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What is the-forge?

confettifx/the-forge — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-06-26

★ 5,541C++Audience · developerComplexity · 5/5LicenseSetup · hard

In one sentence

A cross-platform C++ framework for building games and graphics software that runs on Windows, Steam Deck, Android, iOS, macOS, and Meta Quest from a single shared codebase, handling rendering, shaders, animation, and input at the hardware level.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((The Forge))
    What it does
      Cross-platform rendering
      Single codebase
      Shader translation
    Tech Stack
      C++
      DirectX 12
      Vulkan and Metal
    Use Cases
      Game engine building
      SDK development
      Graphics research
    Platforms
      Windows
      Android and iOS
      macOS
      Meta Quest
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Code map

Detail Auto

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filefunction / class

What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Build a cross-platform real-time renderer that runs on Windows, Android, iOS, and macOS from a single C++ codebase.

USE CASE 2

Write GPU shaders once in The Forge Shading Language and have them automatically compiled for DirectX 12, Vulkan, or Metal.

USE CASE 3

Integrate a production-grade animation system into a custom game engine without writing low-level GPU code from scratch.

USE CASE 4

Test and deploy the same graphics code on a Steam Deck or Meta Quest 2 alongside your desktop build.

What is it built with?

C++DirectX 12VulkanMetalHLSLDear ImGuiLua

How does it compare?

confettifx/the-forgeemcrisostomo/fswatchluau-lang/luau
Stars5,5415,5325,528
LanguageC++C++C++
Setup difficultyhardeasyhard
Complexity5/52/54/5
Audiencedeveloperdeveloperdeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · hard Time to first run · 1h+

Requires platform SDKs and graphics drivers for each target, console support needs a separate commercial license and platform-holder accreditation.

Use freely for any purpose including commercial products, as long as you keep the copyright notice and license file.

So what is it?

The Forge is a cross-platform programming framework for building games and graphics software. It is developed by Confetti Interactive, a company that provides graphics technology to game studios. Rather than a complete game engine, it is a lower-level set of building blocks that developers use to write graphics code that works across many platforms from a single shared codebase. The platforms it covers on the open-source side include Windows 10 and 11 using DirectX 12, Steam Deck using Vulkan, Android, iOS, iPadOS, and macOS including both Intel and Apple Silicon hardware, and Meta Quest 2. Support for game consoles (PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, and Nintendo Switch) is available separately under a commercial license for developers who have been accredited by those platform holders. The framework handles the parts of a game or real-time application that are closest to the hardware: rendering, memory management, file I/O, input handling, and animation. It includes a shader language called The Forge Shading Language (a superset of HLSL) that can be translated to run on any of the supported graphics APIs. It also bundles an animation system, a UI library based on Dear ImGui, a Lua scripting system used mainly for automated testing, and an entity component system for organizing game objects. The project has been used by studios building their own game engines (Hades by Supergiant Games and a custom engine by Hypixel are cited) and by companies writing SDKs for graphics hardware (Qualcomm Adreno, Meta Oculus). It is also listed as having been part of the technology behind Starfield. The open-source portion is released under the Apache License 2.0. The full README is longer than what was shown.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Using The Forge framework, write a C++ render pass that draws a textured quad on screen using DirectX 12 on Windows and Vulkan on Steam Deck from a single shader written in The Forge Shading Language.
Prompt 2
How do I set up The Forge's entity component system to manage game objects and attach a render component to each one?
Prompt 3
Show me how to use The Forge's built-in animation system to load a character mesh and play a looping idle animation at runtime.
Prompt 4
How do I configure a The Forge project to compile and run identically on Windows with DirectX 12 and macOS with Metal?
Prompt 5
How do I add a Dear ImGui debug overlay to a The Forge application showing frame time and GPU memory usage?

Frequently asked questions

What is the-forge?

A cross-platform C++ framework for building games and graphics software that runs on Windows, Steam Deck, Android, iOS, macOS, and Meta Quest from a single shared codebase, handling rendering, shaders, animation, and input at the hardware level.

What language is the-forge written in?

Mainly C++. The stack also includes C++, DirectX 12, Vulkan.

What license does the-forge use?

Use freely for any purpose including commercial products, as long as you keep the copyright notice and license file.

How hard is the-forge to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated hard, with roughly 1h+ to a first successful run.

Who is the-forge for?

Mainly developer.

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