Getting Started with Ren'Py 8.5: From Install to First Build

You want to make a visual novel or text adventure game. But Unity and Godot feel like overkill. That's where Ren'Py comes in — a free, open-source, Python-based engine that handles text display, branching choices, save/load, and distribution out of the box.

Ren'Py powers commercial titles like DDLC (Doki Doki Literature Club!) and thousands of indie games on itch.io. If you can write code, you can extend it with custom systems like stat management or map exploration using plain Python. The engine's source code is available on GitHub under the MIT license.

This guide walks you through Ren'Py 8.5.2 (released January 2026) — from installing the SDK to building your first distributable game file.

What Is Ren'Py

Ren'Py is an open-source game engine for visual novels and text adventures. First released in 2004, it has over 20 years of history.

Here's how it compares to other engines:

Ren'Py's strength is that text display, branching choices, save/load, and backlog are all built in from day one. You don't have to build these from scratch.

Download and Install the SDK

Download the SDK from the Ren'Py official site. The latest stable version as of March 2026 is 8.5.2.

SDK Directory Structure

The extracted SDK folder contains the following:

renpy-8.5.2-sdk/
├── renpy.exe / renpy.sh   # Launcher executable
├── lib/                    # Platform-specific Python environments
├── renpy/                  # Ren'Py engine source
├── launcher/               # Launcher application
├── tutorial/               # Official tutorial game
└── the_question/           # Sample game "The Question"

tutorial/ and the_question/ are sample projects you can launch directly from the Ren'Py launcher. Try them out to get a feel for how things work.

Set Up Your Code Editor

Ren'Py scripts (.rpy files) are plain text. If you use VS Code, install the official extension for syntax highlighting and autocompletion.

Steps:

1. Open the Extensions panel (Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X)
2. Search for "Ren'Py"
3. Install Ren'Py Language (Official) (Marketplace)

This gives you:

• Syntax highlighting for .rpy files
• Keyword autocompletion
• Go to Definition (F12)
• Indentation error detection

In the Ren'Py launcher, go to "preferences" → "Text Editor" and set your editor path. This lets you open .rpy files directly from the launcher.

Create Your First Project

Create a new project from the launcher:

1. Click "Create New Project"
2. Enter a project name (e.g., mygame)
3. Select a resolution (1280x720 is recommended. Use 1920x1080 if you want full HD)
4. Choose a color scheme (accent and background colors — you can change these later in gui.rpy)

The mygame folder will be generated in seconds.

Project Structure

mygame/
└── game/
    ├── audio/       # BGM and sound effects
    ├── gui/         # GUI images (auto-generated)
    ├── images/      # Backgrounds and character sprites
    ├── tl/          # Translation files
    ├── gui.rpy      # GUI settings (fonts, colors, layout)
    ├── options.rpy   # Game settings (title, resolution, build config)
    ├── screens.rpy   # Screen definitions (menus, save screen, etc.)
    └── script.rpy    # Main script (this is where your game goes)

You'll write your game code primarily in script.rpy. As your project grows, you can split code into multiple .rpy files — Ren'Py automatically loads all .rpy files in the game/ folder.

Write Your First Scene

Open game/script.rpy and replace the default code with this:

# Character definitions
define s = Character("Sakura", who_color="#c8ffc8")
define y = Character("Yuki", who_color="#c8c8ff")

# Game start
label start:

    # Show background
    scene bg room
    with fade

    # Dialogue
    s "We finally finished the game."

    y "It was a long road... but it's running."

    # Choices
    menu:
        s "What should we do next?"

        "Add more features":
            jump add_feature

        "Take a break":
            jump rest

label add_feature:
    y "Alright, let's implement the map exploration system."
    "The two continued developing late into the night."
    return

label rest:
    s "Let's call it a day."
    "They decided to rest and pick things up tomorrow."
    return

Let's break this down.

Character Definitions

define s = Character("Sakura", who_color="#c8ffc8")

define declares a constant that doesn't change during gameplay. Character creates a character object with a display name and color. Once defined, s "dialogue" shows the text with the character's name.

Labels and Jumps

label start:
    ...

label add_feature:
    ...
    return

label marks a point in your script. label start: is a reserved name — it's where Ren'Py begins execution. jump moves between labels, and return ends the game.

Showing Backgrounds

scene bg room
with fade

scene clears the screen and shows a background image. with fade adds a fade-in effect. Ren'Py automatically looks for matching files in game/images/ — in this case, a file named bg room.png (spaces in the filename correspond to spaces in the image name). See the official image display docs for details.

