PRG32 — Retro Gaming & Coding

Open-source · Educational · RISC-V native

Learn the machine.
Make the game.

PRG32 turns computer architecture into something you can see, hear, and play—a complete 32-bit RISC-V game platform for learning assembly and C.

Start building → Explore the platform
RV32IMAC
Native instruction set
320 × 200
Retro display
100%
Open source
PRG32 // DEV UNIT● LIVE
AB
Scroll to decode
01 — THE PLATFORM

From source code
to real hardware.

PRG32 is not a CPU instruction emulator. Your cartridge runs as native RISC-V machine code on an ESP32-C6—or inside an ESP32-C3 QEMU target while you develop on your desktop.

01WRITEAssembly or C
compile
02PACK.prg32 cartridge
load
03PLAYHardware or QEMU
{ }

Small, honest API

A minimal init / update / draw loop keeps attention on the machine, the logic, and the craft of making a game.

▦

Classroom hardware

Built around accessible parts: ESP32-C6, a 2.8-inch SPI display, I²S audio, joystick, and GPIO buttons.

▶

Desktop feedback loop

Build and test against the QEMU virtual screen before moving the exact cartridge workflow to physical hardware.

02 — NOW PLAYING

Small cartridges.
Big worlds.

Original games, classroom experiments, and arcade tributes—all running as native RISC-V code.

Browse the Cartridge Store ↗
Cockroaches Cathisteria gameplay showing a colorful raycast arena and cat defense squad Cockroaches CathisteriaRaycaster · Action01 Space Belt Madness gameplay featuring a starfighter battling the Bartender boss Space Belt MadnessSpace combat · Story02 napRider Napoli 97 gameplay with a Fiat 500 driving through Naples napRider — Napoli '97Driving · Adventure03 FairWind Napoli 97 gameplay showing a sailing race in the Bay of Naples FairWind — Napoli '97Sailing · Strategy04 Spiriti Napoli 97 gameplay with a giant ghost in Piazza del Plebiscito Spiriti — Napoli '97Arcade · Action05 Debris puzzle gameplay with colorful falling blocks DebrisPuzzle · Arcade06
● ONLINE32 cartridges and countingDownload, publish, compete, repeat.
Enter the store ↗
BUILD
PLAY
LEARN
03 — YOUR FIRST CARTRIDGE

Pick your entry point.
Keep going deeper.

Start with a working example, then peel back each layer until the pixels on screen connect to the instructions underneath.

  1. 01

    SET UP

    Clone & diagnose

    Install the ESP-IDF environment, clone the core repository, and let the PRG32 doctor check your toolchain.

    python3 -m prg32 doctor
  2. 02

    MAKE

    Build a cartridge

    Begin with an example in assembly or C. Work inside the game loop and package it into the portable cartridge format.

    game.c → game.prg32
  3. 03

    RUN

    See it come alive

    Test on the desktop virtual screen, then upload to the ESP32-C6 classroom console for native execution.

    QEMU → ESP32-C6
Open the setup guide ↗
04 — THE ECOSYSTEM

More than
a console.

Tooling, lessons, distribution, and games—an open ecosystem designed to make systems programming tangible.

Core platform

PRG32

Firmware, cartridge format, developer toolchain, desktop emulator, examples, and teaching guides in one repository.

C
Textbook

Playing with RISC-V

A practical textbook for learning PRG32 game development in RISC-V assembly and C.

TeX
Visual learning

Construction Kit

A blocks-based web application that brings retro game development to kids and young adults.

Python
Distribution

Cartridge Store

An installable catalog and classroom service hub for publishing and sharing .prg32 game cartridges.

Python
Demonstrator

You Have Got Pizza

A Burger Time–inspired game that demonstrates the platform through a complete playable cartridge.

C++
Community game

Terraforge

A fully playable, Minecraft-inspired game built for the PRG32 platform.

C
Explore all repositories ↗
WHY PRG32?
“The shortest distance between an instruction and understanding is a game you can play.”

PRG32 makes low-level programming immediate. Registers become movement. Memory becomes a world. Timing becomes feel. The machine stops being abstract.

READY PLAYER 32

Your first instruction
starts here.

Fork the project, build a cartridge, and learn RISC-V from the inside out.

View PRG32 on GitHub ↗ Read the textbook