Random Number Generators

TL;DR: Use PRNG.Instance for 10-15x faster random generation than UnityEngine.Random, with a rich API for vectors, colors, weighted selection, and more.

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Overview

Unity Helpers provides 15+ high-performance pseudo-random number generators (PRNGs) through a unified IRandom interface. All generators pass standard statistical tests and are optimized for game development workloads.

Key Features

• 10-15x faster than UnityEngine.Random (see benchmarks)
• Thread-safe access via PRNG.Instance (thread-local)
• Rich API — vectors, colors, Gaussian distributions, weighted selection, subset sampling
• Seedable — reproducible results for replays and testing
• IL2CPP compatible — no reflection, AOT-safe

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Quick Start (60 Seconds)

using WallstopStudios.UnityHelpers.Core.Random;

// Use the thread-local default (fastest)
IRandom random = PRNG.Instance;

// Basic generation
int number = random.Next(0, 100);           // [0, 100)
float value = random.NextFloat();            // [0.0, 1.0)
bool coinFlip = random.NextBool();
uint bits = random.NextUint();

// Unity vectors
Vector2 point2D = random.NextVector2(-10f, 10f);

// Colors
Color randomColor = random.NextColor();

// Weighted selection
string[] items = { "Common", "Rare", "Epic" };
float[] weights = { 70f, 25f, 5f };
string selected = random.NextWeighted(items.Zip(weights, (x, y) => (x, y)));

// Gaussian distribution
float normalValue = random.NextGaussian(mean: 0f, stdDev: 1f);

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Choosing a Generator

Use Case	Recommended Generator	Why
General gameplay	PRNG.Instance	Thread-local default, excellent quality
Procedural generation	PcgRandom	Reproducible, excellent statistical properties
High-throughput effects	SplitMix64	Fastest with good quality
Cryptographic seeding	N/A	Use System.Security.Cryptography instead
Legacy compatibility	UnityRandom	Matches UnityEngine.Random behavior

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Available Generators

All generators implement the IRandom interface:

Generator	Speed	Quality	Best For
LinearCongruentialGenerator	Fastest	Poor	Non-critical effects only
SplitMix64	Very Fast	Very Good	High-throughput generation
PcgRandom	Fast	Excellent	General purpose, seeded generation
IllusionFlow	Fast	Excellent	Balanced speed and quality
XoroShiroRandom	Fast	Very Good	Game logic, physics
RomuDuo	Fast	Very Good	Alternative to PCG
XorShiftRandom	Moderate	Fair	Legacy compatibility
WyRandom	Moderate	Very Good	Hash-based scenarios
SquirrelRandom	Moderate	Good	Noise-based generation
PhotonSpinRandom	Slow	Excellent	Maximum quality needed
UnityRandom	Slow	Fair	Match Unity behavior
SystemRandom	Very Slow	Poor	.NET compatibility

For detailed benchmarks, see Random Performance.

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Creating Seeded Generators

For reproducible sequences (replays, procedural generation, testing):

using WallstopStudios.UnityHelpers.Core.Random;

// Create with specific seed
PcgRandom seeded = new PcgRandom(seed: 12345);

// Generate reproducible sequence
for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++)
{
    Debug.Log(seeded.Next(0, 100)); // Same values every run
}

// Different seed = different sequence
PcgRandom different = new PcgRandom(seed: 67890);

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API Reference

Basic Generation

IRandom random = PRNG.Instance;

// Integers
int value = random.Next();                    // [int.MinValue, int.MaxValue]
int bounded = random.Next(100);               // [0, 100)
int ranged = random.Next(10, 50);             // [10, 50)

// Unsigned integers
uint bits = random.NextUint();
uint boundedUint = random.NextUint(1000u);

// Floating point
float f = random.NextFloat();                 // [0.0, 1.0)
float rangedF = random.NextFloat(-1f, 1f);    // [-1.0, 1.0)
double d = random.NextDouble();               // [0.0, 1.0)

// Boolean
bool b = random.NextBool();                   // 50% true/false
bool weighted = random.NextBool(0.75f);       // 75% true

Vector Generation

// 2D vectors
Vector2 v2 = random.NextVector2();                      // Each component [0, 1)
Vector2 ranged2 = random.NextVector2(-10f, 10f);        // Each component [-10, 10)

// 3D vectors
Vector3 v3 = random.NextVector3();
Vector3 ranged3 = random.NextVector3(-5f, 5f);

Color Generation

// Random colors
Color c = random.NextColor();                           // Random RGBA

Distributions

// Gaussian (normal) distribution
float gaussian = random.NextGaussian(mean: 0f, stdDev: 1f);

// Weighted selection
string[] items = { "Common", "Rare", "Epic", "Legendary" };
float[] weights = { 60f, 25f, 12f, 3f };
string drop = random.NextWeighted(items.Zip(weights, (x, y) => (x, y)));

Collection Operations

// Shuffle in place
myList.Shuffle(random);

// Random element
T element = random.NextOf(array);
T element2 = random.NextOf(list);

// Random index
int index = random.Next(collection.Count);

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Thread Safety

PRNG.Instance provides thread-local instances, making it safe for multithreaded code without locks:

// Safe - each thread gets its own instance
Parallel.For(0, 1000, i =>
{
    int value = PRNG.Instance.Next(0, 100);
    // No race conditions
});

For explicit thread-local control:

using WallstopStudios.UnityHelpers.Core.Random;

// Create thread-local wrapper around any generator
ThreadLocalRandom<PcgRandom> threadLocal = new();
IRandom random = threadLocal.Value; // Per-thread instance

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Perlin Noise

For procedural generation, use the seedable Perlin noise generator:

using WallstopStudios.UnityHelpers.Core.Random;

PerlinNoise noise = new PerlinNoise(seed: 42);

// 2D noise (terrain, textures)
float value2D = noise.Noise(x, y);

// Octave noise for more detail
float octaves = noise.OctaveNoise(x, y, octaves: 4, persistence: 0.5f);

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Best Practices

1. Use PRNG.Instance for most cases — it’s fast, thread-safe, and well-tested
2. Seed generators explicitly when reproducibility matters (replays, tests)
3. Avoid new in hot paths — cache generator instances
4. Don’t use for security — these are PRNGs, not CSPRNGs

// ✅ Good - cache the reference
private IRandom _random = PRNG.Instance;

void Update()
{
    float value = _random.NextFloat();
}

// ❌ Bad - creates new instance every frame
void Update()
{
    PcgRandom random = new PcgRandom(); // Allocation!
    float value = random.NextFloat();
}

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See Also

• Random Performance Benchmarks
• Math & Extensions
• README - Random Generators