# heroiclabs/nakama

Scalable open-source game backend server: multiplayer, matchmaking, leaderboards, chat, and social features for games.

Repository: https://github.com/heroiclabs/nakama
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/nakama
Homepage: https://heroiclabs.com
Language: Go
License: Apache-2.0
License Family: permissive
Topics: multiplayer, backend, nakama, game-framework, unreal-engine, game-backend, cpp, csharp, dotnet, game, gamedev, godot, server, unity, unity3d, unreal, go, javascript, lua, typescript
Last push: 2026-08-25T16:12:14+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 97/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 93, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3519, "days_push": 8, "days_rel": 51, "gap_med": 20, "n_releases_24m": 24}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 13219, forks 1477 (observed 2026-08-28T04:11:02.560677+00:00)

## What it is
Nakama is a scalable open-source game backend server written in Go that provides multiplayer sessions, matchmaking, leaderboards, chat, and social features out of the box. It is extensible with custom server logic in Go, Lua, TypeScript, and offers client SDKs for Unity, Unreal, Godot, and JavaScript.

## Use cases
- add multiplayer and matchmaking to my game
- self-hosted game backend with leaderboards and chat
- realtime authoritative multiplayer server for Unity or Unreal
- user accounts, authentication, and friends for a game
- run tournaments and leaderboards for players
- extend game server logic with custom Lua or TypeScript modules

## When to choose
- building a multiplayer or social game that needs accounts, matchmaking, chat, and leaderboards
- you want a self-hosted, scalable backend with SDKs for major game engines
- you need server-authoritative realtime gameplay with custom logic

## When to avoid
- single-player games with no backend needs
- you only need a simple REST API without game-specific features
- you require a fully managed cloud service and cannot run servers

## Facets
- artifact type: service
- maturity: stable
- function: http-server, websocket, auth, chatbot, api-framework, middleware, database, self-hosted
- domain: backend, gaming-tools, developer-tools
- platform: go, self-hosted, cross-platform, windows
- tags: game-backend, multiplayer, matchmaking, leaderboards, social, realtime, unity, unreal-engine, godot, server-authoritative, game-development, real-time, docker, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- heroiclabs/nakama (main) score 97

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:11:02.560677+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T17:13:26.360106+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/heroiclabs/nakama (fetched 2026-08-28T04:11:02.560677+00:00, sha c5da18ab21d4)
  - homepage: https://heroiclabs.com (fetched 2026-08-29T08:08:36.943721+00:00, sha 6efbe6e4b8b5)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.