Curling Game in Rive

Overview

This project is a fully playable curling game built entirely inside Rive, using its newly released scripting feature. The goal was to explore how far Rive can be pushed beyond micro-interactions and UI motion, and whether it can support more complex, logic-driven experiences such as a small game.

The final result weighs in at ~2 MB, making it a lot lighter than a comparable build created in a traditional game engine like Unity.

The Challenge

Rive is most commonly used for interactive UI elements and animations. With scripting now available, I wanted to challenge that perception by asking:

Can Rive handle full game logic without relying on external code or heavy runtimes?

The core challenge was to implement:

• Physics-like behavior

• Collision detection

• Player input affecting motion in real time

• A clear scoring system

All while keeping performance high, file size low, and the experience responsive across platforms.

Solution

The entire game was built 100% inside Rive, with no external logic, frameworks, or game engines.

Key systems implemented:

• Stone throwing mechanic
  Player input controls the force and direction of the throw.

• Sweeping system
  Sweeping dynamically alters the stone’s trajectory, mimicking real curling mechanics.

• Collision detection
  Stones interact with each other and the environment in real time.

• Scoring logic
  Points are calculated based on stone position at the end of each round.

All logic, animation, and interaction live inside a single Rive file (~2 MB), a fraction of the size you’d typically expect when using engines like Unity, even for simple games.

Performance & File Size

One of the most interesting outcomes of this project was the extremely small footprint.

• Final file size: ~2 MB

• No runtime overhead from a traditional game engine

• Fast load times and smooth performance

• Ideal for mobile apps, web experiences, and embedded interactions

This highlights Rive’s potential as a lightweight alternative for interactive experiences where performance, download size, and maintainability matter.

Outcome

A fully playable curling game running entirely inside a single Rive file

• Proof of concept that Rive can support complex, logic-driven experiences

• A performant, lightweight build that would be significantly larger if implemented in a traditional game engine

• Deeper understanding of scripting, state management, and interaction-led motion design.