Runner game template for Unity

Our new Runner template’s features make it easier to create your own unique, high-quality games in a popular genre that will stand out on app stores. Get it now for free in the Unity Hub.

Explore best practices for successful runner games and submit your game to Supersonic today for publishing. Submit my game

Get a head start on building a mobile runner game

Runner games are some of the most popular on mobile. This is because they’re easy to learn, quick to play, and can go viral. With this new template, you’ll be able to iterate and prototype faster, so you can spend more time making your mobile runner game great.

Mesh demonstration on rock

Runner template features

Speed up your development process with the Runner template’s prebuilt game mechanics and features.

Game character running towards smaller or bigger frame

In-Editor tutorial

After downloading the free template in the Hub, you’ll get an in-Editor tutorial. This will walk you through the template’s components, how to create and modify levels with the template’s built-in level editor, and how to set up an Ads service for your project.

Greybox model demo

Greybox design

To help save time, the template provides fully functional end-to-end game mechanics and greyboxed assets as a starting point.

From there, you can add your own themes, differentiated textures, and assets – either through the Unity Asset Store or by working with an artist. For example, you can focus on runway geometry and add gameplay elements like obstacles, gates, and items such as coins and keys.

Level editor interface

Level editor

The template contains customizable levels that showcase different game designs. Customization features include:

  • Auto-save: Changes to Level, Player prefab, or Camera prefab are automatically saved when entering Play mode.
  • Terrain: Specify length, width, start buffer, end buffer, thickness, and material of the terrain, which automatically regenerates if any of these fields are edited.
  • Snapping: Enable snapping for spawnable objects, which will snap them to the nearest grid position.
  • Prefabs: Specify a prefab to be placed at the start and end of the level.
Camera Player Presets

Camera and player presets

The difference between a game being a hit or not can be very small: Camera angle, colors, and speed all play a big role. The Runner template comes with options so you can experiment and find what works best for your game.

Camera angle presets:

Easily select between commonly used camera positions. You can also lock camera position, enable a smooth camera follow, and more.

Player speed presets:

Choose from slow, medium, fast, or custom presets. Other options include auto move forward, acceleration speed, horizontal speed, scale velocity, and more.

Spawnable coins

Spawnables

For objects placed in a scene, the Spawnable class provides all logic for serializing and deserializing transform information and color, as well as snapping to a level’s grid. Spawnable objects include:

  • Coins
  • Keys
  • Gates that influence player scale or speed
Game Framework interface

Game framework

Classes that form the framework of the game include:

  • An Event system that facilitates the communication between different parts of the game
  • A State machine that manages the flow of the game, loading and unloading levels, and navigation through states like win, lose, pause, etc.
  • A simple inventory system that keeps track of currencies like gold and XP 
  • A Save system that saves the game progress
  • A UI System that displays designated UIs for the current state of the game
UI Window System demo

UI window system

This template features a full UI flow for a runner game. 

For example, when players complete a level successfully, they will see a celebration screen. This screen contains rewards based on their performance, as well as gold and XP earned. XP is displayed in the form of a progress bar that indicates how far the player is from reaching the next milestone.

The included level selection screen enables players to replay the levels they have unlocked. Pressing the Quick Play button loads the highest unlocked level.

Currencies

Currencies

There are two types of currencies in the game: Gold and XP

  • Players can pick up gold throughout a level. If a player does not complete a level successfully, the amount of gold collected during that level won’'t be added to their total amount.
  • XP is earned when players move through a level and works as a mileage currency. The amount of XP earned during a level is added to the total amount of XP whether the player wins or loses.
UGS Growth graphic

Unity Ads package

Unity Ads integration is built in to help you create a monetizable game. If you’re looking to build a revenue-generating mobile game, the runner template is a great place to start, and a good way to learn how to use the Unity Ads SDK.

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Download free in the Unity Hub

With the unique features and streamlined tools in the Runner template, the first half of prototyping is done for you. Download it from the Hub today, and explore assets to help you make it yours.

Frequently asked questions

Why the runner game genre?

Runners are some of the top trending mobile games due to their action-packed gameplay, easy-to-follow linear design, and immersive gameplay loop. You can use the pre-created base to build a unique obstacle runner that stands out from the competition and keeps players engaged.

How does this template help with prototyping?

The Runner template comes with some of the basics already built in, such as a variety of camera angles, character speeds, gates to influence the character, level progression, and more. You can use this framework to experiment and see what works best, which can help speed up the development process.

Why is the template built with a greybox approach?

The objective behind providing a greybox structure is to help you create a game that can ship, and enable you to add your own creative ideas. Once you’ve decided on a theme for your runner game, you can then customize the template using art assets that reflect your unique vision.

How can this help with building premium games?

This template can save you time by reducing the need to prototype from scratch, which enables you to get feedback on your game ideas more quickly. Getting feedback from players can provide insights to help you create premium games that players will love.

Can I monetize the game I create with the template?

Yes. Games in the runner genre are some of the simplest to monetize. Key features built into Unity’s Runner template, like 30-second levels, non-skippable gates, and Unity Ads integration, enable you to create a monetizable game.

Can I make this into something that can be published?

The Runner template is designed to give you a performant starting point for creating a game that could be published on app stores. Explore best practices for successful runner games and take a look at assets that you can add to your game to help it stand out. 

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