Sprout

Free and open source · MIT licensed

Make your first 2D games
in C++.

Sprout is a friendly game editor and engine built on raylib. Place nodes with the mouse like in Godot, write C++ scripts that reload while the game runs, and export to Windows, macOS, Linux and the web with one button.

Get started View on GitHub
The Sprout Editor: the scene tree on the left, a platformer level in the middle, and the selected player's properties and script variables on the right.

Everything you need for a small 2D game

No engine license, no account, nothing to install beyond a C++ compiler and CMake.

Nodes and scenes

Sprites, animated sprites, labels, cameras, bodies that collide and areas that notice: Godot-style nodes you build levels from. Put scenes inside scenes to reuse the player in every level.

C++ that reloads live

Attach a C++ script to a node and save: it compiles in the background and the running game picks up the change. EXPORT variables show up in the Inspector.

A script editor that helps

Autocomplete, errors underlined as you type, brackets that close themselves, and warnings for mistakes that compile but don't work. Or use VS Code, Visual Studio or CLion.

Signals

Like Godot's: the body entered, the timer ran out. Connect them in the Inspector (the editor writes the function for you) or in code.

Multiplayer

Host or join, synced nodes, RPCs, dedicated servers, and the hard parts done for you: smooth movement, client-side prediction and lag compensation.

Export everywhere

Windows (x64 and ARM64), macOS (universal), Linux and the web, each with one click. Exported games run on their own, ready for itch.io.

Custom shaders

Waves, flashes, outlines: write a fragment() shader like in Godot, tweak its parameters in the Inspector, and watch it change as you save.

Autoloads

Game-wide scripts that survive scene changes: the score, the inventory, music, saving. Reach them from any script with autoload<GameState>(...).

Made for learning

Step-by-step tutorials, a manual written for beginners, commented examples, and friendly messages instead of crashes.

Two ways to make games

Sprout comes in two separate parts. Use whichever suits the way you like to work.

The Sprout Editor's Script tab with a C++ player script open, next to the Inspector.

The Sprout Editor

A visual editor, like a small Godot. Build levels with the mouse, attach C++ scripts, press Play. Hot reloading, signals, multiplayer and exports included.

class Hero : public Script {
public:
    EXPORT(float, speed, 250);   // tune it in the Inspector

    void process(float delta) override {
        auto* body = self<CharacterBody2D>();
        body->velocity.x = 0;
        if (IsKeyDown(KEY_LEFT))  body->velocity.x = -speed;
        if (IsKeyDown(KEY_RIGHT)) body->velocity.x = speed;
        body->moveAndSlide();
    }
};
REGISTER_SCRIPT(Hero)
Your first game in the editor →
A space shooter made with the Sprout Engine. A platformer made with the Sprout Engine.

The Sprout Engine

A code-only game library: a game is one C++ file with update() and draw(). Great for learning how games work from the ground up.

struct Hello : Scene {
    Vec2 player{400, 225};

    void update(float dt) override {
        player += getVector("left", "right", "up", "down") * 300 * dt;
    }
    void draw() override { drawCircle(player, 30, Color::Gold); }
};

int main() {
    Game game("Hello, Sprout!", 800, 450);
    game.run<Hello>();
}
Your first game with the engine →

Not sure which? Start with the engine tutorial: everything you learn there carries straight over to the editor.

Get started

Sprout builds from source in a few minutes. CMake downloads every library for you.

  1. Install the tools

    A C++ compiler, CMake 3.25+ and Git. On Windows that's Visual Studio with "Desktop development with C++". The installation guide walks you through it for Windows, macOS and Linux.

  2. Get Sprout and open the editor

    git clone https://github.com/MrJkl561/SproutEngine.git
cd SproutEngine
scripts\run-editor.bat

    The first build takes a few minutes. The editor opens with a demo platformer: press Play (F5).

  3. Make your first game

    Follow Your first game in the editor (about 15 minutes), or Your first game with the engine.

The editor's demo game: a blue character, coins, crates and a door on a green floor.

Documentation

Written for beginners, all of it free on GitHub.

The Editor

The Engine

Help