Game Engines - Under Construction!
Not sure what engine to use yet? No problem!
Click here for our suggested engine flowchart!
Or, take this quiz to find out what engine is best for your needs!
Text and Visual Novel Engines
Twine – Free
Twine is one of the most popular interactive fiction tools today. No code is necessary to create a simple branching story, but use of CSS, code logic, and JavaScript can even more complex, involved games for more advanced users.
Runs on: Web, Windows, Mac, Linux
Games playable on: Web (html)
Inform 7 – Free
Interactive fiction U/C
Runs on: Windows, Mac, Linux
Games playable (with interpreter program) on: Windows, Mac, Linux
Quest – Free
Interactive fiction U/C
Runs on: Web, Windows
Games playable on: Web
Ren'py – Free
Visual novels / U/C
Runs on: Windows, Mac, Linux
Games playable on: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS
Novelty – Free
Visual novels / U/C
Runs on: Windows
Games playable on: Windows
2D Engines
Game Maker Studio – Free+
U/C
Runs on: Windows
Games playable on: Windows, Mac (Mac required for export)
With paid license, games playable on: Linux, Web (html5), Android, iOS, Windows phone
RPG Maker – $ Steam
A popular, accessible game engine for creating classic RPG games!
Recommended versions: 2003, VX Ace, MV
Runs on: Windows / MV runs on: ??
Games playable on: Windows / MV games playable on: ??
Stencyl – Free+
An engine with drag and drop coding, Stencyl is a great choice for sidescrolling platformers. It is also one of the few free 2D engines that runs well on Mac. Stencyl's free version exports flash games.
Runs on: Windows, Mac, Linux
Games playable on: Web (flash)
With paid license, games playable on: Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android
Construct 2 – Free+
Construct 2 is an event-based html5 game engine. With excellent online documentation, examples, tutorials, and community, it is easy to get started on game projects. The event sheets in Construct are easy to read and pick up through tutorials for beginner programmers, and the built-in behaviors save time and eventing. The html5 export makes your game playable on web and instantly accessible. If you don't have a license, keep in mind that the free version has a limit of 100 events and 5 layers.
Runs on: Windows
Games playable on: Web (html5)
Clickteam Fusion 2.5 - Free+
Clickteam Fusion 2.5 is an event-based game engine.
Runs on: Windows
Games playable on: Web (html5)
3D (+ 2D) Engines
Unity – Free+
Unity is one of the most popular 3D engines for independent developers. With a vast array of demos, tutorials, plugins, and community, it has the most accessible resources to create games for both 3D and 2D. Unity isn't as visually heavy as Unreal, and is easier to run on most computers. Unity uses C# and its own version of Javascript.
Runs on: Windows, Mac
Games playable on: Windows, Mac (requires Mac), Linux, iOS, Android (requires Android SDK and Java Development Kit), WebGL
Unreal Engine – Free (Registration required)
A visually stunning 3D engine with 2D capability as well. Unreal uses C++ as well as a beginner-friendly visual scripting system called "blueprints." Unreal comes packaged with common game templates (first person, sidescroller, third person) easily get you started on a project. Epic games has excellent documentation and simple to follow online video tutorials. If you are keen on creating a realistic 3D game, Unreal is an excellent choice with lots of built-in lighting and material presets. You may need a more powerful computer to run the editor and test your game at highest detail.
Runs on: Windows, Mac, Linux
Games playable on: Windows, Mac, Android, Linux, Web (html5), iOS, PS4, Xbox One, VR
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We'll be adding examples of games made in each engine but throw any suggestions for information you would like to see in an overview! I'm thinking something that tells what kind of scripting language each engine uses or common games made in each engine (tho a lot of engines can do anything if you work hard enough) might be helpful.