Game engine
Ren'Py
Ren'Py makes visual novels. Script, sprites, and choices are the whole loop. It is the wrong tool for an action game.
Developer: Tom Rothamel and contributors
Overview
A project is a script plus images and audio. Labels, menus, and characters are language features, not systems you build first.
The launcher builds Windows, macOS, and Linux packages. Android, iOS, and web builds exist. Read the current doc before you promise a store.
Technical specifications
Specs checked 2026-10-05. Version lines move; the download link is the source of truth.
- Developer
- Tom Rothamel and contributors
- Version line
- Current release
- License
- MIT
- Business model
- Ren'Py is MIT. Commercial visual novels do not pay an engine royalty.
- Releases
- Stable builds are listed on renpy.org. The launcher downloads the SDK.
- Editor platforms
- Windows, macOS, Linux
- Export targets
- Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Web
- Languages
- Python
- 2D / 3D
- 2D
- VR
- No.
- AR
- No.
- Visual scripting
- No node editor. The script is Ren'Py's own language, with Python underneath.
- Beginners
- Yes for dialogue games. The tutorial game in the launcher is the right first project.
- Learning curve
- Low for a linear story. Custom screens and Python raise it.
- Graphics
- 2D sprites, backgrounds, and transitions. Real-time 3D is not the tool.
- Team size
- Writers and one technical owner. A novel can be a solo project.
- GitHub stars
- 6,880 · renpy/renpy
- Documentation
- https://www.renpy.org/doc/html/
- Community
- https://lemmasoft.renai.us/forums/
- Assets and examples
- https://www.renpy.org
Where it fits
- MIT, with no engine royalty.
- Dialogue, saves, and rollback are built in.
- Writers can work in script files.
Where it does not
- It is a visual-novel tool, not a general game engine.
- Action, physics, and 3D cameras are out of scope.
- There is no scene editor in the usual engine sense.
Matching source
No sample projects are listed for this engine yet.
How does it compare?
A general engine when the story needs gameplay systems.
A paid RPG template if the game is battles and maps.
Questions
Can I sell a Ren'Py game?
Yes. The engine is MIT. Your art, music, and script stay yours.
Do I need to know Python?
Not for a straightforward novel. Python is how you leave the built-in screens.
Will it make a platformer?
No. Use a 2D engine for that.