ABOUT HAYLEN

Built with C++.
Scripted with Lua.

Haylen is an open-source engine for 2D games and apps. It brings graphics, physics, UI, audio and native plugins into one engine.

HOW IT WORKS

A native engine.
A shared app project.

The engine is written in C++. Its API is also available in Lua through Varn, so you can write your app in Lua, work directly in C++, or add native plugins.

A Lua project contains an app.json file, a source/ folder for code and a content/ folder for assets. The same project can run on each supported platform.

Haylen supports 2D today. The engine is organized so 3D can be added later.

Read the documentation

WHAT YOU CAN BUILD

Games, apps and native tools.

2D games

Use sprites, animation, physics, tile maps, lighting and game AI. Add keyboard, touch or controller input.

Apps & interfaces

Build screens with UI components, text, forms and themes. Add audio, HTTP requests and WebSocket connections.

Native integrations

Use a native plugin when your project needs a platform API, an existing library or code written in another language.

THE PLUGIN SYSTEM

Use native code
from your Lua app.

A plugin packages its code, assets and platform implementations together. Your Lua app calls its API without having to manage each platform separately.

Swift and Objective-C on Apple platforms
Kotlin and Java on Android
JavaScript in the browser
C++ for shared native code

Learn how to create a plugin

A shared Lua plugin API connected to native platform implementations

PLATFORMS & GRAPHICS

Native graphics on each platform.

Haylen tries the graphics APIs included in a platform build. Availability depends on the device and its drivers.

Supported platforms and graphics APIs
Platform	Graphics APIs	Devices
macOS	Metal	Desktop
Windows	Direct3D 12 · Direct3D 11 · Vulkan · OpenGL	Desktop
Linux	Vulkan · OpenGL	Desktop
iOS & iPadOS	Metal	Phones & tablets
Android	Vulkan · OpenGL ES	Phones, tablets & TVs
Web	WebGPU · WebGL2	Browsers with WebAssembly support
tvOS	Metal	Apple TV
visionOS	Metal	Apple Vision Pro
Mac Catalyst	Metal	Mac

Each platform has its own build tools and minimum requirements. Read the platform guide

DEVELOPMENT

Create it. Run it.
Make a change.

Use the Haylen command line to create and run a project. Hot reload updates your running app as you edit its Lua code and assets.

Build a web version when you want to test it in a browser.

Follow the setup guide

Terminal

# Create a project
haylen new ~/apps/my-app \
  --name "My App" \
  --identifier com.example.myapp

# Run the app
haylen run ~/apps/my-app

# Build and run for the web
haylen run ~/apps/my-app --platform web

MIT

OPEN SOURCE

Free for games and apps.

Use Haylen for personal or commercial projects. You can read, change and share the code under the MIT license.

Read the license

Built with C++.Scripted with Lua.

A native engine.A shared app project.