10 Best Video Game Engine
1. Unreal Engine
One
of the most popular and widely used game engine is the Unreal Engine by Epic
Games.
The original version
was released in 1998 and 17 years later it continues being used for some of the
biggest games every year.
Notable titles made
with Unreal Engine include the Gears of War series, Mass
Effect series, Bioshock series, and the Batman:
Arkham series.
The strength of the
Unreal Engine is its ability to be modified enough that games can be made into
very unique experiences.
The latest version, Unreal Engine 4, is
said to be the easiest one to use when in the hands of a professional.
However, there are other
engines available that are easier for new designers.
2. Unity
One of them is Unity, a multi-platform game engine that allows you to create interactive 3D content with ease.
A lot of indie
developers use Unity for its excellent functionality, high-quality content, and
ability to be used for pretty much any type of game.
Recent notable titles
made with Unity include Lara Croft Go, Her Story, Pillars
of Eternity, and Kerbal Space Program.
One of the best things
about Unity 5 is the
Personal Edition, which is free for everyone to download.
It includes the engine
with all features and can (for the most part) be used to make games on every
platform.
The problem is that
the Professional Edition, which has a host of excellent
tools, requires that you pay a monthly fee.
These features include
beta access, game performance reporting, customizable splash screens, a team
license, and more.
3. GameMaker
Unlike
most other game engines, GameMaker: Studio has become widely used because it
doesn’t require programming knowledge to use.
Instead, users can
“point-and-click” to create games much easier and faster than coding with
native languages.
Some of the best
titles made with GameMaker include Spelunky, Hotline Miami, Super
Crate Box, and the upcoming Hyper Light Drifter.
GameMaker is popular
because you can make a game without having to learn a
programming language first, and those that do have coding
experience can use it to make their game better.
The problem with
GameMaker and other point-and-click engines is that developers are much
more limited than with other engines.
And while there
is a free version, getting the most out of GameMaker requires you to buy
either the Professional or Master Collection versions.
4. Godot
The Godot engine is great for making both
2D and 3D games. The engine “provides a huge set of common tools, so you
can just focus on making your game without reinventing the wheel.”
It’s free to
use and it’s open source through the MIT license. No royalties, no
subscription fees, no hidden strings—whatever you develop through the Godot
engine is yours.
Godot has a community
that’s constantly fixing bugs and developing new features, which is always a
good sign. An active community means answers to even your most specific
Godot-related questions.
Godot also links out to its other internet HUBS,
including Reddit forums, Facebook groups, steam community, the Godot forums,
and more.
5. AppGameKit
“AppGameKit is an easy to learn game
development engine, ideal for Beginners, Hobbyists & Indie
developers.” Does that sound like you?
AppGameKit focuses on
quickly coding and building apps and being able to share them across platforms.
This rapid iteration and cross-platform sharing is geared towards mobile game
development, but handles most platforms:
§ iPhones and iPads
§ Linux
§ HTML5 Browsers
§ Raspberry Pi
§ MacOS
§ Windows
§ Android
AppGameKit costs $79.99, with options to
bundle the base product with add-ons, like the Visual Editor, to save money on
both products.
6. CryEngine
The CryEngine
platform is free
to use.
You get the full
engine source code and all the engine features without having to pay any
license fees, royalties, or other hidden fees.
The CryEngine is a visually
stunning engine. The graphics are beautiful and the characters are life-like.
You can use CryEngine
to develop for several different platforms:
§ Xbox One
§ PlayStation 4
§ Windows PC
§ Oculus Rift
That’s right—if you
were looking to dive into the world of virtual reality game creation, CryEngine
has you covered.
In addition to the
engine itself, CryEngine also provides plenty of free learning
resources. Tutorials, forums, and documentation give you the tools you need
to get started. Because of the power behind the engine, there’s a bit of a
learning curve. YouTube and the official CryEngine resources are your friends,
here.
If you’re looking for
a shortcut for in-game assets, you can likely find it in the marketplace. The Cryengine marketplace offers
packages like “mountain cottage” or “space soundtrack” in
exchange for money. There are also assets available for free, like
the “CryEngine V Beginners Pack” and the “Explosives” pack.
7. Amazon Lumberyard
Amazon
Lumberyard is the
engine built by Amazon (as
the name suggests). According to the site, Lumberyard is “Free. Powerful. Fully
Customizable.” The game engine has “no royalties or seat fees, frictionless
integration with Twitch and AWS, plus much more on the horizon.”
From books, to other
physical products, to groceries—everything Amazon touches seems to get…easier?
More convenient?
AWS stands for Amazon
Web Services—a secure cloud platform built and maintained by Amazon.
Integration through Lumberyard means it’s easy to get build a game with online
play. The only catch is the AWS services through Amazon cost money. Still, you
can pick your plan (or not include online play at all).
If multiplayer games
are your thing, Lumberyard has the tools in place for you to make that happen.
There is a “Getting Started
Guide” video series for Lumberyard which will get you up to
speed and walk you through building your first game prototype with the engine.
8. RPG Maker
The
best thing about RPG maker is the same reason why it occasionally gets a bad
rap—just about anyone can use it to create a game.
The software is
designed to let you build a complete game, from start to finish (even
if you don’t know anything about game programming).
“The RPG Maker series allows you to
customize every aspect of your game with an easy-to-use interface, making
it perfect for beginners yet powerful enough for experts.”
There are a number of
RPG Maker products. RPG Maker MV
costs $79.99. There’s a free trial option for Windows users.
Experienced users can
take advantage of their Javascript knowledge to “change the game to your
liking, from Battles to Menu UIs.” Users without Javascript knowledge will be
limited to only what the engine offers—but there’s still plenty there to build
a game.
9. LibGDX
“Libgdx
is a Java game development framework that provides a unified
API that works across all supported platforms.”
API is the
abbreviation for application programming interface—having a single
API makes libGDX a great choice for cross-platform development. It
doesn’t matter which platform you’re targeting: Windows, iOS, Linux, Mac OS,
etc. all use the same API.
LibGDX allows you to
run and debug your game natively on your desktop. This makes it easy to
generate rapid iterations of your game and test the changes quickly (since you
won’t need to fire up iOS/Android etc. to test those changes).
The libGDX forums are
alive as well, with topics that cover development with libGDX and tutorials for
getting started. There’s also a “source guide”
with demos and examples you can take advantage of.
You can download LibGDX with
the help of their setup app.
10. Urho3D
“Urho3D is a free lightweight,
cross-platform 2D and 3D game engine implemented in C++ and released
under the MIT license.”
The Urho3D wiki contains
everything you need to get started with the engine, including How To
Guides for setting up on:
§ Windows with Visual Studio
§ Windows with MinGW
§ Android
§ Linux
There are walkthroughs
for creating your first project, and a number of other forum topics ranging
from cutting holes in terrain to developing basic material effects for
rendering.
Urho3D is currently
on version 1.7, and as we mentioned earlier it’s completely free to
download.
There’s a long list of
credits and an actively contributing community.
The website has a
complete list of features, including the version in which those features were
first implemented.
Urho3D also addresses
its limitations, including the fact you’ll need skills in “C++ for
performance-critical code and improving existing subsystems such as networking,
physics and animation, depending on your needs.” The brief limitations list is
available in full on their site.
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