Gray Horizon vs WarEra
Both are free browser games where you play one citizen of a real country, and both say money can't buy power. They differ in what money does buy, in how a border moves, and in how far along each one is.
| Gray Horizon | WarEra | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A browser game made by one person, where you play one citizen of a real country and the players run everything else. | A free browser strategy game from a studio in Paris, where you play a soldier, a trader, an entrepreneur or a politician. |
| The map | 196 countries and 755 provinces. Each country starts with the kind of government it has today. | 180 countries and 726 regions in its public API. Each country starts with the regions it holds in the real world. |
| Borders | A province changes hands only when both sides sign a peace treaty. Winning the battle only starts the argument. | A region is occupied when the attacking side wins the battle for it. |
| Runs on | Any browser on a phone or a computer, and an Android app on Google Play. On an iPhone, add it to the home screen. | Browser and an Android app. On iPhone, a TestFlight test was announced in January 2026; there was no App Store listing in October. |
| What money buys | Nothing is for sale during the alpha. Later: looks, a few extra saved slots and a Supporter plan. Credits, Energy, damage, gear stats, votes and offices are never for sale, and the game's tests refuse a store item that would sell one. | Gems, bought with money, pay for skins, banners, random cosmetic boxes and a monthly Supporter Plan. The plan adds convenience: five saved equipment sets instead of one, more kits, and a button that runs all your production at once. Its front page says "No pay to win, 100% free to play". |
| Languages | English. Players write their papers and talk in any language. | 29 languages on its front page. |
| How far along | Closed alpha since September 2026. The alpha world is deleted when the alpha ends. | Alpha in April 2024, in beta now (0.26.2). |
What money buys
WarEra sells gems for skins, banners, cosmetic boxes and a Supporter Plan. The plan is convenience: five saved equipment sets instead of one, more kits, and a button that runs all your production at once.
Gray Horizon's planned store is close to that: looks, a few extra saved slots and a Supporter plan. The difference today is that Gray Horizon sells nothing at all while its world is an alpha that will be deleted, and its never-for-sale list is checked by the game's own tests.
How a border moves
In WarEra the side that wins the battle occupies the region. In Gray Horizon winning gets you the ground; the province changes hands only when both governments sign a peace treaty. A war there ends when somebody signs.
How far along each one is
WarEra has been running since April 2024 and is in beta. Its API counted about 13,700 active citizens on 5 October 2026. Gray Horizon is in closed alpha, made by one person, and the alpha world will be deleted when the alpha ends. If you want a busy world tonight, WarEra has more people in it.
Which one is for you
Pick WarEra if you want a world that is already full.
Pick Gray Horizon if you want borders that only move by treaty, and to be there while the first governments are still being chosen.
We make Gray Horizon, so read this page with that in mind. What it says about WarEra comes from WarEra's own pages, its store listings, its wiki and its players' own writing, checked on 5 October 2026. If something has changed, write to hello@grayhorizon.world and it gets fixed.