Uploaded February 2025 | Updated September 2026, 5 days ago

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In this video, I'll be showing you how to optimize your Playdate games performance, covering how the Playdate hardware works, why certain things run slow, and how to fix it.

Links:
- Github: github.com/SquidGodDev?tab=repositories&q=playdate-game
- Discord Channel: discord.gg/kDM8RU4aFt
- Patreon: patreon.com/squidgoddev
- My book "The Beginners Guide to Lua for Game Development": squidgod.itch.io/lua-for-game-development

=== Tools ===
Particle Effect Tools
- sphodromantis.itch.io/particlesizzler
- spritemancer.com
- pixelover.io
Rotation Tools
- github.com/samdze/spriterot
- torcado.com/cleanEdge
Pattern Tools
- https://dev.playdate.store/tools/gfxp/
Playdate Revision Version Check
- tools.strawdynamics.com/playdate/version-check
- https://rae.wtf/revchecker/
Datasheets
- Rev A Datasheet: st.com/resource/en/datasheet/stm32f745ie.pdf
- Rev B Datasheet: st.com/resource/en/datasheet/stm32h7b0ab.pdf

Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
0:55 What is Performance?
1:30 Why is Performance Important?
2:32 How to Measure Performance
6:15 Improving Performance: Memory
6:31 What is Memory?
13:37 Caching Data
15:32 Load Time
17:36 Loading Screen
20:01 Memory Limit
21:41 Garbage Collector
23:30 Object Creation
27:02 Object Pool
28:14 Garbage Collector Settings
28:48 Improving Performance: Code Execution
28:58 Expensive Functions
32:18 Tables
36:04 Arrays
38:15 Array Creation/Modification
40:19 Const
40:39 Improving Performance: Drawing
40:45 Direct Drawing
42:15 Sprites
47:53 Caching Draw Calls
49:43 Rotation and Scale
51:24 Blurring and Fading
52:14 Playdate Hardware Versions
53:13 When to Improve Performance