A Rust CLI and WASM tool that snaps messy AI-generated pixel art onto a clean, consistent pixel grid with a fixed palette.
3.3K205RustMITUpdated 3 months ago
- Stars
- 18,424
- Forks
- 966
- Open issues
- 13
- Last commit
- 6 hours ago
What is it?
Pyxel is a retro game engine for Python, built around the constraints of classic 8-bit consoles. Games are drawn on a small low-resolution screen using a fixed palette, which keeps the focus on pixel art and simple game logic.
The engine bundles the pieces needed for a small game in one package: drawing primitives, image and tilemap handling, sound and music playback, and keyboard, mouse and gamepad input. The README also shows examples of 3D mesh, collision and physics demos, along with a bundled image and tilemap editor and sound editor.
Pyxel's core is written in Rust, and the project lists WebAssembly and WebGL among its topics, so games can target the browser as well as desktop environments.
Key features
- 01Fixed-palette, low-resolution screen for retro pixel-art graphics.
- 02Built-in drawing, image, and tilemap support.
- 03Sound and music playback for simple chiptune-style audio.
- 04Keyboard, mouse, and gamepad input handling.
- 05Bundled image, tilemap, and sound editors.
Use cases
- Learning game programming with a simple, approachable Python API.
- Building small arcade-style or platformer games with pixel art.
- Prototyping game mechanics quickly on a retro-style canvas.
- Creating browser-playable retro games via its WebAssembly support.
Things to know
- The license could not be identified from the project metadata, so check the repository's license terms before use.
Topics
FAQ
- What is pyxel?
- A retro game engine for Python that lets you make pixel-art games with a fixed palette and low-resolution screen. Pyxel is a retro game engine for Python, built around the constraints of classic 8-bit consoles. Games are drawn on a small low-resolution screen using a fixed palette, which keeps the focus on pixel art and simple game logic.
- Is pyxel free to use? What license does it have?
- pyxel is open source under the Other license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
- Is pyxel still maintained?
- Actively maintained. The last commit to pyxel was on Oct 21, 2026.
- What can I use pyxel for?
- Learning game programming with a simple, approachable Python API. Building small arcade-style or platformer games with pixel art. Prototyping game mechanics quickly on a retro-style canvas. Creating browser-playable retro games via its WebAssembly support.
- Where can I get pyxel?
- The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/kitao/pyxel
Summary generated by AI from the project's README. GitHub stats refresh daily.
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