0 A.D. Review, Pricing & Features

0 A.D. is a free, open-source real-time strategy game set in ancient warfare with 15+ civilizations. Available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Category
Gaming & Game Servers
Pricing
Free (open source), from Free
Verified
Not yet
Last updated
July 18, 2026
WindowsOpen SourceSelf-HostedMac

Overview

0 A.D. is a real-time strategy game of ancient warfare, developed and maintained entirely by Wildfire Games, an international volunteer team. The game is completely free, with no purchase price, subscriptions, in-app purchases, or advertising.

The project is fully open source: its code is licensed under the GNU General Public License v2 and its artwork under Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 3.0, so anyone can download, redistribute, modify, or contribute to it.

Key Features

The game includes 15 or more playable historical civilizations, with a Germanic civilization added in Release 28. Players can take on single-player campaign scenarios or compete in online multiplayer matches.

Recent releases have added gendered civilian units, direct font rendering to support East Asian languages, and expanded customization options for setting up games, alongside the core city-building, resource-management, and combat gameplay typical of the RTS genre.

Platforms

0 A.D. runs natively on Windows 10/11 (64-bit), macOS 10.15 and later, and Linux, where it is distributed as AppImage, Snap, and Flatpak packages. The most recent release dropped support for Windows 7 and 8.1.

Key Features

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Completely free with no purchases, subscriptions, or ads
  • Fully open source and moddable under GPLv2/CC BY-SA
  • Actively developed by a volunteer community
  • Historically detailed civilizations, units, and buildings

Cons

  • Only recently exited alpha status (Release 28, February 2026)
  • No official studio-run support line — support relies on the volunteer community
  • Update pace depends on volunteer contributor availability

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 0 A.D. free to play?

Yes, 0 A.D. is completely free, with no purchases, subscriptions, or ads.

What platforms does 0 A.D. support?

Windows 10/11 (64-bit), macOS 10.15+, and Linux (AppImage, Snap, and Flatpak builds).

Is 0 A.D. still in alpha?

No. Release 28, 'Boiorix' (February 2026), is the game's first non-alpha release.

Can I modify or contribute to 0 A.D.?

Yes. The code is GPLv2-licensed and the artwork is CC BY-SA 3.0, and Wildfire Games accepts contributions from coders, artists, translators, and testers.

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