Game Crashes

Try these in order:

The most common cause is a version mismatch.

1. Open Game Settings (long-press the game)
2. Tap Modify next to the Ren’Py version
3. Try a version closest to the game’s original version
4. For Ren’Py 7.x games, try 7.5.3, 7.7.3, or 7.8.8
5. For Ren’Py 8.x games, try 8.0.3, 8.3.7, or 8.5.2

1. Open Game Settings
2. Enable Safe Mode
3. Try launching again

Safe Mode disables custom initialization scripts that might cause issues on iOS.

1. Open Game Settings
2. Enable Disable Spark Integration
3. This prevents Spark from injecting its overlay and bridge code

Compatibility patches only target specific games and do not affect other games. Disabling them will most likely have no effect. This option exists only for rare cases where a game has been updated and no longer needs a particular patch.

1. Open Game Settings or global Settings
2. Try toggling Compatibility Patches off

Symptom: The game crashes regardless of which bundled engine version you select.

Cause: The game may have been developed using a custom or nightly build of Ren’Py that differs from the standard releases Spark bundles. Custom engine builds can include modifications to the Python runtime or Ren’Py internals that are incompatible with Spark’s bundled engines.

Solution: Please report the game to the support team on Discord or via email. We do what we can to add support for these cases, though sometimes the runtime modifications are so extensive that it is not feasible to support the game.

Possible causes:

• Memory pressure — See Crash to Home Screen below
• Missing assets — Some game assets may not have been included in the mobile version
• Python errors — Check the Log Viewer for error details

Symptom: The app suddenly closes and you are returned to the iOS home screen (springboard) with no error message.

Cause: iOS automatically terminates apps that exceed the device’s memory limit through a process called jetsam. Not all games are designed for mobile — high-quality images, videos, and music can consume a large amount of memory. The memory limit varies significantly by device: some older devices may only allow around 500 MB of RAM for the app, while newer devices can support 5 GB or more.

Additionally, every game is coded by different developers who may not specialize in programming. Some games are written without memory usage in mind or may even have memory leaks, which gradually consume more RAM over time until jetsam intervenes.

Solutions:

1. Enable Use Less Memory — In Game Settings > Ren’Py Settings, enable Use Less Memory. This tells the engine to be more aggressive about freeing unused resources.
2. Try compressed game versions — If available, use a compressed or mobile-optimized version of the game, which typically has smaller image and audio assets.
3. Restart the app before playing — Close other apps and restart Spark to free up as much memory as possible.

Symptom: Ren’Py shows an error about being unable to load or read an .rpyc file.

Cause: The game uses encryption or a custom compiling method for its .rpyc script files that is not yet supported by Spark. Some developers encrypt or obfuscate their compiled scripts to protect their game’s source code, and Spark may not be able to decode these files.

Solution: Please report this to the support team on Discord or via email with the game name so we can investigate adding support.

• The save may be from an incompatible engine version
• Try loading an earlier save or starting a new game
• Check Save Issues for more details

If games that previously worked now crash after updating Spark:

1. Check if the engine version was changed
2. Try reverting to the game’s original engine version
3. Report the issue on Discord with the game name and Spark version