Trying out SDL3 by writing a C++ Game Engine

SDL3 is around the corner! SDL3_image has been released, and we’re waiting for SDL3_ttf, SDL3_mixer and SDL3_net to be released soon as well.

On the menu:

• more consistent naming conventions
• many API improvements (native dialog windows, main callbacks, …)
• integration of old third-party libraries for GPU code
• …

But is it ready for production?

In my opinion, not yet. There are still some performance problem (both CPU-wise and memory-wise) that needs to be ironed out, a few bugs to be fixed, etc. SDL2 has been battled tested for more than a decade, SDL3 is still young, but that’s only a temporary issue.

Also, that’s no reason to not try it out! Let’s try to make a game with SDL3!

Wait… Why make games when you can make a game engine instead?

Making games is hard. Making a game engine is harder. But it’s actually funnier (and it does not require art skills). Let’s do it step by step:

Step 1: The boilerplate

#include <SDL3/SDL.h>
#include <SDL3/SDL_main.h>
#include <entt/entt.hpp>

#define FPS 60


struct global_state {
  bool running;

  SDL_Window* window;
  SDL_Renderer*…