GamingDevelopment

What is the best 2D non-coding game engine?

8

Options
Considered

76

User
Recs.

Jul 14, 2018

Last
Updated

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8 Options Considered

8 Options Considered	Price	Languages	Dev platforms
-- GDevelop	-	–	–
-- Construct 2	-	JavaScript	Windows
-- Unreal Engine 4	-	C++, Blueprints (Visual Scripting)	Windows, Mac OS X, Linux
-- RPG Maker	-	JavaScript	Windows, macOS
-- Stencyl	-	Haxe	Windows; Macintosh; Linux

GDevelop

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Top Pro

Open source and completely free

GDevelop is free and open source, and anyone can enhance the software via the GitHub repository. See More

Top Con

64-bit only

Only works on 64-bit computers. Web version still works on 32-bit computers but if you want the full experience you need a 64-bit PC. See More

Top Pro

No need to download anything

Almost everything can be done in the Browser. See More

Top Con

Not many tutorials

Not many tutorials, yet. See More

Top Pro

Easy to use

The whole interface is intuitive and easy to learn: each part of the game can be designed using visual editors. The objects editor is used to create the objects of the game, the scene editor helps you to build the levels of your game and the events editor allows to give life to the whole game without programming. See More

Top Con

No cross-compiler

The Windows and Linux versions of GDevelop can each compile a native application; but the Windows version cannot compile for Linux, nor vice versa. See More

Top Pro

Powerful events system

No need for coding using this system which is clear and powerful: events are composed of conditions and actions. Actions are launched when conditions are fulfilled. This is a very friendly way of making games and is still efficient for advanced usage, contrary to most other "block"/"drag'n'drop" systems. See More

Top Pro

Add prebuilt behaviors to objects

Prebuilt behaviors can be added to objects. This is a very efficient way to add a physics engine or make a platformer game. Lots of behaviors are included, from the most advanced (Physics, platformer, top-down movement) to really simple ones (like the behavior to destroy objects when outside the screen or the one to drag objects with mouse or touch). And you still have full controls over your game as behaviors can be modified using the events. See More

Construct 2

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Top Pro

Easy to use

You can make a game in 30 minutes from start (it may not be perfect). There are so many video tutorials and many helpful users. See More

Top Con

At some point you will have to program in Construct 2

It's very light, but it's there and when you want to do something more complex you start learning how to code and import things like xml files. See More

Top Pro

Free for simple projects

Construct 2 Free provides a functional preview of nearly all engine features, and allows non-commercial publication. See More

Top Con

Editor is somewhat limited

Top Pro

Very easy to learn

It has an easy drag and drop interface were you can drag an image from your computer directly into construct 2 to import it. After you import something you can easily add atributes to it; such as platformer which lets you control the object with your arrow keys. See More

Top Con

Free version is limited

Construct 2 Free is not licensed for commercial use. It also limits a project to 100 events, along with other technical restrictions. See More

Top Pro

Good pricing

Single payment with free updates forever. See More

Top Con

Some things can only be done with scripting

Top Pro

Extremely active dev / support team

They push regular updates with bug fixes, new features, and HTML5 optimizations. See More

Specs

Languages:JavaScript

Dev platforms:Windows

Desktop targets:Windows; Macintosh; Linux

Mobile targets:iOS; Android

See All Specs >

Unreal Engine 4

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Top Pro

No coding experience needed

Top Con

Steep learning curve

This engine not easy for beginners. See More

Top Pro

Realistic graphics

Top Con

Very high build size

A blank project will build in to a minimum of 200 MB. See More

Top Pro

A visual scripting system for non-coders enables quick prototyping

Blueprints are authoring tools designed for non programmers so designers and other team members can help tweak and prototype. UE4's Blueprint scripts resemble flowcharts where each box represents a function or value, with connections between them representing program flow. This provides a better at-a-glance indication of game logic than a simple list of events, and makes complex behaviors easier to accomplish and games a lot faster to prototype. See More

Top Pro

Free

Free to download and use as of March 2, 2015. Also, these are their exact words:”When you ship a game or application, you pay a 5% royalty on gross revenue after the first $3,000 per product, per quarter. ” https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/blog/ue4-is-free See More

Specs

Languages:C++, Blueprints (Visual Scripting)

Dev platforms:Windows, Mac OS X, Linux

Desktop targets:Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, SteamOS, HTML5

Mobile targets:iOS, Android

See All Specs >

RPG Maker

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Top Pro

Growing number of asset creation software titles offering direct export to RPG Maker

SONAR Steam Edition exports RPG Maker clips, and Spriter Pro has confirmed they'll work directly with RPG Maker developers to get Spriter Playback integrated into RPG Maker. See More

Top Con

None of the versions are free

Versions range from 29.99 (for the 2003 version) to 79.99 for the newer ones. Some use a subscription model. See More

Top Pro

Easy to jump into using an intuitive WYSIWYG editor

It's possible to create a game with absolutely no art or coding skills, so even complete beginners can make something. See More

Top Con

Poor cross-package integration.

