So, you want to become a game developer, but you don’t know what game engine to select to develop your game since there are many options.
Let’s face it, who doesn’t like Gaming? Gaming has been a big business for decades; by the end of 2024, the gaming industry is expected to be around 200 billion USD. When you’re developing games selecting the best gaming engine to develop your game could affect the overall experience for the player.
To make this choice more accessible for you, we’ve compiled the top 5 game engine software on the market in 2022.
Let’s get started.
Table of Contents
What is a Game Engine Software?
Game Engine Software can be described as a device that game designers utilize to develop, test, and create games quickly and then check the whole framework of the game you’re developing.
This allows game designers to experiment with fresh ideas and allows the game designers more time to concentrate on the distinctive elements such as model development and development of characters and a storyline for the game and textures, among others.
There are many additional factors to take into consideration when making a game, such as:
- What is the structure that the game is built on?
- Which game can be described as 2D and 3D?
- What type of resources are available to you, and how experienced are you?
- What’s the latest trend within the gaming industry?
- Which game is meant for adults or kids?
This is the point where game engine software is used and provides various tools for game designers and aids them in bringing their concepts to reality.
Without the assistance of these games engine software, creating games would take a lot longer and be more challenging to develop.
That being said, here is our top 5 game engine software on the market in 2022.
Top 5 Game Engine Software
Unity
Unity gets the top spot; it’s an engine for games that runs on multiple platforms and allows users to create their own game with interactive 3D graphics with great ease.
It’s the best game engine designed by Unity technologies since 2005 and is an excellent option for 2D and 3D games and learning experiences.
The platform is ideal for VR as well as AR-related development. It’s also an excellent device for mobile games.
It is a well-known name for its
- Excellent functionality
- Content of high-quality
- Versatility
Although it’s free to download for a personal version, the Plus Edition for businesses requires an annual fee with a variety of unique features.
The paid version gives you access to the most recent versions of the Core platform, customized splash screens, and real-time diagnostics.
Unity is an excellent choice for game studios that are independent and novices who wish to get into the game industry as a designer and in the field of programming. Users can learn the ins and outs of the software.
- Deployment – On-premise
- Platform – Windows, Mac, Linux
- Top Features – Educational Resources Available Versatile Software, Rapid development Professional.
- Free Version Available
- Prize – Free for Personal Use. Paid Plans Starting at $35 per month.
- Best for- User Friendly, Assest Library, Pricing, Screen play and GUI Quality, high quality visuals.
- Support – Email/Help Desk, Phone Support, 24/7 (Live Rep)
- Overall Rating – 4.9 Stars
Unreal Engine
Unreal Engine is known for its versatility and easy-to-use UI (User Interface). It lets users enjoy a unique experience when it comes to game development.
Unreal Engine has a variety of functions and features in the program that anyone can benefit from, whether novice or experienced.
Another benefit of Unreal Engine is that it works with different operating systems, e.g., when you’re looking to port something onto a mobile device.
Their advanced animation trees are a beneficial resource that has helped create many indie studios for AAA games.
They have improved the UI and the design more in tune with the user, making it more visually appealing and easy to understand for those who don’t have any previous experience with programming.
The range of features that are available the features of Unreal Engine is vibrant. It offers so many ways to design or modify the character you have already created and a map that you can get lost in it for hours.
A well-known game developed using Unreal Engine would be Fortnite, a massive hit on American live streaming video service Twitch after its launch in 2017.
- Deployment – Cloud, SaaS, Web-Based On-premise, Web
- Platform – Windows, Mac, Linux
- Top Features – No-Code, 2D Drawing, 3D Games, 3D Imaging, IT Asset Management, In-App Purchase, In-Game Analytics.
- Free version and Free trial available.
- Prize – Not provided by vendor.
- Best for- Node based programming, More Visual and Intuitive in nature, User Friendly, Assest Library, Pricing, Screen play and GUI Quality, high quality visuals.
