Getting Started

S&box is coded in C#. Under the hood, it uses the Source 2 engine (CS2, HL:Alyx, DOTA2) and some of its systems: rendering, resources, physics, and audio.

We use a scene system, similar to Godot and Unity. This allows faster iteration, without everything being code-based. The scene system aims to make how everything works more transparent, by being easily visible, and easily accessible.

We have developed a hotload system which is capable of compiling & hotloading your changes to code within a few milliseconds, which negates the need for a scripting language.

Our intention is to let you export the things that you make in our engine and release them standalone. We'll let you do this royalty-free.


Download & Install

Get the s&box editor through Steam and start building. Available to everyone through the developer preview.

System Requirements

Minimum and recommended hardware specs to run s&box.

Your First Project

Create a new game project, add GameObjects and Components, and get something moving on screen.

Explore the Engine

Understand the scene system, play the Testbed to see engine features in action, and find sample projects to learn from.

Project Types

Learn about the different project types: game projects and addon projects.

Monetization

Learn how creators can make money through the Play Fund and other revenue systems.

Reporting Issues

How to report bugs, submit error logs, and troubleshoot common problems.

FAQ

Answers to frequently asked questions about s&box.

Feature Status

Current status of key features and known missing functionality.


Community

If you don't understand something, please ask on the forums or on Discord in the beginner's channel.

Issues and feature suggestions should be posted in the sbox-public repo.






Created 15 Jun 2025
Updated 9 Apr 2026