Kitao Pyxel by kitao
A retro game engine for Python
About Kitao Pyxel
From the project's README at github.com/kitao/pyxel. Lightly cleaned for readability; for the full source see the upstream repo.
[](https://pypi.org/project/pyxel/) [](https://github.com/kitao/pyxel) [](https://github.com/kitao/pyxel) [](https://github.com/sponsors/kitao)
With simple specifications inspired by retro gaming consoles, such as displaying only 16 colors and supporting 4 sound channels, you can easily enjoy making pixel-art-style games.
Pyxel is open source under the MIT License and free to use. Let's start making retro games with Pyxel!
Health score breakdown
6-dimension composite. See methodology for formula and weights.
Adoption signals
Real-world usage data, pulled from each registry. The bigger the numbers, the more battle-tested the project.
| Signal | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | 17k | github.com/kitao/pyxel |
| GitHub forks | 925 | github.com/kitao/pyxel |
| CRATES downloads (last month) | 7 | pyxel |
Release & maintenance
Is this project actively maintained, or about to die? Check the recency of last commit and last release.
| Project age | 7.9 years | since Jun 2018 |
| Last commit | 4 days ago | May 3, 2026 |
| Releases shipped | 184 | last: 4 days ago |
| Funding links | 2 | declared by maintainers |
Self-hosting cost across providers
Detected requirements: 4GB RAM, 40GB disk minimum. Cheapest plan per provider that meets the requirement.
| Provider | Plan | Specs | Monthly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| hetzner | CAX11 | 2c · 4GB · 40GB | $4.13 USD | Deploy → |
| vultr | VC2 | 1c · 1GB · 25GB | $5 USD | Deploy → |
| linode | Nanode 1GB | 1c · 1GB · 25GB | $5.12 USD | Deploy → |
| digitalocean | Basic Regular 1GB | 1c · 1GB · 25GB | $6 USD | Deploy → |
What people say on Hacker News
Ready to self-host Kitao Pyxel?
Spin up a hetzner CAX11 (4GB RAM, 40GB disk) for $4.13/mo and follow the project's official install docs.
Data last refreshed May 7, 2026.
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