{"data":{"slug":"jolt-physics","name":"Jolt Physics","tagline":"MIT multi-core rigid body physics for games and VR","category":"libraries","categoryName":"Libraries","url":"https://github.com/jrouwe/JoltPhysics","github":"https://github.com/jrouwe/JoltPhysics","pricing":"open-source","hook":"Jolt Physics is a multi-core friendly rigid body physics and collision detection library in C++, used in Horizon Forbidden West and Death Stranding 2.","whatsGood":"MIT (jrouwe/JoltPhysics), release v5.6.0 (2026-07-11). Built for games that touch physics data from many threads: bodies can be prepared and inserted in batches in the background, and queries run concurrently with the simulation. Supports rigid bodies, constraints, ragdolls, vehicles, characters, soft bodies and deterministic simulation. Godot ships it as a built-in option, and community bindings exist for other engines and languages. ★~11.8k.","theCatch":"It is a C++ library with no editor; integrating it into a custom engine takes real work. Mostly built by one main author. Fluid and cloth simulation beyond soft bodies are out of scope.","verdict":"The best open-source 3D physics engine for games right now.","addedAt":"2026-10-18","featured":false,"domain":"Libraries","subSpecialty":"Libraries","subcategory":"Libraries","tags":["self-host","permissive","active"],"capabilities":[],"surfaces":["Self-host"],"ecosystem":["Node.js"],"licenseModel":"OSS/MIT","githubStars":11762,"starsPerWeek":43,"access":"free","archived":false,"repo":{"createdAt":"2021-08-12","pushedAt":"2026-10-18","license":"MIT","archived":false,"checkedAt":"2026-10-19"}},"related":[{"slug":"hono","name":"Hono","tagline":"Tiny TypeScript web framework that runs on every runtime"},{"slug":"phaser","name":"Phaser","tagline":"MIT HTML5 2D game framework with scenes, physics, and tilemaps"},{"slug":"pixijs","name":"PixiJS","tagline":"MIT 2D WebGPU/WebGL renderer, not a game engine"},{"slug":"babylonjs","name":"Babylon.js","tagline":"Apache-2.0 3D engine for the web, now on v9"},{"slug":"playcanvas","name":"PlayCanvas","tagline":"MIT WebGL2/WebGPU engine plus an optional hosted Editor"}],"links":{"self":"/api/gems/jolt-physics","html":"/gems/jolt-physics","markdown":"/gems/jolt-physics.md","category":"/api/gems?category=libraries","categoryPage":"/stacks/libraries"}}