https://github.com/knmcguire/best-of-robot-simulators
A Best-of-list of Robot Simulators, re-generated weekly on Wednesdays
https://github.com/knmcguire/best-of-robot-simulators
Last synced: 7 months ago
JSON representation
A Best-of-list of Robot Simulators, re-generated weekly on Wednesdays
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/knmcguire/best-of-robot-simulators
- Owner: knmcguire
- License: cc-by-sa-4.0
- Created: 2025-04-09T08:06:08.000Z (8 months ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2025-05-14T16:22:01.000Z (7 months ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-05-14T17:28:47.755Z (7 months ago)
- Homepage:
- Size: 2.72 MB
- Stars: 588
- Watchers: 10
- Forks: 38
- Open Issues: 24
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- Changelog: history/2025-04-09_changes.md
- Contributing: CONTRIBUTING.md
- License: LICENSE
- Code of conduct: .github/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
Awesome Lists containing this project
- awesome-weekly-robotics - Best of Robot Simulators
README
best-of-robot-simulators
🏆 A ranked list of awesome projects. Updated weekly.
This curated list contains 120 awesome open-source projects with a total of 320K stars grouped into 9 categories. All projects are ranked by a project-quality score, which is calculated based on various metrics automatically collected from GitHub and different package managers. If you like to add or update projects, feel free to open an [issue](https://github.com/knmcguire/best-of-robot-simulators/issues/new/choose), submit a [pull request](https://github.com/knmcguire/best-of-robot-simulators/pulls), or directly edit the [projects.yaml](https://github.com/knmcguire/best-of-robot-simulators/edit/main/projects.yaml). Contributions are very welcome!
> 🧙♂️ Discover other [best-of lists](https://best-of.org) or [create your own](https://github.com/best-of-lists/best-of/blob/main/create-best-of-list.md).
## Contents
- [Generic Robotics Simulators](#generic-robotics-simulators) _21 projects_
- [Robotic simulators in 2D](#robotic-simulators-in-2d) _4 projects_
- [Physics Engines](#physics-engines) _19 projects_
- [Aerial Robotics Simulators](#aerial-robotics-simulators) _16 projects_
- [maritime Robotics Simulators](#maritime-robotics-simulators) _17 projects_
- [Domain Specific Simulators](#domain-specific-simulators) _10 projects_
- [Game engines](#game-engines) _4 projects_
- [AI training Simulators](#ai-training-simulators) _21 projects_
- [Rendering engines](#rendering-engines) _6 projects_
## Explanation
- 🥇🥈🥉 Combined project-quality score
- ⭐️ Star count from GitHub
- 🐣 New project _(less than 6 months old)_
- 💤 Inactive project _(12 months no activity)_
- 💀 Dead project _(999999 months no activity)_
- 📈📉 Project is trending up or down
- ➕ Project was recently added
- 👨💻 Contributors count from GitHub
- 🔀 Fork count from GitHub
- 📋 Issue count from GitHub
- ⏱️ Last update timestamp on package manager
- 📥 Download count from package manager
- 📦 Number of dependent projects
## Generic Robotics Simulators
_Generic simulators, tools or SDKs made for robotics_
O3DE for Robotics (🥇29 · ⭐ 8.2K) - Open 3D Engine (O3DE) is an Apache 2.0-licensed multi-platform 3D engine that enables developers and content creators.. MIT and Apache-2
- [GitHub](https://github.com/o3de/o3de) (👨💻 300 · 🔀 2.3K · 📥 9.7K · 📋 7.7K - 44% open · ⏱️ 14.05.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/o3de/o3de
```
Webots (🥇29 · ⭐ 3.6K) - Webots Robot Simulator. Apache-2
- [GitHub](https://github.com/cyberbotics/webots) (👨💻 140 · 🔀 1.7K · 📥 1.6M · 📋 1.9K - 11% open · ⏱️ 22.04.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/cyberbotics/webots
```
Gazebo (🥇21 · ⭐ 890) - Open source robotics simulator. The latest version of Gazebo. Apache-2
- [GitHub](https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-sim) (👨💻 150 · 🔀 290 · 📋 940 - 42% open · ⏱️ 29.04.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-sim
```
OpenRAVE (🥈18 · ⭐ 760) - Open Robotics Automation Virtual Environment: An environment for testing, developing, and deploying robotics motion.. Apache-2 and LGPL-3
- [GitHub](https://github.com/rdiankov/openrave) (👨💻 120 · 🔀 320 · 📋 520 - 57% open · ⏱️ 16.08.2024):
