raylib — A Simple C Library to Enjoy Video Game Programming

Introduction

raylib, created by Ramon Santamaria (raysan5), is the C library for people who want to make games the old-fashioned way — no scripting, no editor, no bloat. Its API is deliberately simple: 500+ functions with obvious names, 500+ examples, and a single-header optional build. If you've programmed in C, you can make a game in an afternoon.

With over 32,000 GitHub stars, raylib is the #1 go-to library for game programming courses, game jams, and hobbyist game projects. It supports 2D, 3D, audio, shaders, splines, and includes bindings for Python, Rust, Go, Zig, Odin, Nim, and 50+ other languages.

What raylib Does

raylib gives you InitWindow, BeginDrawing, DrawText, DrawTexture, LoadSound, GetKeyPressed — everything a game needs, in a flat C API. Under the hood it uses OpenGL (or WebGL/ES), GLFW, and custom audio mixing. Modules cover core/input/drawing (rcore), 2D textures + 3D models + meshes (rlgl), audio (raudio), physics (raymath + custom), and more.

Architecture Overview

raylib
  |
+-+-------+--------+-------+--------+
|         |        |       |        |
core    shapes   text    textures models
(rcore) (rshapes)(rtext) (rtextures)(rmodels)
  |
audio (raudio) — miniaudio under the hood
  |
math + splines + physics helpers (raymath, rlgl)
  |
Platform layer
  Desktop: GLFW + OpenGL 2.1/3.3/4.3/ES2
  Web: emscripten + WebGL
  Android + iOS via bindings
  Raspberry Pi / DRM direct

Self-Hosting & Configuration

// 3D example — camera + cube
#include "raylib.h"
int main(void) {
    InitWindow(800, 450, "3D");
    Camera camera = {0};
    camera.position = (Vector3){0, 4, 6};
    camera.target   = (Vector3){0, 0, 0};
    camera.up       = (Vector3){0, 1, 0};
    camera.fovy     = 60.0f;
    camera.projection = CAMERA_PERSPECTIVE;
    SetTargetFPS(60);
    while (!WindowShouldClose()) {
        UpdateCamera(&camera, CAMERA_FREE);
        BeginDrawing();
            ClearBackground(RAYWHITE);
            BeginMode3D(camera);
                DrawCube((Vector3){0,0,0}, 2, 2, 2, RED);
                DrawCubeWires((Vector3){0,0,0}, 2, 2, 2, MAROON);
                DrawGrid(10, 1);
            EndMode3D();
            DrawFPS(10, 10);
        EndDrawing();
    }
    CloseWindow();
}

# CMake build (recommended beyond one-file examples)
mkdir build && cd build
cmake -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release ..
cmake --build .

# Emscripten for WebAssembly
emcc -o game.html main.c -Os -Wall \
  $(pkg-config --cflags raylib) $(pkg-config --libs raylib) \
  -s USE_GLFW=3 -s ASYNCIFY --preload-file assets

Key Features

• Simple C API — 500+ functions, clear names, no abstractions
• 2D + 3D + audio + shaders — one library covers a full game
• 500+ examples — runnable demos for every feature
• Bindings everywhere — Python (pyray), Rust, Go, Zig, Nim, Odin, 50+ more
• Cross-platform — Windows, Linux, macOS, Web (WASM), Android, iOS, Pi
• No external deps — GLFW + OpenGL included
• Education-focused — designed for learning, not maximum features
• Commercial OK — zlib license, no royalties

Comparison with Similar Tools

FAQ

Q: raylib vs SDL? A: SDL is lower-level (input + window + raw rendering). raylib is a layer above SDL-tier primitives with higher-level game helpers. For pure engine work, SDL + your own abstractions; for quick games, raylib wins.

Q: Can I make a real game with raylib? A: Yes — plenty of shipped indie games use raylib. For AAA ambitions, you'd outgrow it; for jam games, retro-inspired titles, or teaching-focused projects, it's perfect.

Q: Which language binding is best? A: Python (pyray) for scripting + ease. Rust (raylib-rs) for type safety. Go (raylib-go), Zig (raylib-zig) are active. For production C, just use the C API directly.

Q: How does it compare to Godot? A: Godot is a full engine with editor + scripting + scene tree. raylib is a library — you write your own game structure in C. Godot is easier for larger games; raylib gives full control.

Sources

• GitHub: https://github.com/raysan5/raylib
• Website: https://www.raylib.com
• Author: Ramon Santamaria
• License: zlib