levelstate

Levelstate is a term used in interactive software to describe the current condition of a game level during runtime. It represents the data that define what exists in the level, how it is configured, and how it evolves as the player interacts with it. In practice, levelstate includes loaded assets (textures, models, sounds), active entities and their components, environmental settings (lighting, weather), physics state, and player-related progress such as objectives and collected items. The concept is distinct from global game state or save data, though it can be persisted across level transitions when needed.

Levelstate is managed through loading and unloading operations, level streaming, and serialization. A levelstate can be serialized to a save file or memory snapshot, allowing the level to be restored later. Designers may choose to keep certain objects persistent across levels (for example, a persistent player character or inventory) or to unload them to reclaim memory. Efficient handling often involves streaming assets and loading pages of the level as needed, while preserving essential state to avoid glitches when the level reloads.

Many game engines provide facilities for level-state management. Unity supports additive scene loading and persistent objects, while Unreal Engine offers level streaming and sublevel management. Developers may implement custom level-state systems to handle complex transitions, branching narratives, or procedural worlds, ensuring that level data remains coherent during transitions and reloads. See also level streaming, save systems, and world/scene management.