# Deki Engine brings Unity-style visual editor and C++ 2D engine to ESP32

> **Key takeaway:** Deki Engine is an Apache 2.0-licensed modular C++ game engine with a cross-platform visual editor that targets ESP32 microcontrollers at 60 FPS while also supporting desktop development via SDL3.

**Published:** 2026-10-25T03:00:49+00:00 
**Source:** CNX Software 
**Category:** open-hardware 
**Canonical URL:** https://fosswire.org/news/deki-engine-brings-unity-style-visual-editor-and-c-2d-engine.html 

## Summary
Deki Engine is a new open-source C++ 2D game engine with a Unity-style visual editor designed specifically for embedded development on ESP32 hardware. The editor runs on Windows and Linux and includes a compiler that can flash directly to supported boards. Currently optimized for the LilyGO T-Deck Plus, T-Display S3 AMOLED, and soon the Elecrow CrowPanel Advanced 7″ ESP32-P4, the engine achieves 60 FPS on the ESP32-S3. It uses a package-based architecture for hardware abstraction, supports desktop testing through SDL3, and can run headless without a renderer. The project leverages C++26 static reflection for inspector field generation and is localized in four languages.

## What Deki Engine offers embedded developers
- **Visual editor workflow:** The Unity-style editor allows building scenes with sprites, text, particles, tilemaps, state machines, and tweens, then selecting a target board and flashing directly from the Build panel.
- **ESP32-S3 performance target:** The engine achieves 60 FPS on ESP32-S3 hardware, with a demo shown running on the T-Display S3 Touch at that frame rate.
- **Hardware package system:** Dedicated packages abstract specific boards including the LilyGO T-Deck Plus (display, touch, keyboard, trackball, SD card, GPS, LoRa SX1262) and upcoming ESP32-P4 support.
- **Software rendering capabilities:** Beyond 2D, the engine includes a software 3D render pass package, though performance on ESP32 targets for 3D remains unverified.
- **C++26 static reflection:** Inspector fields in the editor are auto-generated using C++26 static reflection, reducing boilerplate for component properties.
- **Cross-platform runtime flexibility:** Games can run on desktop via SDL3 for development iteration, headless without any renderer for testing, or on Tactility OS for ESP32 deployment.

## Why it matters
Deki Engine lowers the barrier for creating interactive software on ESP32-class hardware by providing a familiar visual editor paradigm from desktop game development, potentially expanding the pool of developers who can build embedded applications without deep microcontroller expertise. Its Apache 2.0 licensing and package-based architecture could encourage community contributions for additional boards and peripherals, while SDL3 desktop support enables proper development workflows before hardware deployment.