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.

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

Quick Start (60 Seconds)¶

C#
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);

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

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.

Creating Seeded Generators¶

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

C#
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);

API Reference¶

Basic Generation¶

C#
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¶

C#
// 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¶

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

Distributions¶

C#
// 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¶

C#
// 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);

Thread Safety¶

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

C#
// 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:

C#
using WallstopStudios.UnityHelpers.Core.Random;

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

Perlin Noise¶

For procedural generation, use the seedable Perlin noise generator:

C#
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);

Best Practices¶

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

C#
// ✅ 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();
}