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renpy/renpy

Ren'Py is an open-source Python-based engine for building visual novels and similar story-driven games.

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What is it?

Ren'Py is a visual novel engine written in Python, with its performance-critical modules implemented in Cython and C. It is aimed at creators who want to write interactive stories with text, character sprites, backgrounds, music, and branching choices, without building the underlying game runtime themselves.

The repository holds the engine source, the launcher, and the development scripts. Development is organized around a master branch for new features and incompatible changes, a fix branch for fixes and documentation, and work branches for contributions. Nightly builds are available for developers who want to run the engine without compiling the modules.

The project provides a documentation build based on Sphinx and a translation workflow for the launcher and template game. Its contribution policy requires that every change be understood and reviewed by a human, and it does not accept unreviewed AI-generated changes.

Key features

  • 01Write visual novel scripts with dialogue, character sprites, backgrounds, and music.
  • 02Create branching choices and story paths.
  • 03Runs on Linux and macOS for development, with Windows supported through an environment like MSYS.
  • 04Compile extension modules from source or use prebuilt nightly builds.
  • 05Build documentation with Sphinx and translate the launcher and template game.

Use cases

  • Making an interactive story or visual novel with branching routes.
  • Contributing to or modifying the Ren'Py engine itself.
  • Translating the Ren'Py launcher and template game into another language.

Quick start

  1. 1

    Create the virtual environment and install dependencies

    uv sync
  2. 2

    Compile the extension modules and run Ren'Py

    ./run.sh

Things to know

  • Building from source needs many system libraries such as SDL2 and FFmpeg, and the README points to a separate download for SDL_image 2.6 or greater.
  • The development scripts assume a POSIX-like platform, so Windows users need an environment like MSYS.
  • The metadata lists no license, and the README defers the full licensing terms to an external page.

Topics

#game-engine#visual-novel#python#cython#game-development#renpy#visual-novel-engine

FAQ

What is renpy?
Ren'Py is an open-source Python-based engine for building visual novels and similar story-driven games. Ren'Py is a visual novel engine written in Python, with its performance-critical modules implemented in Cython and C. It is aimed at creators who want to write interactive stories with text, character sprites, backgrounds, music, and branching choices, without building the underlying game runtime themselves.
Is renpy free to use? What license does it have?
renpy has no declared license. Its code is public, but without a license you have no explicit permission to reuse it; ask the author before relying on it.
Is renpy still maintained?
Actively maintained. The last commit to renpy was on Oct 22, 2026.
What can I use renpy for?
Making an interactive story or visual novel with branching routes. Contributing to or modifying the Ren'Py engine itself. Translating the Ren'Py launcher and template game into another language.
How do I install renpy?
Create the virtual environment and install dependencies: uv sync Compile the extension modules and run Ren'Py: ./run.sh
Where can I get renpy?
The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/renpy/renpy

Summary generated by AI from the project's README. GitHub stats refresh daily.

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