```
git clone https://github.com/rdiankov/openrave
```
Unity Robotics Hub (🥈16 · ⭐ 2.3K) - Central repository for tools, tutorials, resources, and documentation for robotics simulation in Unity. Apache-2
- [GitHub](https://github.com/Unity-Technologies/Unity-Robotics-Hub) (👨💻 13 · 🔀 440 · 📋 190 - 24% open · ⏱️ 26.11.2024):
```
git clone https://github.com/Unity-Technologies/Unity-Robotics-Hub
```
ARGoS (🥈16 · ⭐ 280) - A parallel, multi-engine simulator for heterogeneous swarm robotics. MIT
- [GitHub](https://github.com/ilpincy/argos3) (👨💻 25 · 🔀 110 · 📋 130 - 21% open · ⏱️ 03.05.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/ilpincy/argos3
```
Ros2 For Unity (🥉15 · ⭐ 540) - High-performance ROS2 solution for Unity3D. Apache-2
- [GitHub](https://github.com/RobotecAI/ros2-for-unity) (👨💻 12 · 🔀 59 · 📥 7K · 📋 93 - 40% open · ⏱️ 30.09.2024):
```
git clone https://github.com/RobotecAI/ros2-for-unity
```
ROS1 Intergration for Unreal 4 (🥉14 · ⭐ 430 · 📈) - Unreal Engine Plugin to enable ROS Support. MIT
- [GitHub](https://github.com/code-iai/ROSIntegration) (👨💻 32 · 🔀 130 · 📋 130 - 40% open · ⏱️ 11.02.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/code-iai/ROSIntegration
```
CoppeliaSim core library (🥉11 · ⭐ 120) - CoppeliaSim core library. gnu-gpl
- [GitHub](https://github.com/CoppeliaRobotics/coppeliaSimLib) (👨💻 3 · 🔀 42 · 📋 21 - 14% open · ⏱️ 13.05.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/CoppeliaRobotics/coppeliaSimLib
```
Robwork (🥉8 · ⭐ 33 · 💤) - RobWork is a collection of C++ libraries for simulation and control of robot systems, see http://robwork.dk To get.. Apache-2
- [GitLab](https://gitlab.com/sdurobotics/RobWork) (🔀 39 · 📋 110 - 15% open · ⏱️ 07.04.2016):
```
git clone https://gitlab.com/sdurobotics/RobWork
```
SimSpark (🥉6 · ⭐ 20) - A generic physical simulator. Missing
- [GitLab](https://gitlab.com/robocup-sim/SimSpark) (🔀 8 · 📋 56 - 51% open · ⏱️ 13.10.2017):
```
git clone https://gitlab.com/robocup-sim/SimSpark
```
CoppeliaSim (🥉1) - Proprietary Software License
- _No project information available._
NVIDIA Isaac Sim (🥉1) - NVIDIA Omniverse License Agreement
- _No project information available._
RobotBuilder (🥉1) - Commercial software
- _No project information available._
RoboDK (🥉1) - proprietary license
- _No project information available._
MATLAB Robotics Systems Toolbox (🥉1) - Proprietary Software License
- _No project information available._
RoSi (🥉1) - Proprietary Software License
- _No project information available._
Show 4 hidden projects...
- Gazebo Classic (🥇21 · ⭐ 1.3K) - Gazebo classic. For the latest version, see https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-sim. Apache-2
- Roboschool (🥈20 · ⭐ 2.1K · 💤) - DEPRECATED: Open-source software for robot simulation, integrated with OpenAI Gym. MIT
- Morse (🥈16 · ⭐ 360 · 💤) - The Modular OpenRobots Simulation Engine. OFL-1.1
- Simbad (🥉1) - GNU-gpl2
## Robotic simulators in 2D
_Robotic simulators that only work in a 2D environment, for instance navigation_
IR-SIM (🥇24 · ⭐ 480) - A Python based lightweight robot simulator for the development of algorithms in robotics navigation, control, and.. MIT
- [GitHub](https://github.com/hanruihua/ir-sim) (👨💻 6 · 🔀 60 · 📦 10 · 📋 14 - 7% open · ⏱️ 13.05.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/hanruihua/ir-sim
```
- [PyPi](https://pypi.org/project/ir-sim) (📥 2K / month):
```
pip install ir-sim
```
pyrobosim (🥈20 · ⭐ 330) - ROS 2 enabled 2D mobile robot simulator for behavior prototyping. MIT
- [GitHub](https://github.com/sea-bass/pyrobosim) (👨💻 17 · 🔀 53 · 📦 7 · 📋 120 - 6% open · ⏱️ 13.05.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/sea-bass/pyrobosim
```
- [PyPi](https://pypi.org/project/pyrobosim) (📥 490 / month):
```
pip install pyrobosim
```
mvsim (🥉15 · ⭐ 320 · 📈) - Vehicle and mobile robotics simulator. C++ & Python API. Use it as a standalone application or via ROS 1 or ROS 2. BSD-3
- [GitHub](https://github.com/MRPT/mvsim) (👨💻 9 · 🔀 47 · 📋 28 - 28% open · ⏱️ 05.02.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/MRPT/mvsim
```
Flatland (🥉12 · ⭐ 120) - A 2D robot simulator for ROS. BSD-3
- [GitHub](https://github.com/avidbots/flatland) (👨💻 14 · 🔀 41 · 📋 26 - 50% open · ⏱️ 07.05.2024):