- Support – Email/Help Desk, Phone Support, 24/7 (Live Rep)
- Overall Rating – 4.8 Stars
Godot
Godot is an entirely free-to-play engine. The main benefit of using Godot is that it hosts an active community where you can seek help and resolve any game-related questions. Godot allows users to focus on game creation, and game developers can make the game without worrying about starting from scratch.
Furthermore, it’s open-source and free with the MIT license, and game developers can enjoy and maintain the loyalty they get from the game. Godot is a community-driven, fully-developed game engine giving gamers and game developers the ability to create and turn their ideas into reality.
It is an open-source game engine that is based in C/C++. It can create games for mobile, desktop, and web-based environments. Godot is a very versatile engine that can play 2D and 3D games. Due to its measurement system based on pixels, Godot shines when it is 2D. The interface based on nodes is helpful for beginners. Godot provides the flexibility of modularization and adaptability to the game development process. The engine assists in completing the job without difficulty.
- Deployment – Web
- Platform – Windows, Android, iOS, Linux, Mac
- Top Features – Platform integration, Community and online resources, Scripting, Organized, Node-based workflow
- Free Version Available
- Prize – Not provided by vendor.
- Best for- User Friendly, Assest Library, Pricing, Screen play and GUI Quality, high quality visuals.
- Support – Email/Help Desk, Phone Support, 24/7 (Live Rep)
- Overall Rating – 4.5 Stars
GameMaker
GameMaker is designed to help beginners who wish to master game creation but do not have coding experience and aren’t proficient in programming.
It is used for creating an easy 2D-3D game like an 8-bit platformer Gamemaker covers everything you need to create. Its USP for Gamemaker is that users don’t need to attend a programming school or have the experience to develop games. Anyone interested in creating games can use Gamemaker for its user-friendly tools, and users can drag and drop components to make games.
GameMaker has a feature for exporting your game workflow directly onto various platforms, including Windows, Mac, Android, iOS. This ability to integrate with various platforms is a significant benefit.
- Deployment – On-premise
- Platform – Windows, Mac
- Top Features – Cross-platform functionality, Drag and Drop Programming Interface, Simplified Javascript, 2D Drawing In-Game Analytics, Multi-player Gaming, Network Physics Simulation, Prototype Creation.
- Free Version Available
- Prize – $39 On Premise per 12-month license
- Best for- Rapidly prototyping games, User Friendly, Programming Language, GML, Assest Library, Screen play and GUI Quality, high quality visuals.
- Support – Email/Help Desk, Phone Support, 24/7 (Live Rep)
- Overall Rating – 4.4 Stars
Amazon Lumberyard
Built by Amazon, Amazon Lumberyard is an open AAA game engine fully connected to AWS and Twitch. It comes with the full source.
For developers who are already involved in game development and particularly streaming it to Twitch, Lumberyard is perfect for them since they can easily connect to Amazon Web Services and integrate Twitch.
It is surprisingly simple to use Amazon Lumberyard to make a game that requires online play. Additionally, it has VR capabilities that can enhance the experience of gaming.
If you’re into multi-player games, Lumberyard offers various levels of gaming application that lets developers, and you build multiplayer games.
This is an excellent option for independent developers and startups that are just starting and studios to select Lumberyard and then work with it.
- Deployment – On-premise
- Platform – Windows, Mac, Linux
- Top Features – Integrated with AWS (Amazon Web Services) and Twitch, Multiplayer benefits, Cloud Computing.
- Free Version Available
- Prize – $200 on Premise per person/per month.
- Best for- Start-ups, New Developers.
- Support – Email/Help Desk, Phone Support, 24/7 (Live Rep)
- Overall Rating – 4.4 Stars
Conclusion
As you will see, we’ve compiled the top 5 game engine software on the market in 2022.
Various game engine software is available in the market, each promising a different feature than the other. Game engines can boost your workflow and help you with the game demands and development tasks. But sometimes, it can be tough to meet today’s demanding market. Game studios have to work under tight deadlines to release newer versions of the game.
With these powerful game engines, they can genuinely make a difference in providing a great gaming experience. This guide is an option to speed up your workflow while making your game come alive.
Choose the gaming engine software that’s most suitable for your play.
For more options and information on Game Engine Software, head to SaaSworthy
