Platform overview
s&box is a game creation platform developed by Facepunch Studios, built on a heavily modified version of Valve's Source 2 engine. Released on Steam on 28 April 2026, it is designed as a spiritual successor to Garry's Mod. Players can access and play community-made games within the platform, and creators can build and publish their own games using the included tools.
Playing community games
The platform hosts a library of community-created games spanning multiple genres.
- Available genres include shooters, roleplay, racing, platformers, and horror, among others.
- Games launch directly without separate installation or subscription steps.
- Multiplayer is built into the platform — friends can join without setting up dedicated servers.
Creation tools
s&box includes a full suite of tools for building and publishing games.
- A scene-based editor comparable in structure to Unity and Godot, with drag-and-drop cloud asset support.
- A C# API with hotloading — code changes take effect immediately without restarting or recompiling.
- The Hammer level editor, included as part of the Source 2 toolset.
- Games can be published directly to the s&box platform or, under a licensing agreement with Valve, exported and released as standalone titles on Steam with no royalties.
- A Play Fund allows creators to earn from player activity, funded through cosmetic purchases on the platform.
Technical details
- Built on the same Source 2 engine used in Half-Life: Alyx and Counter-Strike 2.
- Source code released under the MIT License; the underlying Source 2 engine code remains proprietary.
- Supports online multiplayer, local co-op, and split-screen modes.
- Available on Windows. Steam Deck is not currently supported.