```
git clone https://github.com/avidbots/flatland
```
## Physics Engines
_Physics Engines that simulate multi-joint dynamics, gravity etc_
mujoco (🥇37 · ⭐ 9.5K) - Multi-Joint dynamics with Contact. A general purpose physics simulator. Apache-2
- [GitHub](https://github.com/google-deepmind/mujoco) (👨💻 87 · 🔀 980 · 📥 610K · 📦 4.3K · 📋 1.7K - 6% open · ⏱️ 14.05.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/google-deepmind/mujoco
```
Drake (🥇32 · ⭐ 3.6K) - Model-based design and verification for robotics. BSD-3
- [GitHub](https://github.com/RobotLocomotion/drake) (👨💻 270 · 🔀 1.2K · 📥 120K · 📋 6.5K - 10% open · ⏱️ 14.05.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/RobotLocomotion/drake
```
Bullet Physics SDK (🥈27 · ⭐ 13K) - Bullet Physics SDK: real-time collision detection and multi-physics simulation for VR, games, visual effects,.. zlib
- [GitHub](https://github.com/bulletphysics/bullet3) (👨💻 310 · 🔀 2.9K · 📥 5.6K · 📦 21 · 📋 2K - 11% open · ⏱️ 23.04.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/bulletphysics/bullet3
```
Project CHRONO (🥈27 · ⭐ 2.4K) - High-performance C++ library for multiphysics and multibody dynamics simulations. BSD-3
- [GitHub](https://github.com/projectchrono/chrono) (👨💻 130 · 🔀 480 · 📥 8.7K · 📋 320 - 31% open · ⏱️ 14.05.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/projectchrono/chrono
```
BRAX (🥈26 · ⭐ 2.7K) - Massively parallel rigidbody physics simulation on accelerator hardware. Apache-2
- [GitHub](https://github.com/google/brax) (👨💻 40 · 🔀 280 · 📦 470 · 📋 380 - 20% open · ⏱️ 12.05.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/google/brax
```
JSBSim (🥈24 · ⭐ 1.6K) - An open source flight dynamics & control software library. LGPL-2.1
- [GitHub](https://github.com/JSBSim-Team/jsbsim) (👨💻 69 · 🔀 480 · 📥 27K · 📋 350 - 11% open · ⏱️ 10.05.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/JSBSim-Team/jsbsim
```
DART (🥈22 · ⭐ 960) - DART: Dynamic Animation and Robotics Toolkit. BSD-2
- [GitHub](https://github.com/dartsim/dart) (👨💻 73 · 🔀 280 · 📦 8 · 📋 670 - 23% open · ⏱️ 14.05.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/dartsim/dart
```
Simbody (🥈21 · ⭐ 2.4K) - High-performance C++ multibody dynamics/physics library for simulating articulated biomechanical and mechanical.. Apache-2
- [GitHub](https://github.com/simbody/simbody) (👨💻 60 · 🔀 470 · 📋 330 - 42% open · ⏱️ 11.05.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/simbody/simbody
```
PhysX 5 (🥉17 · ⭐ 3.9K · 📉) - NVIDIA PhysX SDK. BSD-3
- [GitHub](https://github.com/NVIDIA-Omniverse/PhysX) (👨💻 7 · 🔀 460 · 📋 150 - 22% open · ⏱️ 07.04.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/NVIDIA-Omniverse/PhysX
```
TPE (part of gz-physics) (🥉17 · ⭐ 68) - Abstract physics interface designed to support simulation and rapid development of robot applications. Apache-2
- [GitHub](https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-physics) (👨💻 47 · 🔀 45 · 📋 140 - 50% open · ⏱️ 30.04.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-physics
```
MuJoCo Wrap (🥉16 · ⭐ 480 · 🐣) - GPU-optimized version of the MuJoCo physics simulator, designed for NVIDIA hardware. Apache-2
- [GitHub](https://github.com/google-deepmind/mujoco_warp) (👨💻 15 · 🔀 43 · 📋 79 - 45% open · ⏱️ 14.05.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/google-deepmind/mujoco_warp
```
PhysX SDK (legacy) (🥉15 · ⭐ 3.4K · 💤) - NVIDIA PhysX SDK. NVIDIA Omniverse License Agreement
- [GitHub](https://github.com/NVIDIAGameWorks/PhysX) (👨💻 3 · 🔀 780 · 📋 620 - 50% open · ⏱️ 09.11.2022):
```
git clone https://github.com/NVIDIAGameWorks/PhysX
```
RaiSim (🥉15 · ⭐ 370) - Visit www.raisim.com. Proprietary Software License
- [GitHub](https://github.com/raisimTech/raisimLib) (👨💻 16 · 🔀 92 · 📥 220 · 📋 400 - 13% open · ⏱️ 07.01.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/raisimTech/raisimlib
```
ODE (🥉11 · ⭐ 160 · 💤) - Open Dynamics Engine (ODE) github mirror from https://bitbucket.org/odedevs/ode. gnu-gpl and BSD-3-clause
- [GitHub](https://github.com/thomasmarsh/ODE) (👨💻 34 · 🔀 33 · 📋 2 - 50% open · ⏱️ 14.01.2024):
```
git clone https://github.com/thomasmarsh/ODE
```
