Cinevva Engine

A game engine that's open-source and built for the web. You can build games that run straight in any browser — no plugins to download, nothing to install. Just share a URL.

View on GitHub

What It Is

Cinevva Engine is a browser-first game creation platform. Build 2D and 3D games that ship as web apps — playable on any device with a browser.

Built for:

• Solo creators prototyping ideas
• Small teams building web games
• Educators teaching game development
• Anyone who wants games that just work everywhere

Core Capabilities

Browser-First Runtime

Games run directly in the browser:

• No plugins or installs required
• Works on desktop, mobile, tablets
• Instant sharing via URL
• Progressive loading for fast start
• WebGL today, WebGPU ready

Asset Ecosystem

Built-in providers for popular free asset sources:

• Kenney — Game-ready 2D/3D assets
• Mixamo — Character animations
• Quaternius — Low-poly 3D models
• Polyhaven — HDRIs, textures, models
• Sketchfab — Community 3D models
• OpenGameArt — Sprites, tiles, audio
• Freesound — Sound effects
• AmbientCG — PBR materials

Drag assets into your project. The engine handles format conversion and optimization.

Open Standards

We build on established standards, not proprietary formats:

• Three.js — Rendering engine
• USD — Scene interchange (pure TypeScript implementation)
• glTF — Model format
• Web APIs — Audio, Gamepad, WebXR

Editor

A web-based editor for building games:

• Live preview as you work
• File tree and asset browser
• Code editor with syntax highlighting
• Export to standalone HTML

Design Principles

Content-Neutral

The engine works with any valid assets — hand-crafted, procedurally generated, or anything else. If the data is valid, it renders.

We believe in tools over gatekeeping. The creative process is yours.

Standards Over Lock-in

Everything uses open formats. Your projects aren't trapped:

• Export to standalone HTML
• Assets in standard formats (glTF, PNG, MP3)
• Scene data in USD or JSON
• No proprietary runtime required

Web-Native

Built for the web from day one. Not a port of a desktop engine — designed around browser capabilities and constraints.

Getting Started

git clone https://github.com/cinevva/engine
cp .env.example .env  # configure API keys

# Terminal 1: Backend
cd backend && npm install && npm run dev

# Terminal 2: Frontend
cd frontend && npm install && npm run dev

Project Structure

engine/
├── backend/
│   ├── game-management/ # Asset providers, game ops
│   └── routes/          # API endpoints
├── frontend/            # Vue.js editor
├── packages/
│   ├── usdjs/          # USD runtime (USDA/USDC/USDZ)
│   └── usdjs-viewer/   # Three.js USD renderer
└── apps/
    └── cinevva-site/   # This documentation site

Roadmap

What we're working on:

• WebGPU renderer path
• Multiplayer / networked games
• Mobile-optimized export
• Plugin system
• Visual scripting

Related

• Tutorials — Hands-on guides
• Guides — Best practices
• Tech Report: Three.js + USD

License

AGPLv3. Free to use, modify, and distribute — with the requirement that derivative works also remain open source.