Python Bindings for Raylib 5.0
New CFFI API static bindings.
Automatically generated to be as close as possible to original Raylib.
Faster, fewer bugs and easier to maintain than ctypes.
Commercial-friendly license.
Docstrings and auto-completion.
Now includes extra libraries: raymath, raygui, rlgl, physac and GLFW
Quickstart
pip3 install raylib
from pyray import *
init_window(800, 450, "Hello")
while not window_should_close():
begin_drawing()
clear_background(WHITE)
draw_text("Hello world", 190, 200, 20, VIOLET)
end_drawing()
close_window()
Installation
First make sure you have the latest pip installed:
python3 -m pip install --upgrade pip
Then install
python3 -m pip install setuptools
python3 -m pip install raylib
On most platforms it should install a binary wheel (Windows 10 x64, MacOS 10.15 x64, Linux Ubuntu1804 x64).
If yours isn’t available then pip will attempt to build from source, in which case you will need to have Raylib development libs installed, e.g. using homebrew, apt, etc.
Raspberry Pi
Dynamic binding version
There is now a separate dynamic version of this binding:
python3 -m pip install raylib_dynamic
It works on some systems where the static version doesn’t, but be sure to read these caveats before using it
Beta testing
If you find a bug, it may be fixed in the latest dev release. You can install an alpha or beta version by specifying the exact version number like this:
python3 -m pip install raylib==4.2.0.0.dev4
Problems?
If it doesn’t work, try to build manually.. If that works then submit an issue to let us know what you did.
If you need help you can try asking on Discord.
If it still doesn’t work, submit an issue.
How to use
There are two APIs, you can use either or both:
If you are familiar with C coding and the Raylib C library and you want to use an exact copy of the C API
Use the C API.
If you prefer a slightly more Pythonistic API and don’t mind it might be slightly slower
Use the Python API.
Running in a web browser
Pygbag >=0.8.7 supports running in a web browser.
Make a folder my_project
with a file main.py
:
# /// script
# dependencies = [
# "cffi",
# "inflection",
# "raylib"
# ]
# ///
import asyncio
import platform
from pyray import *
async def main(): # You must have an async main function
init_window(500, 500, "Hello")
platform.window.window_resize() # You must add this line
while not window_should_close():
begin_drawing()
clear_background(WHITE)
draw_text("Hello world", 190, 200, 20, VIOLET)
end_drawing()
await asyncio.sleep(0) # You must call this in your main loop
close_window()
asyncio.run(main())
Then to create the web files and launch a web server:
python3.12 -m pip install --user --upgrade pygbag
python3.12 -m pygbag --PYBUILD 3.12 --ume_block 0 --template noctx.tmpl my_project
Point your browser to http://localhost:8000
This is all done by Pygbag rather than by me, so you should probably contact them with any issues. Carefully read all their documentation.
It does work for most of these examples
App showcase
Add your app here!
RLZero
A related library (that is a work in progress!):
A simplified API for Raylib for use in education and to enable beginners to create 3d games
Help wanted
Converting more examples from C to Python
Testing on more platforms
License (updated)
The bindings are now under the Eclipse Public License, so you are free to statically link and use in non-free / proprietary / commercial projects!
Performance
For fastest performance use Pypy rather than standard Python.
Every call to C is costly, so it’s slightly faster if you use Python data structures and functions when calculating in your update loop and then only convert them to C data structures when you have to call the C functions for drawing.
Bunnymark
Library |
Implementation |
Bunnies (60 FPS) |
Percentage |
---|---|---|---|
Raylib 3.7 |
C |
168100 |
100% |
Raylib Python CFFI 3.7 |
Pypy 3.7 |
33800 |
20% |
Raylib Python CFFI 3.7 |
Python 3.9 |
7700 |
4.5% |
Raylib Python CFFI 3.7 |
Python 3.9 Nuitka |
8600 |
5.1% |
Raylib Python CFFI 3.7 Dynamic |
Python 3.9 |
6300 |
3.7% |
Packaging your app
You can create a standalone binary using the Nuitka compiler. For example, here is how to package Bunnymark:
pip3 install nuitka
cd examples/textures
python3 -m nuitka --onefile --linux-onefile-icon resources/wabbit_alpha.png textures_bunnymark.py
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