Getting Started

Photon is the foundation and infrastructure to develop and run real-time multiplayer at global scale. This page explains the ecosystem, helps you choose the right Photon product & topology, and shows the fastest path to running your first match.

Photon has been independently innovating real‑time multiplayer tech for three product generations – from the original Photon Realtime released in 2009 to today’s Fusion and Quantum. Photon now runs the world’s largest purpose‑built multiplayer cloud, powering thousands of live titles and ~1.4 billion players every month.

Your First Match in 10 Minutes

Create Your Photon Account and First App

1. Create a free Photon account.
2. In the dashboard, create a new Application. The new application is for development and for up to 20 CCU (= concurrent user)
3. Copy the generated App ID. You will paste this later.
4. Develop as long as you need free.
5. Go live with 100 CCU with Fusion or Quantum free (Games only**)**.
6. Subscribe to more CCU anytime instant.

Your App ID is the link between your game client and your app in the Photon Cloud.

You don’t need to set up or maintain any servers; your game will automatically run on our global infrastructure with 15+ regions, auto-scaling, and built-in DDoS protection.

Download the SDK

Once you know which SDK you’ll use:

1. Go to the Photon SDK download page.
2. Download the SDK that matches your engine and platform (e.g., Fusion for Unity, Quantum for Unity, Realtime for .NET, C++, JavaScript, etc.).
3. Import or install the package into your project as described in the SDK’s setup guide.

All Photon SDKs include:

• Example projects and sample scenes
• Integration details for engines like Unity, Unreal, and several native platforms

Open a Quick-Start Sample

The fastest way to see Photon in action is to run a built-in sample:

1. Open one of the Quick-Start or Starter projects included with the SDK (for example, Fusion Starter, Fusion Simple FPS or Quantum Asteroids).
2. Locate the App ID setting in the sample (usually in a Photon or Network settings script / asset).
3. Paste in the App ID you created in the dashboard.
4. Press Play in your engine (e.g. Unity) to start the game.
5. Run a second instance or build & run to connect multiple players.

Photon Products

Overview Photon SDKs

Different types of multiplayer gameplay or simulations require a specific features set and architecture to maximize gameplay quality, performance and to minimize operations costs. Photon Fusion and Quantum are covering these requirements by providing feature-rich SDKs to develop apps for mobile, PC, console, web and extended reality , including the latest generation of smart glasses..

Photon Voice, Video and Chat are covering the communication aspects of modern games and simulations and perfectly complement our multiplayer SDKs.

For detailed information on each product, please refer to the relevant documentation section.

The Quadrant - How to Choose the Right SDK

To help in choosing between Fusion or Quantum for your game, we created the Photon Quadrant. It represents the four topologies on how multiplayer games should be built.

Selecting the right topology is foremost based on your gameplay. You should also factor in your target platform(s) and live operations costs. While costs for Photon are the same in all topologies, to go live with a dedicated server topology requires 3rd party server orchestration at additional costs.

Topology	Pros	Cons	Game Examples
Shared AuthorityFusion Shared mode	any platform, ideal for mobile and web, cost effective; plugins for anti-cheat and custom server-side code (Enterprise Cloud)	not suited for highly competitive/eSports games; cheating	- Peak- R.E.P.O.- Polygun Arena- Ratchet & Clank: Ranger Rumble
Deterministic Predict/RollbackPhoton Quantum	any platform, ideal for mobile and web, simple to operate, cost effective, frame-perfect esports, built-in bot SDK and cheat-proof; plugins for anti-cheat and custom server-side code (Enterprise Cloud)	each client has “perfect information”	- Stumble Guys- No Rest for the Wicked- Lucky Defense- Windblown- World War Armies
Dedicated ServerFusion Server mode	most performant headless Unity build with full customization and self-hosted, Photon Cloud as relay. Cheat-proof	Complex to operate with high costs for external orchestration service which is problematic for mobile f2p and web	- Prime Rush- Breachers
Client HostFusion Host mode	cost effective, easy to operate, high gameplay quality possible	not suited for mobile due to unstable connections; unstable game quality due to host and relayed connections; cheating	- Among Us 3D- Davigo

You can find additional info about choosing the right Fusion topology here.

