Entity-Component-System Benchmarks for Unity

This repository contains a collection of benchmarks for Unity Entity-Component-System (ECS) frameworks. Benchmarks perform a complex performance comparison of ECS frameworks on a near-real-world scenario.

.NET Version

Frameworks:

ECS	Version / Source	Implemented
DragonECS	0.9.21	✅
Friflo Engine ECS	local precompiled assemblies in Assets/lib/netstandard2.1 (Friflo.Engine.ECS 3.5.0)	✅
LeoECSLite	2025.4.22	✅
Massive ECS	v20.1.1	✅
Morpeh	2024.1.1	✅
StaticEcs	v2.0.3	✅
Unity Entities	com.unity.entities 6.4.0	✅

Scenario

All benchmark implementations run the same deterministic simulation.

At startup, the benchmark creates N units. During spawn, each unit receives a type (NPC, Hero, or Monster), combat stats, position, and movement state. Each tick then runs the same gameplay pipeline: spawning and respawning, target selection, attack creation, damage application, movement, velocity updates, and rendering into a framebuffer.

This makes the benchmark closer to a small RTS-like combat loop than to a synthetic ECS microbenchmark.

Tick Pipeline

Each benchmark context executes the same logical steps:

1. Spawn / Respawn / Kill
2. Render current state into framebuffer
3. Update unit sprite state
4. Apply damage from pending attacks
5. Create new attacks
6. Move units
7. Update velocity
8. Advance simulation data

Validation

Benchmark implementations are validated by shared tests. For the same entity count and tick count, all contexts must produce the same framebuffer hash. This ensures the comparison is based on equivalent simulation results, not on different behavior.

Running

0. Install Unity Hub and Unity 6000.4.1f1

1. Clone repository

   git clone https://github.com/cNoNim/ecs-benchmark-runner-unity.git
   

2. Open the project in Unity

3. Run tests from Unity Test Runner

4. Run benchmark scene in Play Mode

   Scene

   Assets/Benchmark.unity
   

   Results

   Application.persistentDataPath/Benchmark.md
   

5. Build from batch mode

   /path/to/Unity/Editor/Unity \
     -batchmode \
     -quit \
     -projectPath /path/to/ecs-benchmark-runner-unity \
     -buildTarget Android \
     -executeMethod Benchmark.Editor.BenchmarkBuild.BuildBatchMode
   

Structure

The benchmark is divided into repositories. Current repository integrates benchmark packages into runner scene and Unity test assemblies.

Benchmark.Core Package

A separate repository contains common assemblies that are used by benchmarks or by infrastructure. Integration is done through the ecs.benchmark.core package.

Benchmark Packages

Each benchmark is a separate repository, integration is done through packages referenced in Packages/manifest.json.

Repository	Package / Assembly
Dragon ECS	ecs.benchmark.dragonecs
FriFlo ECS	ecs.benchmark.frifloecs
LeoEcsLite	ecs.benchmark.ecslite
Massive ECS	ecs.benchmark.massiveecs
Morpeh	ecs.benchmark.morpeh
StaticEcs	ecs.benchmark.staticecs
Unity Entities	ecs.benchmark.entities

Dependencies

Frameworks can be referenced:

• as Unity packages in Packages/manifest.json;
• as local precompiled assemblies in Assets/lib.

Benchmark.Runner

Runner scene includes all benchmarks from referenced runtime assemblies. Active runtime references are declared in Assets/Benchmark.Runner.asmdef.

Performance Tests

Contains Unity performance test runner project for benchmark contexts.

Hash Tests

Contains test project that validates that each benchmark produces the same state.