Run LOVE2D games directly inside VS Code. No external windows, no native runtime needed -- your game runs in a split panel via WebAssembly.
Features
Inline preview -- your LOVE2D game runs in a VS Code webview panel, right next to your code
One-click play -- open main.lua and hit the play button in the editor title bar
Hot reload -- toggle auto-reload so the game restarts whenever you save a file
Zero setup -- no need to install LOVE2D on your machine; the extension bundles a WASM runtime
Usage
Open a folder containing a LOVE2D project (must have main.lua at the root)
Open main.lua in the editor
Click the Play button in the editor title bar
Your game appears in a split panel
Commands
Command
Description
LoveCanvas: Play Game
Package and run the game
LoveCanvas: Stop Game
Stop the running game
LoveCanvas: Restart Game
Re-package and restart
LoveCanvas: Toggle Hot Reload
Auto-restart on file save
Hot Reload
Click the sync icon in the editor title bar while the game is running. When enabled, saving any .lua, image, audio, font, or shader file will automatically re-package and reload the game.
Configuration
Setting
Default
Description
love-preview.loveVersion
11.5
LOVE2D runtime version (11.3, 11.4, or 11.5)
Limitations
Canvas size cannot be changed dynamically from game code at runtime
LOVE threads and FFI are not available (Emscripten limitation)
Some shaders may behave differently due to WebGL vs desktop OpenGL
Audio may require clicking the game panel first (browser autoplay policy)
Credits
Powered by love.js by 2dengine -- the Emscripten/WASM port of LOVE2D.
