SimVX¶

A Python game engine for 2D and 3D: scenes are plain Python, rendering is Vulkan, games export to the browser.

Pre-alpha. SimVX publishes development releases only (0.0.0.devN) and is under active development; the API changes between builds. Once stable versions ship to PyPI, development builds continue on pypi.simvx.com.

Clips of games and the editor, each recorded live in SimVX

Install¶

You need Python 3.14+ and a GPU driver with Vulkan 1.2+.

pip install --pre simvx
pip install --pre simvx --extra-index-url https://pypi.simvx.com/   # or the latest development build

From source: git clone https://git.simvx.com/simvx/simvx.git && cd simvx && uv sync, then run commands through uv run (building from source).

Linux x86_64 is tested; Linux aarch64, Windows and macOS builds are untested. The install guide covers GPU drivers, platforms and glslc for your own shaders.

A first program¶

import math

from simvx.core import Camera3D, Material, Mesh, MeshInstance3D, Node
from simvx.graphics import App


class MyGame(Node):
    def on_ready(self):
        self.add_child(Camera3D(position=(0, 5, 10), look_at=(0, 0, 0)))
        self.cube = self.add_child(
            MeshInstance3D(mesh=Mesh.box(), material=Material(colour=(1.0, 0.2, 0.2, 1.0)))
        )

    def on_update(self, dt):
        self.cube.rotate((0, 1, 0), math.radians(90) * dt)


if __name__ == "__main__":
    App(title="My Game").run(MyGame())

Save it as my_game.py and run python my_game.py: a window opens with a red cube spinning. For the example library, pip install --pre "simvx[examples]", then simvx examples run demos_asteroids2d; simvx examples copy <id> --to <dir> copies one into a directory you own to start from. simvx editor opens the visual editor.

Features¶

Scenes are Python files. Diff, review and test them like any other code; the editor reads and writes them as Python.
One language, one toolchain. No scripting bridge: pdb, pytest and mypy work on your game.
One API for 2D, 3D and UI. The visual editor and IDE are built on the same widgets you use.
Browser export. simvx export web my_game.py writes a static WebGPU page.
GPU-driven Vulkan renderer with PBR, shadows, SSAO, bloom and post-processing.
Batteries included: physics, audio, animation, tilemaps, navigation and a headless test harness.

Start here¶

Install

pip install --pre simvx, the GPU driver and supported platforms.

Installation

Quickstart

A first 2D and 3D program.

Quickstart

Examples gallery

Browse the examples; most run in your browser.

Examples Gallery

First 2D game

Build Pong.

Your first 2D game

First 3D game

Build a 3D gem collector.

Your first 3D game

Editor in the browser

The visual editor, live in your browser.

https://simvx.com/docs/editor.html

Going deeper¶

Engine guides: Core engine (nodes, input, audio, UI, physics and more)
Rendering: Graphics (cameras, materials, shaders, 2D drawing)
Shipping: Shipping a game and Web export
One-page summary: API cheat sheet
Full symbol reference: API Reference
Help and news: issues and the changelog

Licence¶

You want to	Licence	Cost	Your obligation
Open-source your game	AGPL-3.0-or-later	Free	License your game under the AGPL; keep the NOTICE
Ship a game under any licence, closed-source included	Game-Distribution Exception	Free	Show the “Made with SimVX” splash or watermark
Use the engine outside those terms	Commercial licence	Separate terms	Write to licensing@simvx.com

The features, tutorials and demos examples are MIT; each port under examples/ports/ carries its own licence, the editor sample projects follow the engine’s, and bundled third-party assets keep theirs. Documentation prose is CC-BY-4.0 and its code snippets MIT (details).