redot-engine is a free, open source gaming project written in C++ and released under MIT. It has 6,123 GitHub stars, 335 forks and 91 open issues, and was last pushed 35 hours ago. On this registry it ranks #28 of 46 tracked projects in Gaming, with 5 head-to-head comparisons available.

What is redot-engine?

Redot Engine is a free, open-source, MIT-licensed C++ game engine for developers who create 2D and 3D games and export them to desktop, mobile, web, and console platforms.

What it is

Redot Engine is a multi-platform 2D and 3D game engine written in C++ and released under the MIT license. It is a community-driven fork of Godot, created in September 2024 to provide an independent project where users can make games with a common set of tools instead of assembling separate editors, exporters, and runtime components.

The concrete problem it solves is the need for a single interface that can author both 2D and 3D games and then produce builds for many target platforms without requiring the developer to rewrite engine code or pay royalties. It lives in the open-source game-development ecosystem and positions itself as an alternative path within the Godot family, while keeping resulting games under users' control.

Key capabilities

  • It provides a unified interface for creating both 2D and 3D games, so users can work from one editor rather than switching between separate tools.
  • It supports one-click export to Linux, macOS, Windows, Android, iOS, web-based platforms, and consoles.
  • It is distributed as an open-source C++ project under the MIT license, with no royalties and no license strings attached to games made with it.
  • It provides official binaries for the Redot editor and export templates, allowing users to download prebuilt engine components instead of compiling everything themselves.
  • It supports building from source through the official documentation and a recommended Nix workflow using nix run ., which can install dependencies and compile the engine if no binary is present.
  • It includes an AI integration path through Model Context Protocol (MCP), with setup instructions in doc/mcp-integration.md.

Who uses it and how

  • Game developers can download the official Redot editor and export templates from the project website or GitHub, then create and export games without compiling the engine themselves.
  • Teams that need multi-platform delivery can use the same editor workflow to produce builds for Linux, macOS, Windows, Android, iOS, web-based platforms, and consoles.
  • Contributors and source-build users can follow the official compiling documentation, or use the recommended Nix path with nix run . to install dependencies and build the engine when no binary is present.
  • Community members can participate through the project Discord, the CONTRIBUTING.md guide, and the public issue tracker, which lists 91 open issues, 6,123 stars, and 335 forks.

Getting started

Users can start by downloading official Redot editor and export template binaries from redotengine.org or GitHub, or by building from source with the official docs and the nix run . command.

How it compares

Among the similar tools named in the facts, Redot Engine sits as an independent MIT-licensed fork of Godot. It fits alongside Godot by emphasizing a community-driven model, no royalties, and user ownership of game code, while retaining the broader Godot-related ecosystem indicated by its topics.

When to use it — and when not to

Choose Redot Engine when you want an MIT-licensed, C++-based engine for 2D and 3D game development with multi-platform export, and when you are comfortable managing the editor, export templates, and any source build yourself. It may be a poor fit for teams that require a longer public history than the September 2024 fork, prefer upstream Godot, or need clear release and support commitments, because the supplied facts do not state those. The metadata shows 91 open issues and a last push on 2026-10-04, so prospective users should inspect the current repository state before relying on it.

project readme (upstream, from github) — read inline

Redot Engine

Ask DeepWiki

2D and 3D cross-platform game engine

Redot Engine is a feature-packed, cross-platform game engine to create 2D and 3D games from a unified interface. It provides a comprehensive set of common tools, so that users can focus on making games without having to reinvent the wheel. Games can be exported with one click to a number of platforms, including the major desktop platforms (Linux, macOS, Windows), mobile platforms (Android, iOS), as well as Web-based platforms and consoles.

Free, open source and community-driven

Redot is a completely free and open source fork of Godot under the very permissive MIT license. No strings attached, no royalties, nothing. The users' games are theirs, down to the last line of engine code. Redot's development is fully independent and truly community-driven, empowering users to help shape their engine to match their expectations.

Before being open sourced in February 2014, Godot had been developed by Juan Linietsky and Ariel Manzur (both still maintaining Godot) for several years as an in-house engine, used to publish several work-for-hire titles.

Redot was forked from Godot in September 2024, intending to improve upon Godot in order to fulfill its potential and contribute to the shared codebase of both through a more genuinely community-driven model than Godot.

Kaetram - 2D Pixel Cross-Platform MMORPG by Keros

Getting the engine

Binary downloads

Official binaries for the Redot editor and the export templates can be found on the Redot website and on the GitHub page.

Compiling from source

See the official docs for compilation instructions for every supported platform.

Using Nix (recommended)

If you have the Nix package manager installed, you can build and run the editor in one command:

nix run .

This will automatically install all build dependencies and compile Redot if the binary doesn't exist.

Detailed Nix usage, including passing SCons build flags through nix run, forwarding runtime arguments, and manual nix develop workflows, is documented in the Nix usage guide at doc/nix.md.

Community and contributing

Redot is not only an engine but an ever-growing community of users and engine developers. Please visit our Discord server!

To get started contributing to the project, see the contributing guide. This document also includes guidelines for reporting bugs.

Follow Redot on X/Twitter!

Documentation and demos

The class reference is accessible from the Redot editor.

AI Integration - Model Context Protocol (MCP)

Redot supports AI integration using MCP. See the setup instructions.

Frequently asked questions

Is redot-engine free to use?

redot-engine is open source under the MIT licence. There is no licence fee and no seat count — you can self-host it or, where the project offers one, pay a vendor for a managed version instead.

What does redot-engine do?

Redot Engine – Multi-platform 2D and 3D game engine

What is redot-engine written in?

redot-engine is primarily written in C++. Its source is publicly available at https://github.com/Redot-Engine/redot-engine, and it has 6,123 GitHub stars.