A thin, modular C++ game engine designed for building games directly from C++ with full control and fast iteration.
Toy is a thin and modular C++ game engine designed for developers who want to build games directly in C++ with minimal overhead. It provides a lightweight stack of technology for rendering, UI, audio, physics, and scripting, emphasizing simplicity, extensibility, and full control over game systems. The engine is built on the Two library and supports fast iteration through hot-reload and seamless scripting integration.
C++ developers and game programmers who need a lightweight, hackable engine for projects with atypical constraints, such as complex UI, custom rendering pipelines, or procedural generation. It's also suitable for those interested in building their own game technology from modular components.
Toy offers a significantly smaller codebase compared to mainstream engines, providing deep hackability and full control without the bloat. Its modular design and zero-cost tools allow developers to extend and customize every aspect, making it ideal for non-standard game projects and educational exploration of game engine architecture.
the thin c++ game engine
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With a codebase about one-tenth the size of competing engines, Toy emphasizes simplicity and ease of modification, making it deeply hackable and perfect for educational exploration.
Each functionality is enclosed in small, understandable modules, allowing developers to pick components or build custom game technology, as highlighted in its modular design philosophy.
Reflection automatically binds game code to scripting languages like Lua and Wren, enabling seamless editing and live scripting without performance overhead, integrated into tools.
Features like hot-reload of native code and immediate UI/rendering support rapid development cycles, as emphasized in the principles for fast iteration.
The README explicitly warns that Toy is under heavy development, not stable, lacks full documentation, and has potential breaking changes, making it risky for production use.
Released under GPL v3.0, which requires derivative works to be open-source, posing a barrier for commercial projects seeking proprietary flexibility unless funding shifts it to a permissive license.
As a niche engine, it lacks the extensive plugins, assets, and community support found in mainstream engines like Unity or Unreal, hindering out-of-the-box solutions.