septag/rizz
FreeSmall C game development framework
FreeFree tier
About septag/rizz
Rizz (ریز) is a tiny, multi-platform, and minimal game/app development framework written in C. It is designed as a low-level foundation for developers to build their own engines, renderers, and physics systems. The framework features a plugin system, hot-reloading of C/C++ code and assets, a fiber-based job system, reflection with JSON serialization, an async asset manager, virtual file system, coroutine support, and custom crash handling. Graphics support includes Metal, OpenGL-ES, Direct3D11, and OpenGL with portable shaders and experimental compute shader support (Direct3D only). The project is archived and no longer actively maintained.
Key Features
Portable C code (C11/C99, data-oriented design)
Plugin system for modular functionality
Hot-reloading of C/C++ code, assets, and shaders
Fiber-based job system for concurrency
Reflection system with JSON serialization
Async asset manager with reference counting
Virtual file system (async, mountable archives)
Coroutine support (suspend for frames or milliseconds)
Custom crash handling with crash dump (Windows)
Multiple graphics API support (Metal, OpenGL-ES 2/3, Direct3D11, OpenGL 3.3)
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Written in C for maximum portability and minimal overhead
- Minimal external dependencies; small codebase
- Hot-reloading accelerates development iteration
- Plugin architecture keeps core small and extensible
- Cross-platform graphics support with portable shaders
- Fiber-based job system simplifies multithreading
- Free and open source under a permissive license
Cons
- Archived repository – no longer actively maintained (read-only since June 2024)
- Not a game engine; requires building own rendering, physics, and entity systems
- Compute shader support is experimental and limited to Direct3D
- Hot-reloading has restrictions and rules
- Documentation may be incomplete (work in progress)
Best For
Building custom game engines with low-level controlCross-platform 2D/3D application developmentRapid prototyping with hot-reloading capabilitiesLearning game engine architecture and systems programmingDeveloping renderers or physics systems from scratch
FAQ
What is Rizz?
Rizz (ریز) is a tiny, multi-platform, minimal game/app development framework written in C, providing low-level building blocks like a plugin system, hot-reloading, fiber-based jobs, and cross-platform graphics.
Is Rizz a game engine?
No, it is explicitly a low-level framework, not a game engine. It provides basic infrastructure for programmers to build their own engine, renderer, or physics on top of it.
Is Rizz still maintained?
No, the repository was archived by the owner on June 12, 2024, and is now read-only. No further development is expected.
What platforms does Rizz support?
Rizz supports multiple platforms: Metal on iOS/macOS, OpenGL-ES 2/3 on Android, Direct3D11 on Windows, and OpenGL 3.3 on Linux.
What graphics APIs are supported?
Rizz supports Metal, OpenGL-ES 2/3, Direct3D11, and OpenGL 3.3. Shaders are written in GLSL and automatically translated for each backend.