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Game · Strategy

Return to the Roots

Fan project that reimplements The Settlers 2 game.

  • Completely free
  • Linux
  • Open source

At a glance

All of Return to the Roots is free: no feature is locked behind a paid plan, and its code is open.

Its licence (GPL-2.0+) is a copyleft open source licence: you may use, study, modify and redistribute it, including commercially; modified versions must keep the same licence.

Strengths

  • Open source code
  • Commercial use allowed

Weaknesses

  • Few recent updates

About

The original game was remplemented with new features such as a multiplayer mode via internet as well as the support for modern hardware. It also includes some smaller upgrades that are implemented as optional addons. To do that it was necessary to rewrite the whole game, but the original graphics and sounds are still being used. Improvements towards the original game include: IP based multiplayer with optional UPnP port forwarding Support for higher resolution including a stepless zoom A new nation: the Babylonians New buildings: the charcoal burner Fog of war that shrouds the area when unexplored You will still need an original "The Settlers 2 Gold Edition" version to play Return To The Roots.

Description from Flathub — AppStream (Flathub)

Sources and checks

  • Facts collected from Flathub (credit card, publisher, licence, free status, platforms, commercial use, version) —
  • Last technical check: 8 November 2026
  • Description from Flathub — AppStream (Flathub)

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