# Stride — Open-Source Cross-Platform C# Game Engine

> Build 2D and 3D games with a fully open-source engine featuring a visual editor, PBR rendering, and VR support.

## Install

Save as a script file and run:

# Stride — Open-Source Cross-Platform C# Game Engine

## Quick Use
```bash
# Install via .NET
dotnet new install Stride.Templates
dotnet new stride-game -n MyGame
cd MyGame
dotnet run
# Or download Stride Launcher from stride3d.net for the visual editor
```

## Introduction
Stride (formerly Xenko) is a fully open-source game engine built in C# that targets Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android. It provides a visual editor, physically-based rendering pipeline, and a component-based entity system, offering a complete alternative to proprietary engines for .NET developers.

## What Stride Does
- Provides a full visual game editor with scene management, asset pipeline, and live preview
- Renders 3D scenes with a physically-based rendering pipeline supporting global illumination and post-processing
- Implements a flexible entity-component-system architecture for game logic
- Supports VR headsets through OpenXR integration
- Compiles and runs games on Windows, Linux, Android, and iOS from a single codebase

## Architecture Overview
Stride is built on .NET and uses a multi-threaded architecture that separates rendering, physics, and game logic into independent update loops. The rendering pipeline is modular and graph-based, letting developers customize or replace individual stages. The asset system compiles raw assets (models, textures, audio) into optimized runtime formats during build. Physics uses Bullet via a managed wrapper, and the audio system supports spatialized 3D sound. The editor is a WPF application that communicates with a separate game process for live preview.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration
- Download the Stride Launcher for one-click installation of the editor and SDK
- Alternatively, use .NET CLI templates for code-only projects without the editor
- Configure rendering quality, resolution, and graphics API (Vulkan, Direct3D) in game settings
- Manage NuGet dependencies through the standard .NET project system
- Build for target platforms using the integrated build pipeline or `dotnet publish`

## Key Features
- Fully open-source under MIT license with no royalties or usage fees
- C# scripting with hot reload for rapid iteration during development
- Physically-based rendering with global illumination, shadows, and post-processing effects
- Built-in physics, audio, UI, and animation systems
- NuGet ecosystem integration for leveraging the entire .NET library ecosystem

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **Unity** — larger ecosystem and asset store but closed-source with licensing fees; Stride is fully open and royalty-free
- **Godot** — uses GDScript and C#; Stride is C#-first with a more advanced rendering pipeline
- **Unreal Engine** — higher visual fidelity out of the box but C++ focused; Stride offers a pure C# workflow
- **MonoGame** — a framework without an editor; Stride includes a full visual editor and asset pipeline
- **Flax Engine** — another C# engine with a visual editor; Stride has a longer open-source track record

## FAQ
**Q: Is Stride truly free for commercial games?**
A: Yes. Stride is MIT-licensed with no royalties, revenue sharing, or splash screen requirements.

**Q: Can I use Stride without the visual editor?**
A: Yes. You can create and build projects entirely through .NET CLI and code.

**Q: Does Stride support mobile platforms?**
A: Yes. Android and iOS are supported build targets, though the editor itself runs on desktop.

**Q: How active is the community?**
A: Stride has an active Discord community and regular releases. Contributions come from both community members and sponsored developers.

## Sources
- https://github.com/stride3d/stride
- https://www.stride3d.net/

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Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/asset-e233e1ed
Author: Script Depot