Are you confused about what game engine you should use on your game dev journey? Then this blog is for you! There are plenty of engines available when it comes to choosing game engines! You need a clear vision of what you want to develop. You can narrow down your search by answering the following questions yourself. Is your game going to be 2D? Will it be 3D? Do you know how to code? Do you prefer visual programming?
This blog will provide game engine options for all of the above.
While there were too many game engines to list, we’ve curated the top 5 favorite game engines for beginners.
Table of Contents
Unity
Unity is a famous game engine right now. Unity was released at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference as Unity 1.0, and unexpectedly it caught the eye of many developers there. Unity then evolved more, focusing on indie game developers.
Developers can develop any game you can currently dream of: 2D, 2.5D, 3D, VR, AR, MOBILE, Single Player, Multiplayer, Procedurally Generated… It expands further to other industries like Industrial and Automotive design, Architectural Visualization, and film industries. C# is the scripting language used to develop Unity. Unity is best game engines for beginners
Unity offers users development tools, including assets and scripts, AI assistants, visual scripting, monetization, analytics, and more, without needing external software. The Engine is compatible with Windows, Mac, or Linux. You can build games for over 20 platforms, including all the mainstream consoles, mobile devices, computers, and even some TV operating systems.
Regarding purchasing a license, there are four options: Personal, Plus, Pro, and Enterprise. Personal, the beginner level is aimed at devs whose revenue or funding is less than $100,000 per year and is free. Only those with under 100k yearly revenue or students are eligible for a Personal Plan. The Pro and Enterprise plan comes at $399/year, $1,800/year, and $2,000/month subscriptions.
To start developing with Unity, Visit Unity’s official website; there, you will get lots of tutorials. There, you’ll also find all types of courses, from Unity Essentials to Specialized courses in Engine Physics. This will also help you to get certified officially. Also, you can access Unity Asset Store with plenty of assets, tools, and templates where you can buy or sell these assets. unity is one of the best game engines for beginners
Games Made with Unity include:
- Neversong by Atmos Games
- Inside by Playdead
- Hollow Knight: Silksong by Team Cherry
Unreal Engine
Unreal was born from a one-person project back in 1992 named Tim Sweeney, a 21-year-old university student at the time, who developed a game called ZZT. But, Sweeney built a framework that focused on object-oriented programming. And this is how born unreal Engine “A game engine with high-productivity, a what-you-see-is-what-you-get tools pipeline, bundled with a programming language aimed at simplifying gameplay logic.” This is Sweeny’s statement for his product. Unreal Game Engine is best game engines for beginners
Unreal Engine was first released in 1998. “The Unreal Engine has raised the bar on what action gamers expect from future products. The visual effects first seen in the game will become expected from future games.” said John Carmack, co-founder of id Software.
Various developers use unreal Engine to make 2D and 3D games with virtually complete freedom. The Engine uses C++ as a Scripting language, and you can also use Blueprints.
These blueprints enable faster programming in-engine by providing drag-and-drop. Throughout the years, Unreal Engine has undergone several updates, the latest being Unreal Engine 5.
Unreal Engine 5 introduced a new tech called Nanite Virtualized Geometry, which makes it possible to create the highest level of detail in game development up to this date. You can download Unreal Engine through Epic Games Launcher.
Unreal Engine 4 and 5 are compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux. It can export games for Windows PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, macOS, iOS, Android, AR, VR, Linux, SteamOS, and HTML5.
To access the next-generation export functionality, you must register with Epic as a developer. Unreal Engine is free to download for all. There are no restraints, plans, subscription unlocks, or tiers. Anyone with a computer meeting the minimum requirements can start developing games immediately. When a game created with Unreal Engine crosses a lifetime gross revenue of $1,000,000, the developer has to pay a 5% royalty to Epic Games. For beginners getting started with Unreal Game Engine, Epic Games created a virtual learning center that anyone can access. The courses take users from the basics to the advanced applications, awarding you with certificates for completion along the way. unreal engine is one of the best game engines for beginners
In the Epic Games, you will also find the assets for Unreal Engine. Also, You can claim free assets from Epic every month.
Games made with Unreal Engine include:
- Hogwarts Legacy by Avalanche Software
- Fortnite by Epic Games
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits by Ember Lab
- Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II by Ninja
Construct 3
Construct 3 is a web-based no-code game engine. In 2007 Scirra LTD developed and released an Open-Source game engine called Construct.
