What is the best free game engine?

Godot is the strongest free option for most projects, since its MIT license charges no royalties and it has an editor for Windows, macOS and Linux. Defold is a close second for 2D work written in Lua.

Does Unity charge royalties?

Unity's pricing page describes subscription tiers based on revenue or funding and does not list a per-game royalty. Personal is free under $200,000 in the prior 12 months, and larger businesses need a Pro subscription.

Which game engines are open source?

Godot, Cocos Creator (engine code), Bevy, Phaser, LÖVE, MonoGame and O3DE publish their source under open source licenses. Defold publishes its source under a license that restricts commercial use of the engine, and Unreal source is open to licensees.

Which engine is best for 2D games?

GameMaker and Defold are built for 2D work and have editors. Phaser and LÖVE are code-first 2D frameworks for developers who want full control of the game loop.

Is Unreal Engine free to use?

Yes, below $1 million in gross product revenue, and that free license includes all platforms and source code access. Above that, a 5% royalty applies to lifetime revenue, and Epic Games Store sales are royalty-free.

Best Game Engines in 2026: Top 12 Ranked

The ranking

Top pickGodot Engine94.0
Best with a free planUnity92.5
Best open sourceCocos Creator86.5

1
Godot Engine
MIT license with no royalties, an editor for Windows, macOS and Linux, and export to Android and the web. Store builds of the editor leave out C#, so check that before choosing it.
Best for Free open-source 2D and 3D games with no royalties
WindowsmacOSLinuxFree and open sourceOpen source
94.0of 100
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2
Unity
Widest platform reach and a free Personal plan under the revenue threshold. Larger businesses pay a subscription, and the pricing page lists no per-game royalty.
Best for Cross-platform teams that can accept a subscription
WindowsmacOSLinuxFree plan, paid upgrades
92.5of 100
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3
Unreal Engine
Free under $1 million in revenue with source access and strong high-end 3D. Above that, a 5% royalty applies, unlike the royalty-free Godot and Defold licenses.
Best for High-end 3D games and real-time film work
WindowsmacOSLinuxFree plan, paid upgrades
91.5of 100
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4
Defold
Free forever with no runtime fees and a small footprint, but the source-available license bars selling modified editor or engine builds. Game logic is written in Lua, which narrows the choice.
Best for Small Lua-based games that ship to many platforms
WindowsmacOSLinuxFree
89.5of 100
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5
GameMaker
Free tier with tutorials and asset bundles, and a clear path for 2D beginners. Commercial release needs the paid Professional tier, and the editor runs only on Windows and macOS.
Best for Beginners making 2D games with a free tier
WindowsmacOSFree plan, paid upgrades
88.0of 100
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6
Cocos Creator
MIT-licensed engine with a wide target list, including WeChat and HarmonyOS. Editor downloads are listed for Windows and macOS only, and professional support costs extra.
Best for 2D and 3D games for WeChat and web platforms
WindowsmacOSFree and open sourceOpen source
86.5of 100
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7
Bevy
Free, MIT or Apache-2.0 licensed Rust engine with an entity component system and active development. The Rust requirement and changing APIs make it a choice for programmers only.
Best for Rust programmers building data-driven games
WindowsmacOSLinuxWebiOSAndroidFree and open sourceOpen source
85.5of 100
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8
MonoGame
Ms-PL licensed C# framework covering desktop, mobile and consoles from one codebase. Console access requires platform authorization, and it is a framework rather than an editor.
Best for C# developers targeting desktop, mobile and consoles
WindowsmacOSLinuxAndroidiOS, iPadOSFree and open sourceOpen source
84.5of 100
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9
O3DE
Apache 2.0 engine with modular Gems and documented Windows, Linux and macOS requirements. Setup needs Visual Studio and CMake, so it suits teams that can handle a heavier install.
Best for Teams wanting an Apache-licensed 3D engine
WindowsLinuxmacOSFree and open sourceOpen source
81.5of 100
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10
Phaser
MIT-licensed 2D framework for browser games, with templates for popular frameworks. It has no native console builds and needs JavaScript skills, so it suits web-first teams.
Best for Browser-based 2D games in JavaScript
WebFree and open sourceOpen source
80.5of 100
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11
LÖVE
Free zlib/libpng framework for 2D games in Lua, running on desktop and mobile. It has no visual level editor, so it suits developers who want to write everything in code.
Best for Lua developers making 2D games and game jam entries
WindowsmacOSLinuxAndroidiOSFree and open sourceOpen source
78.5of 100
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12
RPG Maker MZ
Paid tool for map-based role-playing games, with commercial publishing that needs no extra license. It is narrow outside RPGs and is sold for Windows and macOS only.
Best for Map-based role-playing games for non-programmers
WindowsmacOSPaid
74.5of 100
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At a glance