Choices and Branching

menu:
    s "What should we do next?"

    "Add more features":
        jump add_feature

    "Take a break":
        jump rest

The menu: block displays choices to the player. The indented code under each choice runs when that option is selected. Using jump to go to different labels creates branching storylines.

Flag Management with Variables

To track the results of choices, declare variables with default:

# Variables that change during gameplay use default
default motivation = 0

label start:
    menu:
        "Work hard":
            $ motivation += 1
            jump next
        "Rest":
            jump next

label next:
    if motivation > 0:
        "You're full of energy!"
    else:
        "You seem a bit tired."
    return

default declares a variable that persists correctly through save/load. $ executes a single line of Python code.

Test Run

Go back to the launcher, select your project, and click "Launch Project". The game will start and play through the scene you wrote.

If you haven't added background images, the screen will be black at scene bg room — but dialogue and choices will work fine. It's standard practice to test scripts without art first and add images later.

Build and Distribute

Once your game runs correctly, generate distributable files.

Pre-Build Configuration

Open game/options.rpy and check these settings:

# Game title (shown in the window title bar)
define config.name = _("My First Game")

# Build name (used in file names)
define build.name = "MyFirstGame"

build.name is used in output file names, so don't include spaces or non-ASCII characters.

Running the Build

The build produces these files:

These ZIP files are self-contained — recipients can run the game without installing Ren'Py. Uploading to itch.io is the most common way to distribute Ren'Py games.

FAQ

Is Ren'Py free to use?

Yes. Ren'Py is free and open-source under the MIT license. You can use it for commercial and non-commercial projects without paying royalties or licensing fees.

Can I sell games made with Ren'Py?

Absolutely. The MIT license allows commercial distribution. Titles like Doki Doki Literature Club! and many other commercial games on Steam and itch.io are built with Ren'Py. You keep 100% of the revenue.

What programming language does Ren'Py use?

Ren'Py has its own .rpy scripting language designed for dialogue and branching. Under the hood, it runs on Python 3.12, and you can write Python code directly inside .rpy files using $ for single lines or python: blocks for longer code.

Does Ren'Py support Android and iOS?

Yes. Ren'Py can build for Android directly from the launcher using RAPT (Ren'Py Android Packaging Tool). iOS builds require a Mac with Xcode. See the official iOS documentation for details.

Can I use Ren'Py without programming experience?

Yes, for basic visual novels. The .rpy scripting language is designed to be readable — writing dialogue, adding choices, and showing images requires minimal code. For more complex mechanics like stat systems or mini-games, some Python knowledge helps. The official tutorial included in the SDK is a great starting point.

How do I add images to my Ren'Py project?

Place image files (PNG, JPG, or WebP) in the game/images/ folder. Ren'Py automatically maps filenames to image names — bg park.png becomes the image bg park you can reference with scene bg park. Check Image Basics for a full guide on character sprites, layered images, and transitions.

What's the difference between Ren'Py 7 and 8?

Ren'Py 8 uses Python 3 (currently 3.12), while Ren'Py 7 uses Python 2. Ren'Py 8 is recommended for all new projects. The migration guide covers differences, but most .rpy scripts work unchanged between versions.

Wrapping Up

Here's what we covered:

• SDK setup: Downloaded 8.5.2 from the official site and extracted it
• Editor config: VS Code + Ren'Py Language extension for syntax highlighting and completion
• Project creation: Created a new project from the launcher and explored the directory structure
• Script writing: Character definitions, backgrounds, dialogue, branching choices, and variable-based flag management
• Building: Generated distributable files as ZIP archives

With this foundation, you can run the full Ren'Py development cycle. Next steps:

• Image Basics — displaying backgrounds, characters, and transitions
• Choices and Branching — menu statements to multiple endings
• Audio Guide — BGM, sound effects, and voice management
• Stat Management — Python-based systems for affection, HP, and more
• Distribution Guide — building and publishing to itch.io

Official resources:

• Ren'Py Quickstart Guide — deeper coverage of define / default / label / menu
• Ren'Py Documentation — full reference for all features
• r/RenPy — community for questions and discussion

Related articles:

• Ren'Py Image Basics: show, scene, and Transitions
• Ren'Py Choices and Branching: From Menus to Multiple Endings
• Ren'Py Screen Language: Why Your UI Won't Update
• Distributing Your Ren'Py Game: From Build to itch.io