aim to give a similar experience. Others are taking the voxel-based game concept in completely different directions while others are more of a framework to assist you in creating your own game or develop your own.



Minetest



The first game on our list is Minetest. Minetest, a "near infinite-world block sandbox game" and a "game engine", is the most complete alternative to Minecraft. It includes multiplayer games and subgames and features a number of terrain generators as well as different default biomes. It also has a user-friendly API for creating mods in Lua.



Minetest is open-source under the LGPL. It is written mostly in C++, which makes it more efficient than other scripting languages. Minetest runs on Windows, OS X, Linux, Android, FreeBSD and possibly other operating systems as well. Check out the source code on GitHub.



Minetest screenshot, Minetest website, CC-BY-SA 3.0.
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Terasology



Terasology might win the award for the most stunning rendering engine within the pack. Its shadows are both ominous and stunning. This game started as an experiment in creating procedural terrain. It has evolved into a fully-featured game with multiplayer and various add-ons that allow you to try different gameplay mechanics.



Terasology is written in Java and released under an Apache 2.0 license. Because of its Java-based system it can be able to run on any platform with sufficient power, provided that you have the Java 8 virtual machine installed.



Terasology screenshot, Terasology code repository, Apache 2.0.



Voxel.js



The one that stands out in this list is Voxel.js; unlike the others it's not a gaming application in the slightest and doesn't claim to be. Voxel.js instead is an JavaScript library that allows you to build your own Minecraft-style renderings, games, and other interactive widgets using JavaScript or HTML. It can be embedded on any webpage without the need for any special plugins.



Voxel.js is a collection of several related projects, meaning you can utilize as much or as little code you like when you craft your perfect game. The primary library, voxel-engine, is a fairly basic engine that renders boxy scenes, but there are over 200 additional add-ons available. You can see examples of other engines in the gallery. The main engine is released under the BSD-style license. Other add-ons might be licensed differently, so make sure to check before making assumptions.



Screenshot of voxel forest using Voxel.js by Jason Baker



TrueCraft



TrueCraft is designed to be very similar to the original game. It is described as a Minecraft "implementation," as opposed to a clone and is compatible with official Minecraft server versions. The author of TrueCraft is looking to implement beta version 1.7.3 of the original game, which is a period in Minecraft's development he deems "nearly perfect." TrueCraft is a snapshot of Minecraft that has been deliberately frozen in time. He is seeking feature-parity with Minecraft.



TrueCraft is very close to the original. This is why TrueCraft has taken great care to avoid copyright issues. TrueCraft allows code only from developers who haven't decompiled or had access to the original game source code. However those who have had access been granted access are encouraged and welcomed to contribute in other ways. TrueCraft is written in C# and is open source under an MIT license.



TrueCraft screenshot, TrueCraft code repository, MIT license.



Craft



Craft is a different open source engine for voxels that is reminiscent of Minecraft. Although development seems to be slowing or stopped but there are more than 200 forks, a lot of which (such as the school project Not2bad-craft) are able to provide major improvements. If you're looking to create a Minecraft-like game, Craft's simplicity might appeal to you. The game engine is several thousand lines of C code and utilizes OpenGL to render. It employs simple algorithms to create terrain and perform other tasks. Everything is stored in an SQLite3 databank. It's worth considering the possibility of a multiplayer server based on Python.



Craft is available under an MIT license.



Craft screenshot, Craft code repository, MIT license.



Other great alternatives



You can also look at these other notable references:



Freeminer is another sandbox game that is inspired by Minecraft and is based on Minetest. As a fork, the authors are determined to "make the game fun while sacrificing some aspects of perfectionistism." It includes installers for Linux and Android. ClassiCube is a Minecraft Classic clone, is written in C#. It is open-source under the OpenTK License and can be installed on Linux, Solaris, Windows OS, Solaris, Windows OS, Mac OS and in browsers.



There you go. This list isn't exhaustive; there are plenty of other options out there just waiting to be explored and as time passes, we'll see more options emerge as players take these games and rip them out on their own. Which one do you prefer? And what one did we leave out that you'd like to have?


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