Nakama
Apache-2.0 full game backend — auth, storage, matchmaking, chat
Graphics & 3D / Multiplayer · Apache-2.0 · 13.5k
Reviewed 2026-09-10 · last push 2026-10-16 · repo checked 2026-10-19
What's Good
Apache-2.0. heroiclabs/nakama. Users/social, storage collections, realtime + turn-based multiplayer, matchmaker, chat, leaderboards/tournaments, parties, IAP validation, runtime modules in Go/TypeScript/Lua. JS/browser client (@heroiclabs/nakama-js) included. Docker/binary + Postgres/Cockroach. Homepage heroiclabs.com/nakama; source github.com/heroiclabs/nakama.
The Catch
Vs Colyseus, Gatho, and PartyKit: full social/game server, not a rooms-only kit, not process-per-room WebSockets, not CF Durable Objects. Multi-node HA / cluster management is Nakama Enterprise proprietary — the free path is OSS single-node (or single-process) self-host; clustering is the commercial side. You still run Postgres/Cockroach and own ops.
Verdict
Apache-2.0 game backend. Free OSS single-node path; cluster HA is Enterprise — not the free story.
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