raylib is an open source library for graphics and game programming, valued above all for its simplicity: no heavy dependencies, no complex configuration, code that works identically on Windows, Linux, macOS and the web. It boasts over 32,000 stars on GitHub and an active community spanning more than twelve years.

Version 6.0, released in recent days, introduces a change that expands the library’s reach: it now works on devices without a GPU. Rendering happens entirely on the CPU, without modifying existing code. Performance is obviously lower than hardware acceleration, but sufficient for basic applications. The documented real-world case is a port to the ESP32, Espressif’s microcontroller used in industrial and maker applications. The stated goal is to cover RISC-V devices as well, increasingly common on the market but often lacking dedicated GPU hardware.

Other improvements

Fullscreen support and scaling on high-resolution displays have been rewritten from scratch, with automatic monitor configuration detection and testing across multi-monitor setups up to 4K. The animation system for 3D models has been redesigned to support smooth transitions between different animations.

The file management API has been reorganized and consolidated, and a new command-line tool simplifies managing the examples included with the library, which now number over 215 in this release.

raylib is distributed under a zlib license. Source code is available on GitHub.