# pythonarcade/arcade

Easy to use Python library for creating 2D arcade games.

Repository: https://github.com/pythonarcade/arcade
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/arcade
Homepage: http://arcade.academy
Language: Python
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Topics: python3, python, arcade-framework, arcade-api, arcade-learning-environment, opengl, educational-technology, educational-resources
Last push: 2026-08-21T19:36:47+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 98/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 98, release rhythm 96, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3894, "days_push": 12, "days_rel": 26, "gap_med": 18.5, "n_releases_24m": 21}
- flags: no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 2068, forks 378 (observed 2026-08-28T04:06:10.193157+00:00)

## What it is
Arcade is an easy-to-learn Python library for creating 2D video games, built on top of pyglet and OpenGL. It is designed for beginning programmers and developers who want to build 2D games without learning a complex framework.

## Use cases
- create a 2d game in python
- teach programming through game development
- build a platformer with sprites
- make an arcade-style game without a complex engine
- learn python by writing games
- prototype a 2d game quickly

## When to choose
- you want a beginner-friendly Python library for 2D games
- you are teaching programming with game projects
- you need sprite-based 2D graphics with OpenGL acceleration
- you want a lighter alternative to Pygame

## When to avoid
- you need 3D rendering
- you are building a production commercial game requiring a full engine
- you need a non-Python language or mobile/web deployment

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: active
- function: game-engine, graphics, gui
- domain: education, cross-platform
- platform: python, cross-platform
- tags: 2d-games, opengl, pyglet, beginner-friendly, sprite-based, game-development, desktop

## Member repositories
- pythonarcade/arcade (main) score 98

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:10.193157+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T02:56:47.772207+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/pythonarcade/arcade (fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:10.193157+00:00, sha 8691237bab1d)
  - registry_pypi: https://pypi.org/pypi/arcade/json (fetched 2026-08-29T10:37:43.565239+00:00, sha 2ac043a222c5)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.