Users looking to upgrade from VX Ace or earlier to MV will find they must manually convert all graphic assets to a new size; MV uses 48px tiles and icons with 64px character sprites. Additionally, MV now uses JavaScript whereas earlier versions used Ruby. So any scriptlets prior to MV will need to be recoded in a different language. Fortunately Yanfly has a full list of MV ready plug-ins while other commonly adored plugins just as Khans Lighting aren't. See More

Top Pro

Large and active community

The engine has seen multiple iterations since 1995, so a large online community exists that is always willing to help each other out. See More

Top Con

Included assets are few and inconsistent

Though the product touts including enough assets to make a full game, the assets included aren't altogether fluid. See More

Top Pro

RPG Maker MV has a Steam Workshop community

Though only in beta, the prospect of a Steam Workshop for RPG Maker MV offers a new easily accessible and unified location for user generated content, shared among a community within and without Steam. See More

Top Con

Engine imposes arbitrary limits

Engine imposes arbitrary limits. For example, it only supports resolution up 640x480 in VX ace, and 816x624 in MV. See More

Top Pro

Additional Map layer from prior versions

MV adds an extra map layer for easier parallax mapping and gives developers the ability to create more detailed maps if they opt tile mapping. Additionally, assets for tiles are easier to find without the old RTP structure. See More

Specs

Languages:JavaScript

Dev platforms:Windows, macOS

Desktop targets:Windows, macOS, Web

Mobile targets:Android, iOS

See All Specs >

Stencyl

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Top Pro

Block-based visual scripting resembles real code

Visual scripting in Stencyl is based on the MIT Scratch project, which was designed to teach programming. Script elements fit together like puzzle pieces, ensuring that data and function types cannot be mismatched. See More

Top Con

Annual subscription model

Publication to desktop targets requires an active Indie Stencyl subscription, priced at $99/yr. Mobile targets require Studio Stencyl at $199/yr. See More

Top Pro

Free for Flash publication

Starter Stencyl is identical to paid-plan versions except that it only allows publication to Flash, with a mandatory Stencyl splash screen. Commercial development is allowed with Starter Stencyl. See More

Top Pro

Easy transition between visual scripting and Haxe code

The visual scripting system is internally translated to Haxe. The resulting scripts can be viewed and edited, and there is also a "code block" object for including raw Haxe in visual scripts. This is great for learning to code, and also for advanced users who can further optimize the scripts if necessary. See More

Specs

Dev platforms:Windows; Macintosh; Linux

Desktop targets:Windows; Macintosh; Linux

Mobile targets:iOS; Android

See All Specs >

GameMaker: Studio

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Top Con

Drag'n'drop coding is limited

GameMaker's drag'n'drop language is limited and some things can be done only using code. See More

Top Pro

Free for Windows Desktop publication

GameMaker Studio: Standard is available at no cost and publishes Windows games with no license restrictions, though unlike the Pro version, Standard games are bundled with an interpreter rather than compiled to native code. See More

Top Con

Difficult to learn

GameMaker: Studio isn't the most friendly for beginners. It can be difficult figuring out how to get started, and the limited drag'n'drop feature means you'll likely have to use/learn some programming to create the game you want. See More

Top Pro

Easy to find tutorials, examples, and help

GameMaker: Studio has a wealth of options and a long history of community-based tutorials and examples. The GameMaker Community features these for free use. The program also comes with a number of demos and tutorials. There is also a recently-opened Marketplace which offers free and sold assets for jumpstarting your games. And due to recent growth of YoYo Games, the Helpdesk system is greatly improved and will now be able to send you good, helpful replies to any issues you have quickly. See More

Top Con

Not free

Top Pro

Flexible pricing based on build targets

GameMaker: Studio features the ability to purchase either separate modules for exporting to different operating systems, or the comprehensive Master Collection for all platforms at a relative discount. See More

Top Con

Complicated user interface

User interface is quite complicated and takes time to get used to. See More

Top Con

Now for 3D games

Game Maker studio 2 has gone 3D. It's no longer a 2D engine. Version 1.4 is buried deep on their website, it is obvious the makers really don't want folks to use the old version, but they also don't want to leave the old version users hanging. See More

Specs

Dev platforms:Windows, Mac

Desktop targets:Windows, OSX, Ubuntu, UWP

Mobile targets:iOS, Android, Windows Phone ( via UWP )