AGX Dynamics by Algoryx (🥉2) - AGX Dynamics, by Algoryx, is a modular physics simulation toolkit available in C++, C# and Python, on Windows, Mac and.. Proprietary Software License
- _No project information available._
Vortex (🥉1) - EULA
- _No project information available._
Newton Dynamics (🥉1) - zlib
- [GitHub]():
```
git clone https://github.com/newton-dynamics/newton-dynamics
```
Havok Physics (🥉1) - Per-title licensing model
- _No project information available._
Simscape (🥉1) - Proprietary Software License
- _No project information available._
## Aerial Robotics Simulators
_Simulator frameworks made especially for aerial robotics_
Cosys-AirSim (🥇22 · ⭐ 160) - AirSim is a simulator for drones, cars and more, built on Unreal Engine. We expand it with new implementations and.. MIT
- [GitHub](https://github.com/Cosys-Lab/Cosys-AirSim) (👨💻 260 · 🔀 48 · 📥 2.8K · 📋 51 - 33% open · ⏱️ 16.04.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/Cosys-Lab/Cosys-AirSim
```
RotorS (🥈18 · ⭐ 1.3K · 💤) - RotorS is a UAV gazebo simulator. MIT
- [GitHub](https://github.com/ethz-asl/rotors_simulator) (👨💻 49 · 🔀 680 · 📋 380 - 42% open · ⏱️ 06.07.2021):
```
git clone https://github.com/ethz-asl/rotors_simulator
```
Flightmare (🥈17 · ⭐ 1.1K · 💤) - An Open Flexible Quadrotor Simulator. MIT
- [GitHub](https://github.com/uzh-rpg/flightmare) (👨💻 7 · 🔀 350 · 📥 5.3K · 📋 170 - 65% open · ⏱️ 15.05.2023):
```
git clone https://github.com/uzh-rpg/flightmare
```
Gym Pybullet Drones (🥈16 · ⭐ 1.5K) - PyBullet Gymnasium environments for single and multi-agent reinforcement learning of quadcopter control. MIT
- [GitHub](https://github.com/utiasDSL/gym-pybullet-drones) (👨💻 17 · 🔀 410 · 📋 210 - 49% open · ⏱️ 11.02.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/utiasDSL/gym-pybullet-drones
```
rotorpy (🥈16 · ⭐ 150) - A multirotor simulator with aerodynamics for education and research. MIT
- [GitHub](https://github.com/spencerfolk/rotorpy) (👨💻 5 · 🔀 38 · 📥 3 · 📋 14 - 28% open · ⏱️ 25.04.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/spencerfolk/rotorpy
```
Aerial Gym Simulator (🥈15 · ⭐ 490) - Aerial Gym Simulator - Isaac Gym Simulator for Aerial Robots. BSD-3
- [GitHub](https://github.com/ntnu-arl/aerial_gym_simulator) (👨💻 3 · 🔀 76 · 📋 32 - 15% open · ⏱️ 08.05.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/ntnu-arl/aerial_gym_simulator
```
Pegasus Simulator (🥈15 · ⭐ 460 · 📈) - A framework built on top of NVIDIA Isaac Sim for simulating drones with PX4 support and much more. BSD-3
- [GitHub](https://github.com/PegasusSimulator/PegasusSimulator) (👨💻 4 · 🔀 77 · 📋 39 - 25% open · ⏱️ 10.05.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/PegasusSimulator/PegasusSimulator
```
FlightGoggles (🥈15 · ⭐ 410 · 💤) - A framework for photorealistic hardware-in-the-loop agile flight simulation using Unity3D and ROS. Developed by MIT.. MIT
- [GitHub](https://github.com/mit-aera/FlightGoggles) (👨💻 9 · 🔀 96 · 📥 1.6K · 📋 170 - 11% open · ⏱️ 01.04.2024):
```
git clone https://github.com/mit-aera/FlightGoggles
```
CrazyS (🥉14 · ⭐ 170 · 💤) - CrazyS is an extension of the ROS package RotorS, aimed to modeling, developing and integrating the Crazyflie 2.0. Apache-2
- [GitHub](https://github.com/gsilano/CrazyS) (👨💻 3 · 🔀 84 · 📋 88 - 10% open · ⏱️ 11.08.2022):
```
git clone https://github.com/gsilano/CrazyS
```
jMAVSim (🥉14 · ⭐ 93 · 💤) - Simple multirotor simulator with MAVLink protocol support. BSD-3
- [GitHub](https://github.com/PX4/jMAVSim) (👨💻 28 · 🔀 210 · 📋 52 - 30% open · ⏱️ 17.12.2021):
```
git clone https://github.com/PX4/jMAVSim
```
Flightgear (🥉7 · ⭐ 49 · 💤) - FlightGear open-source flight simulator [flightgear.org](https://www.flightgear.org). gnu-gpl2
- [GitLab](https://gitlab.com/flightgear/flightgear) (🔀 32 · 📋 260 - 57% open · ⏱️ 04.03.2015):
```
git clone https://gitlab.com/flightgear/flightgear
```
- [GitHub](https://github.com/arplaboratory/RotorTM) (👨💻 3 · 🔀 14 · 📋 4 - 50% open · ⏱️ 09.06.2024):
```
git clone https://github.com/arplaboratory/RotorTM
```
Matlab UAV Toolbox (🥉1) - MathWorks Software License Agreement
- _No project information available._
Realflight (🥉1) - proprietary software license
- _No project information available._
X-plane (🥉1) - proprietary license
- _No project information available._
Show 1 hidden projects...
