The best game frameworks, according to hackers
8 game frameworks recommended in Hacker News comments over the past year, ranked by how many separate people recommend each one.
All game frameworks
- SDLRecommended as a cross-platform base for windows, input, graphics and audio, saving platform-specific work. Critics note it is large and that SDL3 changed several APIs.81recommend
- RaylibSimple library that gets out of your way for making 2D games, with reliable cross-platform input, rendering and windowing. Caveat: limited text handling and missing features some need.41recommend
- LÖVE 2DFree Lua framework for 2D games, liked for simplicity, speed of starting and staying out of your way. Caveats: limited networking and few built-in preset tools.41recommend
- MonoGameFree C# framework for cross-platform games, liked for minimal abstraction and for shipping well-known indie hits. Critics cite the content pipeline and lack of an editor.28recommend
- Love2DFree, long-running Lua framework for 2D games, recommended for simplicity, debugging and hobby projects. Critics note that distributing builds to platforms is difficult.21recommend
- PhaserFree, mature 2D game framework for JavaScript, recommended for browser games and for AI-assisted coding because it has heavy LLM training data.9recommend
- SFMLPeople recommend SFML as a light, strong library with a welcoming community. One critic would not recommend it now, even at version 3.1.7recommend
- PygameFree Python library for making 2D games, recommended for teaching and fast prototyping. Critics say it is a thin layer over SDL and cannot run in the browser.7recommend