Ren'Py Engine

These settings control how the Ren’Py engine behaves. They can be set globally or per-game.

Per-game settings have a “Use Global Settings” toggle — when enabled, the game inherits global values.

Developer Mode


Setting	Developer Mode
Default	Off

Enables Ren’Py’s developer mode, which provides additional debugging features like shift+D developer menu, shift+I style inspector, and shift+R reload.

Console


Setting	Enable Console
Default	Off

Enables the Ren’Py debug console (shift+O or tilde key). The console allows you to execute Python code and Ren’Py commands in real time.

Use the On-Screen Keyboard overlay button to type in the console on iOS.

Skip Settings

Override Skipping


Setting	Override Skipping
Default	Off

Forces the skip function to be available regardless of the game’s configuration.

Force Skip Unseen


Setting	Force Skip Unseen Text
Default	Off

Allows skipping text you haven’t read yet. By default, Ren’Py only allows skipping previously-seen dialogue.

Rollback


Setting	Override Rollback (100)
Default	Off

Sets the rollback limit to 100 entries, regardless of the game’s setting. Useful for games that disable or limit rollback.

Transparent Textbox


Setting	Transparent Textboxes
Default	Off

Makes dialogue textboxes semi-transparent. Useful for games where the textbox obscures important visuals.

Memory & Performance

Use Less Memory


Setting	Use Less Memory
Default	Off

Tells Ren’Py to use less memory by releasing cached images more aggressively. Enable this if games crash due to memory issues.

Less Screen Updates


Setting	Less Screen Updates
Default	Off

Reduces the frequency of screen redraws. Can improve battery life and reduce heat on older devices.

Network

Allow Network


Setting	Allow Network Connectivity
Default	On

Controls whether Ren’Py games can access the network. Some games use network features for updates or online content. Disable for privacy or to prevent unwanted connections.

Fonts

Use Chinese Fonts


Setting	Chinese Font Fallback
Default	Off

Replaces the default fonts in the Ren’Py engine with Chinese-compatible ones. This is a fix for translated Chinese games where the developer replaced the default engine fonts with Chinese fonts that were not included in the game archive. Without this setting, Chinese characters may appear as boxes or be missing entirely.

Compatibility Patches


Setting	Compatibility Patches
Default	On

Applies Spark’s compatibility patches to the Ren’Py engine. These patches target very specific games to fix known issues when running on iOS. Patches only apply to the games they target and do not interfere with other games. Disabling this setting will most likely have no effect — it exists only for rare cases where a game has been updated and a particular patch is no longer needed.

Recommended: Keep enabled.

Variant Override


Setting	Override Device Variant
Default	Off

Allows you to manually set which Ren’Py screen variants are active. Normally, Ren’Py auto-detects the device type and applies appropriate variants (mobile, touch, small, tablet, etc.).

This is commonly used to fix in-game menu and GUI display issues where buttons, text boxes, or layouts don’t render correctly on iOS. Many games were designed only for desktop screens and don’t include proper mobile variants.

Select Variants

When variant override is enabled, you can choose which variants to activate. Common variants include:

pc — Desktop layout (some games require this)
large — Large screen layout
medium — Medium screen layout
small — Small screen layout
touch — Touch input support
mobile — Mobile device layout
tablet — Tablet layout
phone — Phone-specific layout

See the Ren’Py documentation on screen variants for details.