- airsim (🥇32 · ⭐ 17K · 💤) - Open source simulator for autonomous vehicles built on Unreal Engine / Unity, from Microsoft AI & Research. MIT
## maritime Robotics Simulators
_Simulator frameworks made especially for maritime robotics_
DAVE (🥇15 · ⭐ 250 · 💤) - Project DAVE. Apache-2
- [GitHub](https://github.com/Field-Robotics-Lab/dave) (👨💻 25 · 🔀 70 · 📋 130 - 23% open · ⏱️ 04.12.2023):
```
git clone https://github.com/Field-Robotics-Lab/dave
```
UNav-Sim (🥇14 · ⭐ 200) - Visually Realistic Underwater Robotics Simulator UNav-Sim. MIT
- [GitHub](https://github.com/open-airlab/UNav-Sim) (👨💻 250 · 🔀 21 · 📋 12 - 8% open · ⏱️ 02.05.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/open-airlab/UNav-Sim
```
Stonefish (🥇14 · ⭐ 150) - Stonefish - an advanced C++ simulation library designed for (but not limited to) marine robotics. GPL-3.0
- [GitHub](https://github.com/patrykcieslak/stonefish) (👨💻 11 · 🔀 35 · 📋 37 - 18% open · ⏱️ 29.04.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/patrykcieslak/stonefish
```
Moos-ivp (🥈11 · ⭐ 21) - MOOS-IvP is a set of modules for providing autonomy on robotic platforms, in particular autonomous marine vehicles. GPLv3 LGPLv3 and Commercial
- [GitHub](https://github.com/moos-ivp/moos-ivp) (👨💻 17 · 🔀 14 · 📋 9 - 44% open · ⏱️ 01.05.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/moos-ivp/moos-ivp
```
Ocean Sim (🥉7 · ⭐ 210 · 🐣) - OceanSim: A GPU-Accelerated Underwater Robot Perception Simulation Framework [Preprint]. BSD-3
- [GitHub](https://github.com/umfieldrobotics/OceanSim) (👨💻 3 · 🔀 19 · 📋 3 - 33% open · ⏱️ 24.04.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/umfieldrobotics/OceanSim
```
MARUSimulator (🥉7 · ⭐ 20 · 📈) - Marine simulator core assets for Unity. Apache-2
- [GitHub](https://github.com/MARUSimulator/marus-core) (👨💻 8 · 🔀 4 · 📋 5 - 40% open · ⏱️ 07.02.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/MARUSimulator/marus-core
```
HoloOcean (🥉5 · ⭐ 50 · 📈) - MIT and Unreal Engine EULA
- [GitHub]() (👨💻 8 · 🔀 21 · 📋 150 - 18% open):
```
git clone https://github.com/byu-holoocean/HoloOcean
```
Show 10 hidden projects...
- uuv_simulator (🥇14 · ⭐ 770 · 💤) - Gazebo/ROS packages for underwater robotics simulation. Unlicensed
- UWSim (🥈12 · ⭐ 110 · 💤) - UWSim-NET, the Underwater Simulator. GNU-gpl
- UWSim-NET (🥈11 · ⭐ 110 · 💤) - UWSim-NET, the Underwater Simulator. Unlicensed
- LRUAV (🥉10 · ⭐ 69) - Packages for simulating the Tethys-class Long-Range AUV (LRAUV) from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.. Apache-2
- Freefloating (🥉9 · ⭐ 72 · 💤) - A Gazebo plugin to simulate underwater vehicles and visualize with UWsim. MIT
- URSim (🥉8 · ⭐ 63 · 💤) - Simulator for Unmanned Underwater Vehicles using ROS and Unity3D. Apache-2
- MARS (🥉7 · ⭐ 12 · 💤) - MArine Robotics Simulator - An online Hardware-in-the-Loop simulation environment for multiple AUVs and ASVs. BSD-3
- ds sim - Unlicensed
- USARSim - Unlicensed
- UW-Morse (🥉-1 · ⭐ 1 · 💤) - Unlicensed
## Domain Specific Simulators
_Robotic simulators build for other domains like automotive or space robotics_
Carla (🥇33 · ⭐ 12K) - Open-source simulator for autonomous driving research. MIT
- [GitHub](https://github.com/carla-simulator/carla) (👨💻 180 · 🔀 3.9K · 📦 1K · 📋 5.9K - 18% open · ⏱️ 06.05.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/carla-simulator/carla
```
ESMINI (🥈25 · ⭐ 840) - a basic OpenSCENARIO player. MPL-2.0
- [GitHub](https://github.com/esmini/esmini) (👨💻 83 · 🔀 230 · 📥 25K · 📋 560 - 31% open · ⏱️ 13.05.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/esmini/esmini
```
AWSim (🥈21 · ⭐ 580) - Open source simulator for self-driving vehicles. Apache-2
- [GitHub](https://github.com/tier4/AWSIM) (👨💻 30 · 🔀 93 · 📥 59K · 📋 110 - 34% open · ⏱️ 16.04.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/tier4/AWSIM
```
OmiLRS (🥉12 · ⭐ 93) - Omniverse Lunar Robotics Simulator. BSD-3
- [GitHub](https://github.com/OmniLRS/OmniLRS) (👨💻 7 · 🔀 21 · 📋 17 - 29% open · ⏱️ 02.05.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/OmniLRS/OmniLRS
```
Stewart Platform Simulator (🥉7 · ⭐ 37) - The RAW inverse kinematics library for Stewart Platforms written in JavaScript. MIT
- [GitHub](https://github.com/rawify/Stewart.js) (🔀 15 · 📦 4 · ⏱️ 09.10.2024):
```
git clone https://github.com/rawify/Stewart.js
```
LunarSim (🥉5 · ⭐ 32 · 💤) - LunarSim: Lunar Rover Simulator Focused on High Visual Fidelity and ROS 2 Integration for Advanced Computer Vision.. Missing
- [GitHub](https://github.com/PUTvision/LunarSim) (👨💻 2 · 🔀 6 · 📥 290 · 📋 4 - 50% open · ⏱️ 07.12.2023):
```
git clone https://github.com/PUTvision/LunarSim
```
Roadrunner (🥉1) - Proprietary Software License
- _No project information available._
Show 3 hidden projects...
