GameMaker
2D game engine with a free tier and paid tiers for commercial release
- #5 of 12 in best game engines
- Free plan, paid upgrades
- Free to use
- WindowsmacOS
Ranked 5 of 12 in best game engines
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
About GameMaker
GameMaker is an engine for 2D games, with tutorials and a showcase for new developers as well as working studios. The editor is available for Windows and macOS, and the Enterprise tier exports one code base to any supported platform.
The free tier is completely free and needs no credit card. It includes free tutorials and asset bundles, and games can be uploaded to GX.games. Commercial release requires the paid Professional tier, which the site describes as the tier for releasing games commercially. Enterprise adds major console platforms, and the vendor also offers education licenses. The vendor positions GameMaker around 2D games.
Key features
- 2D game engine
- Free tier with tutorials
- Asset bundles
- Console export on Enterprise
- Education licenses
Strengths
- Free tier with no credit card needed
- Tutorials and asset bundles for beginners
- Single code base export on the Enterprise tier
Limits
- Commercial release needs a paid tier
- Editor runs on Windows and macOS only
Where GameMaker ranks
How GameMaker compares
| Product | Score | Price | Platforms | Scripting language | 3D support | Workflow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
#3 Unreal Engine | 91.5 | Free plan, paid upgrades | WindowsmacOSLinux | C++ and Blueprints | Yes | Editor and code |
| #4Defold | 89.5 | Free | WindowsmacOSLinux | Lua | Yes | Editor and code |
| #5GameMaker | 88.0 | Free plan, paid upgrades | WindowsmacOS | GML | No | Editor and code |
#6 Cocos Creator | 86.5 | Free and open source | WindowsmacOS | TypeScript and JavaScript | Yes | Editor and code |
#7 Bevy | 85.5 | Free and open source | WindowsmacOSLinuxWebiOSAndroid | Rust | Yes | Code-first |
The full comparison table for best game engines has all 12 products.
Related rankings
Questions about GameMaker
- Is GameMaker free?
- GameMaker can be used without paying: Free tier to make games; paid Professional for commercial release, Enterprise for consoles. Check the vendor’s pricing page for current limits.
- Is GameMaker open source?
- No. GameMaker is proprietary software; its source code is not public.
- Which platforms does GameMaker support?
- GameMaker is available on: Windows, macOS.
- What is GameMaker best for?
- Beginners making 2D games with a free tier. In our ranking of game engines it is number 5 of 12 with a score of 88.0.
- What are the best alternatives to GameMaker?
- The highest-ranked alternatives on listme.name are Godot Engine, Unity, Unreal Engine, Defold.
Show this ranking on your site
If you make or maintain GameMaker, this badge links back to this page and shows its current rank. It updates when the ranking does.
<a href="https://listme.name/software/gamemaker"><img src="https://listme.name/badge/gamemaker.svg" height="28" alt="Ranked #5 of 12 game engines on listme.name"></a>