Software Alternatives & Reviews

LibGDX VS raylib

Compare LibGDX VS raylib and see what are their differences

LibGDX logo LibGDX

Libgdx is a Java game development framework that provides a unified API that works across all...

raylib logo raylib

Cross-platform, open-source game development library in C.
  • LibGDX Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-07
  • raylib Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-07-08

LibGDX videos

A Closer Look At LibGDX

More videos:

  • Review - LibGDX Game Jam - February 2019 in Review
  • Review - libGDX Jam March 2020 in Review

raylib videos

Raylib 3.0 Released -- The Best Way to Learn C or C++ Game Development*

More videos:

  • Tutorial - Raylib tutorial | Episode 1 | Setting up Raylib and Creating a Window
  • Review - RayLib Receives An Epic MegaGrant!

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to LibGDX and raylib)
Game Development
70 70%
30% 30
Game Engine
68 68%
32% 32
3D Game Engine
67 67%
33% 33
Java
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using LibGDX and raylib. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare LibGDX and raylib

LibGDX Reviews

The Top 10 Video Game Engines
The libGDX forums are alive as well, with topics that cover development with libGDX and tutorials for getting started. There’s also a “source guide” with demos and examples you can take advantage of.

raylib Reviews

  1. Raylib, a hidden Powerhouse

    I got to know Raylib just a few days ago taking a course on learning C++ to start using Unreal Engine. I have a background with assembler(a long time ago), Python/Pygame, C#/Monogame, and Unity/C#. Within the few days I used it, I am simply blown away by the simplicity but yet extremely powerful Raylib library. The routines and functions are very clear and access is very simple. Everything is well documented. I am yet to go in-depth with the library but I never had such an experience in the past building games, which is my main interest. If you stumbled upon this by chance stop and give it a go. You'll never regret it. Right now I am thinking of the many ways I can use this with the languages I know.

    🏁 Competitors: MonoGame, Pygame

Social recommendations and mentions

raylib might be a bit more popular than LibGDX. We know about 6 links to it since March 2021 and only 6 links to LibGDX. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

LibGDX mentions (6)

  • Ask HN: Released games built on FOSS engines?
    Some popular games were builtwith LibGDX[1]: Slay the Spire, Mindustry, Space Haven, and others[2]. [1]: https://libgdx.com/ [2]: https://libgdx.com/showcase/. - Source: Hacker News / 7 months ago
  • What is the best 2D mobile gaming framework ?
    I am looking for a new framework to develop 2d Game on Android devices. I used Libgdx (a java framework) actually I am using flutter flame. Please send me alternative. Source: 7 months ago
  • Ask HN: Favorite Game Engine?
    This answer is most likely based on what programming language you use most. The C++ folks will like Unreal and the JS folks have the preference as well. [0] https://libgdx.com/. - Source: Hacker News / 8 months ago
  • Suitability for 2D development
    I switched from godot to this: https://libgdx.com They understand 2D rendering pipeline better. Godot is just throwing everything to GPU with zero optimizations. Source: about 1 year ago
  • What game engine should I use?
    Not an engine, but if you like Java, then there is https://libgdx.com/. Source: about 1 year ago
View more

raylib mentions (6)

  • Are there any game engines that support 3D that are more code orientated?
    It sounds like you're maybe asking for code frameworks/libraries instead of engines? Something like https://raylib.com/ might be better suited? Source: about 1 year ago
  • How can I make graphics games using cpp?
    I would recommend SFML or Raylib, they're both excellent and fairly easy to set up, plus have really good documentation. And if you decide to really dig into them you'll eventually be able to create any game you want. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Best C++ libraries for 2D game development
    I'd also recommend raylib as an option. Check out its website: http://raylib.com/. It is beginner friendly enough with good cheatsheet and examples. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Question about graphic/game libraries
    Finally, you can use raylib.com , a C library but it has a great interface and multiple examples. Howeve, it is not wide-spread like SDL. Source: over 2 years ago
  • confused new dev
    The easiest option is C# and Unity, even though I think at some point (if you want to experience real programming) you'd better off using a framework. Source: almost 3 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing LibGDX and raylib, you can also consider the following products

Godot Engine - Feature-packed 2D and 3D open source game engine.

SFML - SFML provides a simple interface to the various components of your PC, to ease the development of games and multimedia applications. It is composed of five modules: system, window, graphics, audio and network.

Unreal Engine - Unreal Engine 4 is a suite of integrated tools for game developers to design and build games, simulations, and visualizations.

SDL - Simple DirectMedia Layer is a cross-platform multimedia library designed to provide low level...

Unity - The multiplatform game creation tools for everyone.

Vulkan - Vulkan is a new generation graphics and compute API that provides high-efficiency, cross-platform access to modern GPUs used in a wide variety of devices from PCs and consoles to mobile phones and embedded platforms.