Julius

Julius is an open source re-implementation of Caesar III. It will stay true to the original while bringing the game to new systems as well as improving the UI and adding support for widescreen resolutions. This version should even be compatible with save files from the original game! As usual, asset files are required to run it, but since the current release is at version 1.0 it should be rather complete.

I found no screenshot from it, but this unofficial video shows the game:

GearHead 1.310

Roguelike mecha role playing game GearHead is getting a new release while development of GearHead 2 advances alongside it. Several improvements have been made. As an example the game now features thinner, nicer looking walls and there have also been some improvements to the UI. This is a rather unique game that seems to have much thought put into it. A tip is to read the instructions a bit down on this page before starting.

GearHeads title screen. Note the nice pixel spaceships in the background.

Cytopia

Cytopia is a city building game with isometric retro-styled pixel art and a focus on mods. Lately it has moved from a promising engine to a promising game. There is already support for a custom UI system, terrain manipulation, roads and water, buildings and much more. The pixel art looks great and many cool features are planned for the future such as procedural terrain generation, OpenGL rendering and a scripting language for mods. Also, it seems like the project is currently looking for more developers, if you happen to be interested.

Buildings, roads and hills in Cytopia.

Aurora

Aurora is a roguelike space exploration game, in part inspired by Star Control 2. There are loads of features already implemented, incluing randomly generated galaxies, various star systems with planets and ships, simple space combat, planetary exploration, research, a dialogue system, quests, a global story, a diplomacy system and more. It looks really well-made and I appreciate the huge variation in gameplay elements that it's built around.

Planet exploration with combat in Aurora.

Unknown Horizons

The description of Unknown Horizons from it's official page describes the project very well:

A 2D realtime strategy simulation with an emphasis on economy and city building. Expand your small settlement to a strong and wealthy colony, collect taxes and supply your inhabitants with valuable goods. Increase your power with a well balanced economy and with strategic trade and diplomacy. 

The game certainly lives up to that and I can attest that it is really fun to play. The game recently got a new release called 2019.1, which follows up from the gigantic release made in 2017. I've been following the progess of development and have been impressed by how much that has been done with this game during the last few years. This new release has, among other things, an isometric mini-map that shows the same rotation as the main game view and ambient objects that makes the world more varied and nicer to look at. There are of course also many internal improvements and fixes of all kinds. A great time to give this excellent game a go!

A nice little settlement in Unknown Horizons.

FAR Colony

FAR Colony is a space strategy game that can be played both in realtime or in a turn based fashion, depending on what the player prefers. It's complex and in-depth game where lots of thought has got into every part. I have mentioned it a few times before, but it was quite a while ago now so I thought it deserved a heads-up. Development still seems very active, with something new almost every week. If you are looking for a really grand space strategy game, this might be where to look!

An overview of a settlement in FAR Colony, showing a Nuclear Fission Reactor.

Wyrmsun - 3.5

Wyrmsun keeps up the regular releases, this time with a winter theme. This classic-styled RTS now has seasons that passes as the game goes on, making this a winter-release in more ways than one. Seasons change the terrain and the day/night cycle, adding new aspects to this tactical game. As always there is a ton of other changes too, so make sure to check this excellent title out.

Wyrmsun showing a small settlement in winter.

0 A.D. - Alpha 23 Re-release

Hasn't Alpha 23 of the impressive 3D RTS 0 A.D. already been released? It has, but now it's been re-released with several bugs and other maintenance-related things fixed. Many improvements has been made to online play and security and there are also a few other fixes. If you play this game an update is recommended while waiting for a new feature-release.

A battle at sea in 0 A.D. Notice the beautiful water!

Open Fodder

Open Fodder is simply put an open source clone of the game Cannon Fodder. As with most similar remakes you will need the original data files to play, and because I don't have them I can't say how far the project has come. But it seems to be rather complete juding from the screenshots and available information, even having support for several different campaigns from various versions of the game, so fans of this classic ought to check it out.

KKnD - Milestone 0.1.0

When I last mentioned OpenRA I also mentioned a recreation of the excellent classic RTS KKnD based on the OpenRA engine. This project has since then put out it's first milestone: 0.1.0. As the developers mention in the release notes, this is an early version focusing on the first KKnD game and multiplayer gameplay. Single-player will have to wait a bit longer. KKnD is also a game that has non-free assets, so you need to own the original game or be content with the demo. Please read the text from the release page above before downloading, and then: have fun!

A big battle between two bases in this KKnD remake!