Construct 3 is very popular with indie and hobby developers. It’s conjointly the second most well-liked game engine in itch.io as of today. Construct goal is to be the best tool for non-programmers to make fantastic 2D games. It’s also one of the best tools for building quick prototypes. It’s a web-based Engine, so you can even access the editor from any device, like a tablet or smartphone, and create or change projects on the go. Although simple at first glance, Construct 3 has features like timeline animations, built-in CPU and GPU monitors, monetization tools, a physics engine, an image editor, etc.
In Construct, you can export your games to Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, and HTML5. If you’d like to spin the Engine, there is a free limited version of Construct 3 available at Construct.net – you can launch the editor from the website and start building games.
For a full version, Construct 3 is available via the subscription model. For a personal license, prices start at USD 16.49/month or $99/year. After you export and sell your games, there are no extra cuts or royalties. There is also an official asset store for Construct 3 where you can buy and sell things like graphics, game templates, animations, and sounds. Lastly, you can find excellent tutorials in the community forums within Construct3’s landing page. Construct 3 is one of the best game engines for beginners
Games developed with Construct 3:
- Yet Another World by Hostage
- Red Tie Runner by Reflextions
- Tag by Joeriri
GameMaker
GameMaker was first developed as an animation tool by university professor Mark Overmars and released under Animo in 1999. He developed the tool further, and it became a game development tool.
Gamemaker Studio was released in 2012, then Gamemaker Studio 2 was released in 2017. Gamemaker Studio 2 is a 2D game development suite that fully provides all the necessary tools to develop and publish a game fully. GameMaker is best game engines for beginners
It’s a favorite of many beginner game developers and creative professionals due to its renowned visual scripting system, which is easy to use with no coding knowledge.
Expert developers enjoy the Engine, too, as developers can easily inspect the code behind the visual script for the output they need. GameMaker cmpataible on Windows and Mac. Users can easily export games to up to 12 platforms, including modern consoles, last-gen consoles, and mobile & desktop platforms. For exporting to all platforms, specific licenses need to be purchased.
The entry tier of licenses, the Creator tier, is $39 for a 12-month license. Depending on your chosen platform, this tier allows for export to either Windows or Mac. The developer license starts at $99 for a permanent license. This includes options for Desktop, Mobile, Web, and UWP.
Finally, a Console level starts at $799 for a 12-month license. This level includes Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch options if you want to learn GameMaker, free tier for just that purpose! You will find excellent game development channels for GameMaker on Youtube.
GameMaker has been used in some of the most popular indie game titles, making it one of the top engines for indie developers. GameMaker is one of the best game engines for beginners
Games developed using GameMaker :
- Undertale by Toby Fox
- Spelunky by Derek Yu
- Hyper Light Drifter by Heart Machine
Godot
Godot development started in 2001. Godot is earlier known as Legacy, Larvotor, Larvita, Larvita2, Larvita3, and NG3D. The Engine most recently won an Epic Mega Grant in 2020 for $250,000 in the category of open-source graphics software. The Godot engine is perfect for both 2D and 3D types of developers.
For development in Godot, you can use C#, C++, visual scripting, and GDScript. Godot is best game engines for beginners
The benefit of this visual scripting method is that later on, you can easily find and modify all the variables in the script in just seconds. Godot is compatible with Windows, Mac, Linux, and BSD.
You can export games for Windows, Mac, Linux, BSD, Universal Windows Platform, Android, iOS, HTML5, and WebAssembly… While it doesn’t officially support consoles, community members found ways to export games for Xbox One, PS4, and Nintendo Switch.
Godot is free-to-download, free-to-use, open-source software published under the MIT license.
You don’t have to pay subscriptions, fees, cuts, or royalties in using and modifying the engine or publishing games developed with it.
You can learn Godot by accessing Godot Docs. This codex lists every aspect of the Engine in the form o a user manual or joins the community of developers working with Godot through different channels such as Discord, YouTube, Reddit, Twitter, Facebook, Steam, and Github. Godot is one of the best game engines for beginners
Upcoming Godot games include:
- Until Then by Polychroma Games
- Solar Knight by Vini Menezio
- The Garden Path by CarrotCake
When you are developing game read this article game engines for beginners before you choose your engine.
For more blogs on Unity and Unreal Engine please read our other blogs:
Video Game Development for Beginners : How to beacome best video game developer in 2023
What is Unity Game Engine? Best game development engine in 2022