- SVL Simulator (🥈21 · ⭐ 2.4K · 💤) - A ROS/ROS2 Multi-robot Simulator for Autonomous Vehicles. Unlicensed
- Self Driving Car (🥉19 · ⭐ 3.9K · 💤) - A self-driving car simulator built with Unity. MIT
- UUV Simulator (🥉16 · ⭐ 770 · 💤) - Gazebo/ROS packages for underwater robotics simulation. Apache-2
## Game engines
_3D engines made for games but can be interfaced with robotic frameworks_
Godot (🥇44 · ⭐ 97K) - Godot Engine Multi-platform 2D and 3D game engine. EULA
- [GitHub](https://github.com/godotengine/godot) (👨💻 3.4K · 🔀 22K · 📥 10M · 📦 21 · 📋 57K - 20% open · ⏱️ 14.05.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/godotengine/godot
```
O3DE (🥈29 · ⭐ 8.2K) - Open 3D Engine (O3DE) is an Apache 2.0-licensed multi-platform 3D engine that enables developers and content creators.. MIT and Apache-2
- [GitHub](https://github.com/o3de/o3de) (👨💻 300 · 🔀 2.3K · 📥 9.7K · 📋 7.7K - 44% open · ⏱️ 14.05.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/o3de/o3de
```
Unity (🥉1) - Unity Subscription Plans
- _No project information available._
Unreal Engine (🥉1) - EULA
- _No project information available._
## AI training Simulators
_Simulations made for training for AI-agents like reinforcement learning_
Gym (🥇33 · ⭐ 36K · 💤) - A toolkit for developing and comparing reinforcement learning algorithms. MIT
- [GitHub](https://github.com/openai/gym) (👨💻 380 · 🔀 8.2K · 📦 66K · 📋 1.8K - 6% open · ⏱️ 30.01.2023):
```
git clone https://github.com/openai/gym
```
Genesis (🥇29 · ⭐ 25K) - A generative world for general-purpose robotics & embodied AI learning. Apache-2
- [GitHub](https://github.com/Genesis-Embodied-AI/Genesis) (👨💻 48 · 🔀 2.2K · 📦 82 · 📋 630 - 22% open · ⏱️ 13.05.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/Genesis-Embodied-AI/Genesis
```
NVIDIA Isaac Sim Isaac Lab (🥇25 · ⭐ 3.6K) - Unified framework for robot learning built on NVIDIA Isaac Sim. BSD-3
- [GitHub](https://github.com/isaac-sim/IsaacLab) (👨💻 120 · 🔀 1.7K · 📋 1.3K - 17% open · ⏱️ 14.05.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/isaac-sim/IsaacLab
```
AI2-thor (🥇25 · ⭐ 1.4K) - An open-source platform for Visual AI. Apache-2
- [GitHub](https://github.com/allenai/ai2thor) (👨💻 49 · 🔀 230 · 📦 360 · 📋 620 - 40% open · ⏱️ 04.03.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/allenai/ai2thor
```
jaxsim (🥈22 · ⭐ 120) - A differentiable physics engine and multibody dynamics library for control and robot learning. BSD-3
- [GitHub](https://github.com/ami-iit/jaxsim) (👨💻 12 · 🔀 14 · 📦 3 · 📋 68 - 16% open · ⏱️ 13.05.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/ami-iit/jaxsim
```
- [PyPi](https://pypi.org/project/jaxsim) (📥 3.8K / month):
```
pip install jaxsim
```
- [Conda](https://anaconda.org/conda-forge/jaxsim) (📥 8.3K · ⏱️ 29.04.2025):
```
conda install -c conda-forge jaxsim
```
Habitat Sim (🥈21 · ⭐ 2.9K) - A flexible, high-performance 3D simulator for Embodied AI research. MIT
- [GitHub](https://github.com/facebookresearch/habitat-sim) (👨💻 62 · 🔀 450 · 📋 820 - 22% open · ⏱️ 24.04.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/facebookresearch/habitat-sim
```
ManiSkill (🥈21 · ⭐ 1.6K) - SAPIEN Manipulation Skill Framework, an open source GPU parallelized robotics simulator and benchmark, led by Hillbot,.. Apache-2
- [GitHub](https://github.com/haosulab/ManiSkill) (👨💻 42 · 🔀 260 · 📋 550 - 17% open · ⏱️ 13.05.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/haosulab/ManiSkill
```
LocoMuJoCo (🥈19 · ⭐ 960 · 📉) - Imitation learning benchmark focusing on complex locomotion tasks using MuJoCo. MIT
- [GitHub](https://github.com/robfiras/loco-mujoco) (👨💻 13 · 🔀 86 · 📦 8 · 📋 54 - 38% open · ⏱️ 18.04.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/robfiras/loco-mujoco
```
MetaDrive (🥈19 · ⭐ 910) - MetaDrive: Lightweight driving simulator for everyone. Apache-2
- [GitHub](https://github.com/metadriverse/metadrive) (🔀 130 · 📥 42K · 📋 390 - 20% open · ⏱️ 12.05.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/metadriverse/metadrive/
```
Holodeck (🥉17 · ⭐ 580 · 💤) - High Fidelity Simulator for Reinforcement Learning and Robotics Research. MIT
- [GitHub](https://github.com/BYU-PCCL/holodeck) (👨💻 19 · 🔀 42 · 📦 10 · 📋 240 - 19% open · ⏱️ 30.04.2021):
```
git clone https://github.com/BYU-PCCL/holodeck
```