See All Specs >

BuildBox

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Top Con

Expensive price

At $1000/yr, or $99/mo, it is probably the least accessible piece of game development software in regards to price. See More

Top Pro

Easy to learn

Buildbox is a drag and drop engine, making it easy for beginners to pick up. There are many tutorials available to help get you started. See More

Top Con

Really restricting

You have to base your games heavily on their pre-made templates. You can't create custom behaviours, events, object types or effects you can only slightly tweak the existing ones. See More

Top Pro

Built-in support for ads

You can add banner and interstitial ads from multiple ad networks, including AdMob, RevMob, Facebook. They can work with Amazon's, Microsoft's, Google's and Apple's app stores. See More

Top Con

Not very powerful

You will be limited to using templates to build games. See More

Top Pro

Simple animation system

Easy to add in animations for objects and characters. See More

Top Con

Stability Issues

The software has stability issues on Windows, with the preview window causing program crashes when simple functionality is added. See More

Top Pro

Built-in particle effects

You can create simple particle effects with control over gravity, color variance and blend modes. See More

Top Pro

Has many game templates

Buildbox has 20+ different game templates including templates for platformers, racing games and Flappy Bird clones. See More

GameSalad

Top Pro

Free standalone viewer app allows instant, live mobile device testing

The GameSalad Viewer is a free app available for iOS, Android and Kindle. Once installed on your mobile devices, you can deploy and test your GameSalad games live on any mobile device running the Viewer that is on the same local network as your dev computer. This even allows Windows users to test their games on iOS devices without a Mac device and without any complicated code signing or provisioning profiles. And, you can even take your games with you -- once loaded onto your mobile device, a history option caches recent games on your device without any connection to the dev computer. See More

Top Con

No scripting language or SDK

If a needed behavior is not supplied by GameSalad, there's no way to add it. See More

Top Pro

Multiple publishing platforms

Can create and publish games for iOS, Macintosh desktop and laptop computers, Android, Kindle, Amazon FireTV and FireTV Stick, Windows 8 and Tizen devices. See More

Top Con

Product is suffering - Lacking company leadership and no voice from corporate

Some customers are currently in a holding pattern from the lack of support and messaging from GS corporate. GS is currently unstable and developers are waiting for another update that has been going on from 2015. No word or message from GS corporate about timeframes or deliverables. You can read the ongoing discussion here. See More

Top Pro

Drag and drop editor

The drag and drop editor makes GameSalad very easy to use, no programming experience needed. See More

Top Con

Expensive compare with others

There is no free version any more and it is very expensive compared with other engines. See More

Top Pro

Gamepad support

Gamepad support is available as of 0.13.3. See More

Top Con

Product is in Limbo - company is lacking developers

Top Pro

Allows you to focus on the logic rather than code

Since the user mainly uses menu options there is very little code needed to be keyed in. This makes the code very easy to read and understand. Hence there are many help videos on youtube See More

Top Con

Doesn't support Windows platform (*.exe)

Doesn't support Windows platform (*.exe) See More

Top Pro

Extensive community of seasoned professionals for support

Extensive community of seasoned professionals in all disciplines (graphics, game design, animation, physics, music, video production, marketing, etc.) producing tutorials, videos, publishing tips, free templates and who are willing to answer forum questions and help newcomers. See More

Top Con

Poor editor performance

Especially when you're working on a big project. See More

Top Pro

Great engine

Very quick to learn and great for making games. Community is very open and helpful. See More

Top Con

Bad editor

There is no scene zoom, search boxes, or snap to grid. There is also no ability to focus view on the actor or use folders for file structure. See More

Top Pro

Cross-Platform

Top Pro

Easy to publish

Software prepares your app so you can just send it to Apple. All my games are reviewed with no problems. See More

Top Pro

Custom collision shapes with JSON support

Allows you to import JSON data for custom collision shapes to use with Gamesalad's implementation of Box2d physics. See More

Top Pro

No-code editor

Top Pro

Has a Windows(.exe) version on par with Mac

The Windows version is now upto date with all the features of its Mac sibling. See More

Top Pro

Powerful expression editor and functions

Allows you to create expressions on par with LUA (it's back end-language). See More

Specs

Dev platforms:Windows; Macintosh

Desktop targets:Windows 8; Macintosh

Mobile targets:iOS; Android; Tizen

See All Specs >

82 Community Recommendations

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Unreal Engine 4

Recommended 3 months ago

Best graphics, VR support, and just a great Engine. Plus, it’s free under most circumstances.

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Recommended 6 months ago

It is aimed at artists, so the tools required are adequate to create visually stunning games. Hardcore programmers should look somewhere else.

KnowledgeableChalchiuhtotolin

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Recommended 5 months ago

Game Compiling Problem

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Unreal Engine 4

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