Fusion - High Performance State Sync

Fusion delivers the 6 most essential features found in best-in-class multiplayer titles in all of its topologies.

Forecast Physics

Enables real-time interactions without full physics simulation, delivering significantly lower CPU cost.

Consistent Game Time

High precision time synchronized across all clients for consistent gameplay and easly reasoning about time-dependent systems.

High Performance

Handle thousands of networked actors over hundreds of client connections, including complex interest management.

State Replication

High-performance state distribution on Photon Cloud with per-object full consistency, integrated interest management (AOI), and optional server-side validation.

Remote Rendering

Keeps remote players and objects visually smooth when the network is not.

Custom Server Plugins (Fusion Shared mode)

Optional cloud-side logic for validation, rules and security - add authority without running dedicated servers (Enterprise Photon Cloud). Key component to protect scaling games against hacking and fraud.

Supported Engines

Fusion supports major game engines and its Fusion Core variant is made to be adapted to your own preferred game engine.
Fusion Shared opens up a new option for any engine without shared authority or plugins.

Game Engine	Topology
Fusion for Unity	Shared, Client Host, Dedicated Server
Fusion for Unreal	Shared - early access
Fusion for Godot	Shared - contact us for early access
Fusion for Defold	Shared - in development
Other engines (via Fusion Core)	Shared - in development

Quantum - Deterministic Predict/Rollback Game Engine

Quantum provides a complete deterministic game development stack for building ultra-low-latency multiplayer games with Unity.
Unlike state sync models like Fusion, Quantum utilizes a deterministic prediction/rollback architecture. This ensures that the game simulation remains perfectly synchronized across all clients by transmitting only player inputs, rather than constant object state updates.
Quantum ensures that game logic behaves identically across different CPUs and architectures, providing a fair, competitive environment for cross-play titles.

No netcode - Deterministic simulation

By decoupling the game logic (Simulation) from the engine's rendering (View), Quantum guarantees that the same inputs will produce the exact same results on every device. This eliminates the need for manual netcode synchronization.

Local Physics Feel - Predict/Rollback Technology

Quantum provides a "lag-free" player experience by predicting local actions immediately and automatically rolling back/re-simulating the state if a conflict is detected from the network.

High Performance ECS

Built for speed, the framework uses a memory-aligned ECS written in "Pure C#." This bypasses standard managed-code overhead, allowing for thousands of synced entities and complex physics even on mobile hardware.

Cheat Protection - Cheat Proof without Costs of Dedicated Servers

As the simulation is verified across all clients and potentially by a server-pluginthe server, state-injection" cheats (such as modifying health or speed values) are fundamentally rejected by the deterministic engine.

Go to Quantum documentation

PUN (Photon Unity Networking) - Legacy State Sync

PUN 2 is in maintenance / LTS mode. Aside from some fixes no further feature updates are planned. Existing PUN 2 projects will continue to run. New projects should consider Fusion or Quantum.

Go to PUN documentation

Photon Realtime

Photon Realtime is our low-level API and cross-platform networking engine available as an SDK for multiple platforms,
Realtime supplies basic features such as rooms/lobbies, matchmaking, region selection, message relay or cloud webhooks.

Photon Fusion, Quantum, PUN 2, Voice, Video and Chat, are independent and feature rich high-level APIs. They are all using Realtime as their foundation, for the highest performance in all networking conditions with automated scalability, consistency, and security.

Go to Realtime documentation

Voice

Photon Voice is a high-performance SDK and "Voice as a Service" (VaaS) designed to add real-time, low-latency voice chat to multiplayer games and applications. It utilizes the state-of-the-art Opus codec for crystal clear voice transmission and provides server-side integration to the key voice moderation suppliers GGWP, Voice Patrol and ToxMod by Modulate.

Go to Voice documentation

Chat

Photon Chat is a fast and easy way to add chat functionality to your app or game. Chat is based on a publisher-subscriber model, but comes with additional features. Chat can be used standalone or with any other Photon SDK.

Key features:

• Publish or subscribe to unlimited number of channels
• Send messages across Photon apps and rooms
• Send text messages to channels or as private messages
• Send smart messages: hashtables, dictionaries, string arrays, ints, etc.
• Send messages reliable
• Encrypt messages
• Message buffer per channel

Go to Chat documentation

Samples and Tutorials

We are providing you with a solid foundation of proven multiplayer best practices at no cost. Over 80 open‑source projects covering FPS, platformer, racing, RTS, extended reality, and more. We continually update and release new samples to cover all possible scenarios and new platforms.