RoboVerse (🥉16 · ⭐ 1.1K · 🐣) - RoboVerse: Towards a Unified Platform, Dataset and Benchmark for Scalable and Generalizable Robot Learning. Apache-2
- [GitHub](https://github.com/RoboVerseOrg/RoboVerse) (👨💻 13 · 🔀 66 · 📋 93 - 44% open · ⏱️ 13.05.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/RoboVerseOrg/RoboVerse
```
MuJoCo playground (🥉15 · ⭐ 1K · 🐣) - An open-source library for GPU-accelerated robot learning and sim-to-real transfer. Apache-2
- [GitHub](https://github.com/google-deepmind/mujoco_playground) (🔀 120 · 📋 71 - 18% open · ⏱️ 14.05.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/google-deepmind/mujoco_playground/
```
Gibson (🥉15 · ⭐ 900 · 💤) - Gibson Environments: Real-World Perception for Embodied Agents. MIT
- [GitHub](https://github.com/StanfordVL/GibsonEnv) (👨💻 9 · 🔀 140 · 📋 120 - 39% open · ⏱️ 12.05.2021):
```
git clone https://github.com/StanfordVL/GibsonEnv
```
PyRep (🥉15 · ⭐ 740) - A toolkit for robot learning research. MIT
- [GitHub](https://github.com/stepjam/PyRep) (👨💻 20 · 🔀 160 · 📋 300 - 1% open · ⏱️ 02.07.2024):
```
git clone https://github.com/stepjam/PyRep
```
Safe Control Gym (🥉15 · ⭐ 720) - PyBullet CartPole and Quadrotor environmentswith CasADi symbolic a priori dynamicsfor learning-based control and RL. MIT
- [GitHub](https://github.com/utiasDSL/safe-control-gym) (👨💻 18 · 🔀 130 · 📋 57 - 12% open · ⏱️ 05.05.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/utiasDSL/safe-control-gym
```
ProcTHOR (🥉14 · ⭐ 340 · 💤) - Scaling Embodied AI by Procedurally Generating Interactive 3D Houses. Apache-2
- [GitHub](https://github.com/allenai/procthor) (👨💻 6 · 🔀 27 · 📦 12 · 📋 51 - 84% open · ⏱️ 14.12.2022):
```
git clone https://github.com/allenai/procthor
```
RoboCasa (🥉12 · ⭐ 770) - RoboCasa: Large-Scale Simulation of Everyday Tasks for Generalist Robots. MIT
- [GitHub](https://github.com/robocasa/robocasa) (🔀 78 · 📋 130 - 20% open · ⏱️ 23.04.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/robocasa/robocasa
```
Deepdrive (🥉11 · ⭐ 920 · 💤) - Deepdrive is a simulator that allows anyone with a PC to push the state-of-the-art in self-driving. Unlicensed
- [GitHub](https://github.com/deepdrive/deepdrive) (👨💻 6 · 🔀 150 · 📋 64 - 54% open · ⏱️ 29.06.2020):
```
git clone https://github.com/deepdrive/deepdrive
```
PyBullet Gym (🥉11 · ⭐ 850 · 💤) - Open-source implementations of OpenAI Gym MuJoCo environments for use with the OpenAI Gym Reinforcement Learning.. MIT
- [GitHub](https://github.com/benelot/pybullet-gym) (👨💻 14 · 🔀 120 · 📋 57 - 52% open · ⏱️ 29.03.2021):
```
git clone https://github.com/benelot/pybullet-gym
```
Arnold (🥉10 · ⭐ 170 · 💤) - [ICCV 2023] Official code repository for ARNOLD benchmark. MIT
- [GitHub](https://github.com/arnold-benchmark/arnold) (👨💻 3 · 🔀 15 · 📋 50 - 10% open · ⏱️ 01.04.2024):
```
git clone https://github.com/arnold-benchmark/arnold
```
Reinforcement Learning Toolbox (🥉1) - Proprietary Software License
- _No project information available._
## Rendering engines
_Rendering engines for robotic simulators_
Atom (🥇29 · ⭐ 8.2K) - Open 3D Engine (O3DE) is an Apache 2.0-licensed multi-platform 3D engine that enables developers and content creators.. Apache-2.0 and MIT
- [GitHub](https://github.com/o3de/o3de) (👨💻 300 · 🔀 2.3K · 📥 9.7K · 📋 7.7K - 44% open · ⏱️ 14.05.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/o3de/o3de
```
Wren (Webots) (🥇29 · ⭐ 3.6K) - Webots Robot Simulator. Apache-2
- [GitHub](https://github.com/cyberbotics/webots) (👨💻 140 · 🔀 1.7K · 📥 1.6M · 📋 1.9K - 11% open · ⏱️ 22.04.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/cyberbotics/webots
```
OGRE (🥈28 · ⭐ 4.2K) - scene-oriented, flexible 3D engine (C++, Python, C#, Java). MIT
- [GitHub](https://github.com/OGRECave/ogre) (👨💻 340 · 🔀 980 · 📥 3.7K · 📋 870 - 14% open · ⏱️ 11.05.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/OGRECave/ogre
```
Vulkan (🥉24 · ⭐ 3.3K) - Open-Source Vulkan C++ API. Apache-2
- [GitHub](https://github.com/KhronosGroup/Vulkan-Hpp) (👨💻 92 · 🔀 320 · 📋 620 - 1% open · ⏱️ 14.05.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/KhronosGroup/Vulkan-Hpp
```
OpenGL (🥉24 · ⭐ 3.3K) - Open-Source Vulkan C++ API. Apache-2
- [GitHub](https://github.com/KhronosGroup/Vulkan-Hpp) (👨💻 92 · 🔀 320 · 📋 620 - 1% open · ⏱️ 14.05.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/KhronosGroup/Vulkan-Hpp
```
