xs game engine - Extra Small 2D Game Engine

About xs

xs is an extra small, educational 2D game engine with Wren scripting. It's made with the goal of being the smallest game making tool possible. It used to teach introduction game engine programming at Breda University of Applied Sciences.

Wren Scripting

Uses the lightweight Wren scripting language - easy to learn, fast to run, hot-reloadable in microseconds

2D Graphics

Render pixel-perfect sprite graphics or sharp vector shapes

Entity-Component

Easy to use EC system for organizing your game logic

Audio Support

Super simple audio interface or state of art audio engine provided by the Fmod integration*

Multi-Platform

Build for PC, macOS, iOS, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 5

VS Code Extension

Integrated development with xs extension - visual editors, launch commands/buttons, and debug templates

Alpha: xs is early development. API may change from version to version. Some features might be missing or not be stable.

Fmod: Fmod integration is optional and requires a separate license from Fmod. The basic audio system is free to use without Fmod.

What's Inside

Core Engine: Written in C++ with focus on portability, simplicity and performance, it compiles in few seconds

Wren VM: Embedded scripting with great error messages, with support for hot-reloading from the UI

API Modules: Rendering, audio, input, math, file I/O, and more

Minimal UI: Simple and intuitive user interface that gets out of your way and lets you express your creativity through code

Sample Games: Learn from included examples

Open Source: Crafted at Breda University of Applied Sciences for our courses and shared with the community

Quick Start

Download and run the xs-setup installer — no admin required, adds xs to your PATH

Open a new terminal and run xs run samples/hello

Follow the Getting Started guide to create your first game

Ready to make games? Check out the Getting Started guide or browse the API Documentation.