Stride is an open-source C# game engine designed for developers who need high-fidelity rendering, virtual reality support, and modular architecture. Originally known as Xenko, it provides a complete toolchain including Game Studio—a visual editor for scene design, asset management, and scripting—all built with C#. It targets Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, and supports multiple graphics APIs including Direct3D 11/12, Vulkan, OpenGL, and OpenGL ES. Stride is ideal for indie developers, studios, and C#-focused teams seeking full control over their game engine without licensing fees.
The engine emphasizes extensibility and modularity, enabling contributors to enhance rendering pipelines, add new backends, or extend the editor. Its active community and funded bounty system encourage open collaboration. While it’s suitable for both prototyping and production-grade games, users must be comfortable with .NET development and Windows-based tooling for full functionality.
What You Get
- Visual Game Studio Editor - A built-in WPF-based editor for visually designing scenes, managing assets, and scripting game logic with C#, eliminating the need to code everything manually.
- Multi-API Graphics Support - Native support for Direct3D 11, Direct3D 12, Vulkan, OpenGL, and OpenGL ES, allowing optimization for diverse hardware from PCs to mobile devices.
- Cross-Platform Deployment - Build and deploy games to Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android from a single codebase with platform-specific build configurations.
- C#-First Development - Full engine and game logic written in C#, leveraging .NET 10.0 SDK for performance, tooling, and integration with existing C# libraries.
- Modular Engine Architecture - Decoupled components for rendering, physics, input, and audio that can be extended or replaced without modifying core engine code.
- Git LFS-Integrated Asset Pipeline - Supports large media assets via Git Large File Storage, ensuring version-controlled handling of textures, models, and audio files.
Common Use Cases
- Building a VR game with realistic lighting - Developers use Stride’s Vulkan and Direct3D 12 backends to implement physically-based rendering (PBR) and advanced lighting systems for immersive VR experiences on PC and Quest platforms.
- Creating a mobile-first indie game with C# - Indie teams leverage Stride’s Android and iOS builds to deploy high-performance 2D/3D games using C# instead of Unity’s C#, reducing dependency on proprietary engines.
- Problem → Solution flow: Need full engine control without licensing fees - Teams frustrated with Unity’s subscription model or Unreal’s C++ complexity use Stride to gain full source access and customize rendering pipelines for unique visual styles.
- Team workflow: Multi-platform studio with C# expertise - Game studios with existing .NET backend teams use Stride to unify game logic, server code, and tools in C#, enabling shared libraries and faster iteration across client and server.
Under The Hood
Stride 3D is a cross-platform game engine built on the .NET ecosystem, designed to deliver high-performance rendering and audio capabilities through a blend of C# abstractions and native library integration. It emphasizes flexibility and extensibility, supporting multiple platforms while maintaining a modular architecture that enables efficient development and deployment.
Architecture
This project follows a layered, modular architecture that clearly separates core engine components from UI and test utilities. It promotes maintainability and scalability through well-defined modules and component boundaries.
- Implements a layered structure with distinct separation between engine logic, UI components, and test infrastructure
- Applies ViewModel-View pattern to support testability and decoupling in UI development
- Employs observer and composite design patterns for managing test cases and interactive elements
- Organizes functionality into logical groups with explicit dependencies between core and external modules
Tech Stack
Built primarily on C# and leveraging the .NET ecosystem, Stride integrates modern development tools and frameworks to support game creation and testing.
- Utilizes xUnit for test execution and validation, including custom and UI-based test runners
- Relies on .NET Foundation components and standard build systems for cross-platform support
- Integrates Avalonia for rich UI experiences and performance-focused rendering pipelines
- Supports comprehensive API documentation and type annotations for developer clarity
Code Quality
While the project demonstrates solid testing practices and code organization, some inconsistencies and technical debt are present in core implementation samples.
- Extensive use of xUnit and game-specific testing frameworks ensures robust validation
- Error handling is implemented but not uniformly across all modules or dependencies
- Codebase shows adherence to some conventions, though inconsistencies appear in dependency management
- Comprehensive API documentation and type annotations support code readability and maintainability
What Makes It Unique
Stride 3D distinguishes itself through its deep integration of native libraries and modular architecture that enables high-performance game development across platforms.
- Combines high-level C# abstractions with low-level native components for optimized rendering and audio
- Integrates third-party native libraries to deliver advanced features without sacrificing performance
- Offers a modular and extensible design that supports multiple platforms and development workflows
- Leverages .NET’s cross-platform capabilities to enable flexible deployment and scalable game development