Product	Score	Price	Platforms	Scripting language	3D support	Workflow
Godot Engine	94.0	Free and open source	WindowsmacOSLinux	GDScript and C#	Yes	Editor and code
Unity	92.5	Free plan, paid upgrades	WindowsmacOSLinux	C#	Yes	Editor and code
Unreal Engine	91.5	Free plan, paid upgrades	WindowsmacOSLinux	C++ and Blueprints	Yes	Editor and code
Defold	89.5	Free	WindowsmacOSLinux	Lua	Yes	Editor and code
GameMaker	88.0	Free plan, paid upgrades	WindowsmacOS	GML	No	Editor and code
Cocos Creator	86.5	Free and open source	WindowsmacOS	TypeScript and JavaScript	Yes	Editor and code
Bevy	85.5	Free and open source	WindowsmacOSLinuxWebiOSAndroid	Rust	Yes	Code-first
MonoGame	84.5	Free and open source	WindowsmacOSLinuxAndroidiOS, iPadOS	C#	Yes	Code-first
O3DE	81.5	Free and open source	WindowsLinuxmacOS	C++ and Python	Yes	Editor and code
Phaser	80.5	Free and open source	Web	JavaScript	No	Code-first
LÖVE	78.5	Free and open source	WindowsmacOSLinuxAndroidiOS	Lua	No	Code-first
RPG Maker MZ	74.5	Paid	WindowsmacOS	JavaScript plugins	No	Map editor

How to choose game engines

Licensing and royalties: Unreal takes 5% above $1 million in revenue and Unity needs a subscription above a revenue threshold. Godot, Bevy and O3DE charge no royalties.
2D or 3D work: Godot, Unity and Unreal cover 3D well. GameMaker, Phaser and LÖVE are built mainly for 2D games.
Code or editor: Editor-based engines give scene and level tools. Bevy, MonoGame and Phaser suit developers who want to write everything in code.
Platform reach: Unity and Unreal publish to consoles on paid terms. MonoGame console access needs platform authorization, and Defold lists consoles and Steam.

What the scores weigh

Licensing and royalty terms
Platform and export reach
2D and 3D capability
Tooling and editor quality
Maintenance and community activity

Scores are editorial, from 0 to 100, and use these criteria. Full method · Disclosure

About game engines

A game engine sets how you build a game: an editor with scene and asset tools, or a code-first framework where you assemble the game from libraries. Unity and Unreal Engine are the commercial options with the widest platform reach. Godot, Defold and GameMaker cover most indie work in 2D and 3D with lower overhead.

The main design split is licensing. Unity charges through subscription tiers that depend on revenue or funding, and Unreal Engine takes a 5% royalty above $1 million in gross revenue. Godot, Bevy, MonoGame and O3DE are open source under permissive licenses with no royalties. Defold is free with source available, but it restricts selling modified editor or engine builds. RPG Maker is a paid tool.

Phaser and LÖVE are frameworks for 2D projects, and Phaser targets the browser. The scores below are editorial judgments against the criteria, not lab tests. Terms were checked on each vendor's site and repository on 2026-10-10, and they may have changed since.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best free game engine?: Godot is the strongest free option for most projects, since its MIT license charges no royalties and it has an editor for Windows, macOS and Linux. Defold is a close second for 2D work written in Lua.
Does Unity charge royalties?: Unity's pricing page describes subscription tiers based on revenue or funding and does not list a per-game royalty. Personal is free under $200,000 in the prior 12 months, and larger businesses need a Pro subscription.
Which game engines are open source?: Godot, Cocos Creator (engine code), Bevy, Phaser, LÖVE, MonoGame and O3DE publish their source under open source licenses. Defold publishes its source under a license that restricts commercial use of the engine, and Unreal source is open to licensees.
Which engine is best for 2D games?: GameMaker and Defold are built for 2D work and have editors. Phaser and LÖVE are code-first 2D frameworks for developers who want full control of the game loop.
Is Unreal Engine free to use?: Yes, below $1 million in gross product revenue, and that free license includes all platforms and source code access. Above that, a 5% royalty applies to lifetime revenue, and Epic Games Store sales are royalty-free.