Ren'Py
| Ren'Py Visual Novel Engine | |
|---|---|
Ren'Py's mascot, Eileen, surrounded by a python | |
An example of a Ren'Py-created scene | |
| Original author | Tom "PyTom" Rothamel |
| Developer | Tom "PyTom" Rothamel |
| Initial release | August 24, 2004 |
| Stable release | 8.4.1
/ July 24, 2025 |
| Written in | Python, Cython |
| Middleware | |
| Operating system | Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, Android, iOS |
| Size | 115 MB |
| Available in | English for the engine – UTF-8 use for resulting programs |
| Type | Game engine (visual novel) |
| License | MIT |
| Website | www |
| Repository | |
The Ren'Py Visual Novel Engine, often called RenPy for short, is a free and open-source game engine that facilitates the creation of visual novels. Ren'Py is a portmanteau of ren'ai (恋愛), the Japanese word for 'romantic love', a common element of games made using Ren'Py; and Python, the programming language that Ren'Py runs on. The engine was developed for and targeted at multiple platforms, including Microsoft Windows and Linux.
The engine allows movie playback for animated sprites, full-screen movies, in-engine animation, and full animation and customization of UI elements via the feature "Screen Language". The Ren'Py software development kit is officially supported on Windows, Linux, and recent versions of macOS; and can be installed via the package managers of the Arch Linux, Ubuntu, Debian, and Gentoo Linux distributions. Ren'Py features a built-in tutorial game that demonstrates core features such as dialogue scripting, adding images, transitions, music and effects, branching choices, and other functionalities.