explaingit

0xfa11/multiplayernetworkingresources

8,500CAudience · developerComplexity · 1/5Setup · easy

TLDR

A curated list of articles, videos, and tools explaining how multiplayer games keep players in sync over the internet, covering lag compensation, rollback netcode, client-side prediction, and more.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((Multiplayer Networking))
    Core concepts
      Lag compensation
      Rollback netcode
      Client prediction
      Interpolation
    Protocols
      TCP vs UDP
      Peer-to-peer
      Server authoritative
    Resource types
      Articles
      Videos
      Libraries
    Game examples
      Valorant
      Halo
      Quake
      League of Legends
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Code map

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Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Research how to implement lag compensation and client-side prediction before building an online multiplayer game.

USE CASE 2

Find game-engine-specific networking guides for Unity, Unreal Engine 5, or Godot.

USE CASE 3

Read first-hand breakdowns from studios like Riot, Valve, and id Software on how they solved real multiplayer networking problems.

USE CASE 4

Discover open-source libraries and tools for adding online networking to your own game project.

Tech stack

C++UnityUnreal EngineGodot

Getting it running

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

In plain English

This repository is a curated reading and watching list for anyone who wants to understand how multiplayer games handle their networking. Making two or more players experience the same game world at the same time over the internet is genuinely hard. Connections have delays, packets arrive out of order or get dropped entirely, and each player's computer must keep its version of the game world in sync with everyone else's. The techniques used to deal with these problems, such as lag compensation, rollback netcode, client-side prediction, and interpolation, are the focus of most resources collected here. The list is organized into categories. There are written articles covering everything from beginner introductions to deep technical breakdowns of how specific games like Halo, Valorant, League of Legends, and Quake handle their networking. Many entries come directly from the engineering teams at studios like Riot Games, id Software, and Valve. Topics range from choosing between the TCP and UDP protocols, to how to build peer-to-peer connections, to the tradeoffs between different synchronization models for real-time versus turn-based games. Beyond articles, the list also points to videos and recorded conference talks, libraries and tools for implementing networking in your own game, and miscellaneous resources like books and university research papers. Some entries are aimed at specific engines or languages such as Unreal Engine 5, Unity, Godot, and C++, while others cover the underlying networking concepts that apply regardless of the tools you use. This is a reference collection rather than a single tutorial or framework. There is no code to run and nothing to install. Its value is as a starting point for a developer who wants to build online multiplayer functionality and needs to know what the field looks like, where the hard problems are, and where other people have written up their solutions.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Based on the resources in multiplayernetworkingresources, explain rollback netcode and when to use it versus delay-based netcode for a fighting game.
Prompt 2
I am building a real-time multiplayer shooter in Unity. What networking concepts from this list should I study first?
Prompt 3
How does client-side prediction work and how do games like Quake or Valorant handle reconciliation when the server disagrees with the client?
Prompt 4
What are the tradeoffs between TCP and UDP for multiplayer games and when should I choose one over the other?
Prompt 5
Explain lag compensation as Valve implements it in Source Engine games and how I can apply the same technique in my own shooter.
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