Custom Retro Game Engine That Simulates Real CRT Displays Behavior

Check out AnalogDreamDev's project.

RetroEngine is a passion project by Alexander Rybak, also known as AnalogDreamDev, that goes beyond simple post-processing effects by physically simulating how CRT displays behave using DirectX 12.

Alexander documents each stage of development. Long term, RetroEngine is meant to become a small, lightweight game engine that other developers can build with. It's not trying to compete with large, all-purpose engines. The focus is much narrower: keep it simple, keep it approachable, and stay dedicated to accurately capturing that retro CRT aesthetic.

"I didn't want to just make a post-process filter, I wanted to actually simulate how a CRT works, from beam movement to phosphor glow to glass diffusion.

It's a personal project that lets me dig into rendering, learn more about C++, and understand what really goes on inside a graphics pipeline. Every part of it is a chance to learn something new and bring back a piece of that analog magic."

Alexander is a Technical Artist who develops the project in C++ and, among third-party libraries, uses only Dear ImGui, quite impressive if true. You can learn more about the origins of RetroEngine and the developer's approach in these two articles.

For more information, visit RetroEngine's website, where you can find development logs. Also, follow the developer on X/Twitter for updates:

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