You can find tutorials and samples in the documentation section of each product or browse through all available samples.

SDK Downloads

All SDKs (Unity, Unreal, .NET, C/C++, JavaScript, Java, Objective‑C) are available via the Photon SDK portal and in the relevant product sections. Packages include source, changelogs, CI artefacts and NuGet feeds.

The Power Behind - Photon Cloud at a Glance

All your apps are hosted in Photon Cloud, our fully managed multiplayer backend (SaaS). Spin up an App ID and go live in minutes - no servers to deploy, patch, or monitor. The platform auto‑scales across 15+ global regions, provides multi‑layer DDoS protection, and provides a single dashboard for metrics, billing, and configuration. All Photon products – Fusion, Quantum, Realtime, PUN 2, Voice, Video and Chat – run on independent clouds and can be managed under one account with permission-based dashboard sharing to be adapted to your company or project organization.

• Powered by Photon Server v5/v6
• 30 PB bare‑metal footprint across 15+ regions and all continents
• auto‑scaling & self‑healing
• Appr. 1.4 billion unique players every month
• ISO 27001:2022 certified, GDPR compliant, third‑party pentested
• Two decades of R&D on low‑latency, high‑availability networking
• Plugins for anti-cheat and custom server-side code (Enterprise Photon Cloud)

Pricing

Photon’s CCU‑based plans scale from hobby to mega‑hit and are proven in thousands of games across platforms and business modes. Traffic allowances and CCU burst – plans with 500 CCU or more never cut any user from accessing – are baked in. You can upgrade or downgrade any time.

Public Cloud

• For up to 2,000 CCU
• 20 CCU free for development and non-commercial use
• 100 CCU free for development and commercial use – for Fusion/Quantum games only
• 500, 1,000 or 2,000 plans
• 3GB per peak CCU and month included

Premium Cloud

• For up to 50,000 CCU with auto-scaling
• Usage-based model with a minimum commitment of 2,000 CCU
• 3GB per peak CCU and month included

Enterprise Cloud

• Minimum 2,000 CCU - No CCU limit
• Dedicated bare‑metal clusters
• Server Authoritative Logic via Plug-Ins
• SLA for guaranteed uptime & response time, 24/7 NOC
• Server‑authoritative plugins, custom dashboards
• Priority Operations Support
• Premium Dashboard and Counters
• Multi-layered DDoS Protection

Please visit our pricing sites for exact fees:

• Fusion
• Quantum
• PUN
• Realtime
• Voice
• Chat

Support & Service Tiers

Photon provides flexible support options designed to match the needs of developers at every stage and team size – from getting started to operating large-scale multiplayer games.

Free Support

All Photon developers have access to a comprehensive set of free support resources.
These channels are designed to help you get started quickly, solve common issues, and learn best practices while building your game.

Included

• Email Support – reach out to the Photon team via hello@photonengine.com
• Community Support (Photon Engine Discord) – Join the public Photon Engine Discord to ask questions, share knowledge, and connect with other developers
• Documentation – Detailed guides, concepts, and API references to support every stage of development
• Samples & Demos – Ready-to-use examples that help you understand core patterns and accelerate implementation

Premium Development Support - Gaming Circle

For teams building production games or operating live services, Photon offers Gaming Circle, a premium support tier designed for faster iteration, deeper collaboration, and early access to innovation. Included:

• Private Chat Support – Direct access to Photon engineers and experts through a private communication channel
• Exclusive Discord (Photon Circle) – A dedicated, high-signal environment for professional teams with prioritized interaction
• Priority Email Support – Faster response times and prioritized handling of requests
• Early Access to Features & SDKs – Get access to unreleased features, SDK updates, and upcoming capabilities before public release

Become a Gaming Circle member

Enterprise Operations Support

For live games and applications operating at scale, Photon provides Enterprise Operations Support - designed for reliability, uptime, and operational confidence.

This tier extends beyond development support into real-time operational coverage and requires an Enterprise Photon Cloud.

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