Unity Rendering Plugin (🥉13 · ⭐ 880) - C++ Rendering Plugin example for Unity. MIT
- [GitHub](https://github.com/Unity-Technologies/NativeRenderingPlugin) (👨💻 13 · 🔀 170 · 📋 28 - 89% open · ⏱️ 07.05.2025):
```
git clone https://github.com/Unity-Technologies/NativeRenderingPlugin
```
---
## Related Resources
### Lists:
- [**Aerial Robotics Landscape** - Simulation](https://ros-aerial.github.io/aerial_robotic_landscape/simulation/): A linking website to all kinds of aerial robotic tooling
- [**Awesome Weekly Robotics list**](https://www.weeklyrobotics.com/awesome-wr): All kinds of useful links as featured in Weekly Robotics
- [**ROS discourse**](https://discourse.ros.org/search?q=simulation): shared simulators with the ROS community
- [**Awesome Robotics by Kiloreux**](https://github.com/kiloreux/awesome-robotics) A list of awesome robotics resources
- [**Awesome Robotics by ahundt**](https://github.com/ahundt/awesome-robotics)
- [**Awesome ros2 by fkromer**](https://github.com/fkromer/awesome-ros2?tab=readme-ov-file#readme)
- [**Awesome robotic tooling**](https://github.com/Ly0n/awesome-robotic-tooling?tab=readme-ov-file)
- [**Awesome robotics projects by mjyc**](https://github.com/mjyc/awesome-robotics-projects?tab=readme-ov-file)
- [**Awesome LLM Robotics by GT-RIPL**](https://github.com/GT-RIPL/Awesome-LLM-Robotics?tab=readme-ov-file#simulation-frameworks):
- [**Best-of lists**](https://best-of.org): Discover other best-of lists with awesome open-source projects on all kinds of topics.
### Talks:
* [**FOSDem 2025 Robotics and Simulation**](https://fosdem.org/2025/schedule/event/fosdem-2025-6252-accelerating-robotics-development-through-simulation/): Talk about an overview of robotic simulators
### Papers:
- C. A. Dimmig et al., "Survey of Simulators for Aerial Robots: An Overview and In-Depth Systematic Comparisons," in IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine, doi: 10.1109/MRA.2024.3433171 [ArXiv](https://arxiv.org/abs/2311.02296)
- Player, Timothy R., et al. "From concept to field tests: Accelerated development of multi-AUV missions using a high-fidelity faster-than-real-time simulator." 2023 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA). IEEE, 2023. [ArXiv](https://arxiv.org/abs/2311.10377)
## Contribution
### Contributors
Those that contributed to this list, proposed updates or have suggested new projects:
* Kimberly McGuire (@knmcguire)
* Mat Sadowski (@msadowski)
* Sebastian Castro (@sea-bass)
* Marek Kraft (@PUTvision)
* Fatemeh Pourhashem (?)
* Ramon Roche (@mrpollo)
* Robert Eisele (@infusion)
* Silvio Traversaro (@traversaro)
* Hugo Börjesson (@hugoberjesson)
* Neeraj Cherakara (@iamnambiar)
* @jmackay2
* Christoph Kammer (@ckammer87)
* Gokul Puthumanaillam (@gokulp01)
* Spicer Bak (@SBFRF)
* Mabel Zhang (@mabelzhang)
### How to Contribute
Contributions are encouraged and always welcome! If you like to add or update projects, choose one of the following ways:
- Open an issue by selecting one of the provided categories from the [issue page](https://github.com/knmcguire/best-of-robot-simulators/issues/new/choose) and fill in the requested information.
- Modify the [projects.yaml](https://github.com/knmcguire/best-of-robot-simulators/blob/main/projects.yaml) with your additions or changes, and submit a pull request. This can also be done directly via the [Github UI](https://github.com/knmcguire/best-of-robot-simulators/edit/main/projects.yaml).
If you like to contribute to or share suggestions regarding the project metadata collection or markdown generation, please refer to the [best-of-generator](https://github.com/best-of-lists/best-of-generator) repository. If you like to create your own best-of list, we recommend to follow [this guide](https://github.com/best-of-lists/best-of/blob/main/create-best-of-list.md).
For more information on how to add or update projects, please read the [contribution guidelines](https://github.com/knmcguire/best-of-robot-simulators/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md). By participating in this project, you agree to abide by its [Code of Conduct](https://github.com/knmcguire/best-of-robot-simulators/blob/main/.github/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md).
## License
[](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)