Unvanquished - 0.51

After several years it seems Unvanquished is still alive and well, and proves this with an enormous new release! In case you missed it, Unvanquished is a tactical shooter with base-building elements where a team of humans fight against a team of aliens. Each team has completely different gameplay styles, creating some very interesting dynamics and variation. It looks really good and plays even better, and this new release has a massive changelog: a new launcher, many gameplay improvements, loads of work on game assets including some new player models, code clean up and performance improvements, lots of work on maps, new and improved sound effects, better bots, etc, etc. It also seems a beta release is near, so this is probably a perfect time to try this excellent and unique shooter!

A new damage indicator is another big improvement in Unvanquished.

Wyrmsun - 3.4.1

The really enjoyable classic RTS Wyrmsun still has an amazingly rapid development pace. Every day there seems to be something new. The game recently reached a new nice milestone in the form of 3.4.0, that among other things included a new civilization in the form of the Norse, several new buildings for Dwarfs, Teutons and Goblins, a few new units and a whole host of other improvements all around. If you like RTS games and have not yet tried this gem, give it a go!

A dwarven settlement in Wyrmsun.

OpenRA - 20180923

The extremely polished recreation of the classic Command & Conquer-games (as well as Dune 2000), OpenRA, keeps the banner high with regular releases. The latest is called 20180923 and includes several months worth of work. There is a new player account system bringing together more aspects of the games online community, several UI improvements, AppImage packages, performance improvements and many other fixes, balancing and tweaks. The Mod SDK has received large improvements too, and many interesting mods seem to be in the work. Personally I love the fact that one of them attempts to recreate another classic RTS: KKND.

New mouse-overs displays hints in OpenRA.

Mindustry

Mindustry is a very unique tower defense game where it's not enough to construct turrets to defeat the hordes of incoming enemies – you must also construct supply lines with conveyor belts to provide them with ammo. For those of us who love building and optimizing this game should provide plenty of fun! The game can be downloaded or it can be played directly in the browser. There is an editor so you can create your own maps and there is even cross-platform multiplayer over LAN or WAN, so get your friends together and start constructing!

Look at these amazingly intricate designs!

Planet Blupi

I read a headline saying Planet Blupi had been open-sourced, and it didn't sound familiar at all. But then I saw the screenshots of small yellow creatures exploring and building stuff and realized: I have played this! A really long time ago, but if I remember right it was quite fun... Turns out Planet Blupi is completely free now, including media assets. The game is described as both adventure and strategy. Using the Blupi-creatures you will build things, grow flowers, make food, devise traps or in other ways try to overcome the games 30-ish levels. This version seems to have many bug-fixes and code modernisations compared to the original, so if this unusual mix sounds interesting I believe it could be fun to try.

Cute animations of idle Blupies.

Code Clash

Code Clash is a fast-paced strategy game where two teams construct units and try to outwit each others tactics - without controlling the actual units. The game is designed so it can be played anywhere and with anyone, with the computer, phone or tablet placed between both players.

It's also a game I have made myself. :) I recently added the projects source code and art assets under open licenses, so I thought I might as well mention the game here as well. Please let me know what you think!

The middle of a heated battle in Code Clash.

Freeciv 2.6

Freeciv has had a major release after three years of hard work. This great empire-builder has so many improvements I couldn't even begin to mention them. Rest assured that the game plays better than ever, so perhaps it's time to get a multiplayer-session together and have some fun! Remember that if you don't think the main game has enough options or a graphical style that suits you, you can change it up with rulesets, modpacks or new art and tilesets. Also, don't forget that the game can be played online in the form of Freeciv-web, complete with a WebGL-based 3D engine.

You probably need to click this image of Freeciv to notice all the little detail that hides beneath those flags. :)

CorsixTH

Can't get enough of the classic title Theme Hospital? The modern engine-implementation CorsixTH has got you covered with a new release called 0.62. There are several fixes and improvements to this already very complete engine. Just load up your old Theme Hospital CD and copy the data files and you're ready to go! And if you don't have the original, you can try the demo which is available from the CorsixTH page.

Getting a zoomed-out high-res view like this is possible using CorsixTH.

FreeOrion 0.4.8

Master of Orion-inspired FreeOrion has had a new massive release, complete with an enormous changelog! Among the bigger things are many improvements to multiplayer, improvements to the user interface, lots of new gameplay mechanics and game rules, many AI-improvements and much, much more. This is a very polished and enjoyable game, so unless you are daunted by the sheer amount of options and gameplay elements there is a lot of fun to be had.

An overview of the galaxy in FreeOrion.

TripleA

TripleA is a strategy game designed to play as a digital version of the classic Axis & Allies boardgames. It can be played both online, over LAN or single player against AI. There are several maps included, focusing on everything from World War 2 to the Napoleonic Wars, even including several futuristic and fantasy scenarios. It's possible to create new maps and share them with other players as well. TripleA will probably require a bit of patience but there is certainly a lot to like for those who want to invest time in it. I also must mention that many of the maps looks really good.

The beautiful Napoleonic Empires map from TripleA.