Overview

Colobot: Gold Edition is a free, open-source real-time strategy game in which you do not issue orders by clicking — you program them. Set on an alien planet after humanity has fled a ruined Earth, the game hands you a squad of robots (bots) and a language called CBOT, a simplified, C++/Java-like scripting language. You write the instructions your bots follow, then watch them mine titanium, build structures, recharge their cells and fight hostile alien life on their own. It is a strategy game and a gentle introduction to programming in the same package.

The Gold Edition is the modern, cross-platform continuation of the 1996 original by Epsitec, developed in the open by the TerranovaTeam community and published under the GPL. It is a full engine rewrite with 3D graphics, a level editor, mod support and an in-game programming interface that colour-codes code as it compiles.

Key Features

• Program your units in CBOT — a C++/Java-style language with syntax highlighting, a built-in code editor and step-by-step debugging, so missions double as programming lessons.
• Six game modes — Missions (the story campaign), Free game (open-ended sandbox), Exercises (tutorials), Challenges, Code battles and Custom levels.
• Full level editor — build and share your own maps, objectives and scripting.
• Mod support — external mod and texture packs can be loaded from a dedicated Mods menu.
• Research tree and base building — unlock refineries, power plants, radar, repair stations and new bot types as the campaign progresses.
• Multi-language interface — the UI ships in English, Polish and many other community translations.
• 3D engine — OpenGL rendering with shadow mapping and anisotropic filtering, running on Windows, Linux and macOS.

Why Use It

Colobot is that rare strategy game that teaches transferable skills: the “orders” you give are real, readable code. It is genuinely replayable (dozens of campaign missions plus an open sandbox), it is fully offline and single-player, and it costs nothing. The Gold Edition is also a clean example of community open-source stewardship — the original 1996 assets were released to the community and the game has been maintained and modernised ever since, with the source, issues and roadmap all public on GitHub.

Use Cases

• Introducing teenagers or beginners to programming through play rather than a tutorial website.
• Practising algorithm design (pathfinding, resource scheduling, loops) in a visual sandbox.
• Casual single-player RTS sessions that can be interrupted and resumed at any time.
• Level and mod creation for people who want to tinker with the engine.
• A dependable LAN-less, offline game for low-spec or older machines.

Platforms

Windows (64-bit), Linux (64-bit AppImage) and macOS. Active development: the latest release is 0.2.2-alpha (“Plan B: fix++”, December 2024), with the project still committing code in 2026.

Licence

Free and open source — GNU General Public License v3.0. The source code and assets are published openly at github.com/colobot/colobot, and the game is a free download from the official site. No ads, no in-app purchases, no telemetry.

Alternatives

• Globulation 2 — open-source real-time strategy with a similarly hands-off, program-your-units flavour.

Website

https://colobot.info/ — official site with downloads, news and community links.