A game engine is the core library functions used in a game, usually related to graphics, input, sound, networking and other systems.
Engines are separate from game-specific code, which enables different games to use the same engine. (Games of different genres even, in some cases.)
Engines have different features. When picking an engine, you have to pay attention to whether or not it satisfies the needs of your game.
Engine Overview[]
| Name | Language | Platform | License | Graphics | Sound | Networking | Scripting | Other features | Plus | Minus | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3DCakeWalk | Python | Windows/Linux | commercial | 2D/3D via DirectX and OpenGL | Template:Yes | Template:No | Template:Yes - Python scripting with 3DCW helpers | Many | |||
| A7 Game Engine | Lite-C like language/C++/Delphi | Windows | Commercial | 3D via DirectX | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:Yes - Custom C-Script scripting language | Physics | |||
| AgateLib | .NET | Windows / Mono | Free | 2D via Direct3D or OpenGL | Template:Yes | Template:No | Template:No | ||||
| AGen | C++ | Windows | Indie/Commercial | Hardware accelerated 2D via Direct3D or OpenGL | Template:Yes | Template:Yes - Lua Socket | Template:Yes - Lua | Runs entirely from Lua scripts | Scene graph. Physics. Plugin-based architecture. Automatic resource management. | In beta development stage | |
| AGL Engine | C++ | Windows | Commercial | 2D via DirectDraw, Direct3D or OpenGL | Template:Yes | Template:No | Template:No | High-level game states framework | Easy to start, several layers of abstraction, automatic resources management, custom filesystems support | ||
| Allegro | C | DOS, Unix, Windows, BeOS, QNX, MacOS | Free (Open Source) | 2D and 3D | Template:Yes | Template:No | Template:No | ||||
| Artificial Engines | .NET | Windows | Free | 3D via DirectX | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:No | ||||
| Asphyre | Delphi / Delphi .NET | Windows | Free | 2D/3D via DirectX | Template:No | Template:Yes | Template:No | GUI Editor | Versions later than v3.1 are only for BDS and Turbo Delphi | ||
| Axiom website | .NET | Windows / Linux / MacOS | LGPL | 3D via OpenGL/DirectX/XNA | Template:No | Template:No | Template:No | Based on the very popular OGRE rendering engine. | |||
| Baja Engine | C++/Lua | Windows, Mac Os X | Free | 3D via OpenGL | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:Yes - Lua | Professional Results, Includes all tools | Shaders, Shipped a Commercial game, Easy to use, Flexible | Site does not indicate source is included with the download (or for that matter, is available). Hard to use art pipeline. Small community. | |
| Blitz3D | Basic | Windows | Commercial | 2d/3D via DirectX7 | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:Yes via BlitzBasic | Big community, a lot games | Easy to start, support BSP, 3DS, better for shareware games | No OOP. Basic syntax | |
| BlitzMax | Object Basic | Windows, Linux, MacOS | Commercial | 2d via OpenGL | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:Yes via BlitzMAX Script | Has many modules (GUI, 3D, Sound, Physics, etc ). Easy to start | Fast 2D engine, better for casual games(Arcanoids, Puzzles etc.), OOP, LUA Bind | Has no 3D module | |
| Blox Game Engine | C++ | Windows | Free | 2D via Direct3D | Template:Yes | Template:No | Template:No | Color Blending, Alpha Blending, and many more. | Free. Easy to use. Fully object-oriented. Includes basic collision detection. Choose between 2 different rendering systems(Software, Hardware). | ||
| BlurredEngine | C++ | Windows | Commercial | 3D via DirectX | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:Yes via Lua | Includes level editor and 3D gui components | |||
| Brume Game Engine | .NET 2.0 (C#) | Windows (XP/Vista) | Free | 3D via DirectX 9 | Template:Yes | Template:No | Template:No | Have more modules (GUI, Sound, Physics, Collisions, Animations, Effects, Terrains, etc ). Easy to start | Easy to use, object oriented, animation system, integrated physics | ||
| C4 Engine | C++ | Windows, MacOS | Commercial | 3D | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:Yes - Visual Scripting | Shader support. Dynamic lighting. Portals. Script editor. Support for many models. More. | Active development. Good support. | ||
| Cipher Game Engine | C/C++ | Windows | Commercial | 3D | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:No | Collision Detection, AI | |||
| Name | Language | Platform | License | Graphics | Sound | Networking | Scripting | Other features | Plus | Minus | |
| ClanLib | C++ | Windows, Linux, MacOSX | Free (Open Source) | Accelerated 2D, OpenGL | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:No | Open Source. Lightweight networking. | Object-Oriented, simple, clean, easy to use, mature. | There seems to be a slight lack of documentation (and most of it is somewhat out-of-date). Also, there are no scripting facilities. | |
| Clockwork | None needed | Windows 2000-Vista | Indie/Commercial | 3D via OGRE (OpenGL render system) | Template:Yes via OpenAL | Template:No | Template:Yes via Lua | Will include physics engine, GLSL shaders (and editor), OGRE material editor. | Self-contained system (one multi-purpose application for nearly all tasks). Only requires 3rd party applications for game resource creation (levels, models, audio, etc). Uses OpenGL 2.x.x, and GLSL for shaders. Will have physics engine, using PhysX. Editor written in C#(.NET 2), engine written in C++. | In beta. | |
| CRM32Pro | C++ | Windows, Linux | Closed Source; LGPL announced on site | 2D via SDL/glSDL and optimized MMX blitters | Template:Yes - API built on top of SDL_mixer | Template:Yes - API built on top of SDL_Net | Template:No | XML parser, Log, propietary file system to package your resources with full protection and useful EditorDPF to manage them, graphics primitives, cursors, tiles, sprites, fonts, several FX effects, GUI system, accurate timer, MPEG-I video, full support of OGG,modules,WAV and VOC, useful network API and more... | Full documentation (English and Spanish). Cross-platform. Heavily optimized for each current CPU (MMX and SSE). Available as a DLL or static library (only Win32). EditorDPF, a resources manager. SetupProyect, a customizable config system. Free. | ||
| Crystal Space | C/C++ | Linux, Windows, MacOS X | Free (LGPL) | 3D via OpenGL | Template:Yes | Template:No | Template:Yes - Python, Perl or Java | ||||
| DaBooda Turbo Engine | VB/FreeBASIC | Windows | Free (Open Source) | 2D+ via DirectX8 | Template:Yes | Template:No - Pending | Template:Yes - DBFE/Freebasic | Hardware accelerated 2D Engine, now with poor man's 3d ;) (See Vertex class) | CHM help file included along with multiple tutorials. DBT tuts in VB. DBFE tuts in FB. | ||
| Daimonin | C (server), C++ (client), java (editor) | Linux, Windows, MacOSX | GPL | 2d/3d via SDL and OGRE3D | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:Yes - Lua | Complete MMORPG engine | |||
| Delta3D | C++ | Linux, Windows, MacOSX | Free(LGPL) | 3D via OpenSceneGraph (OpenGL) | Template:Yes | Template:Yes - Client/Server and HLA | Template:Yes - Python | ODE Physics, STAGE Game Editor, Much More | A well-supported open source project. Built upon other open source projects (OSG, ODE, OpenAL, etc.). Great for games, simulations, or other graphical applications. Supports massive terrains. Used by many large scale companies (e.g., Boeing, Lockheed Martin, etc.), educational institutions, and small developers. | ||
| Name | Language | Platform | License | Graphics | Sound | Networking | Scripting | Other features | Plus | Minus | |
| DarkbasicPro | Basic | Windows | Shareware | 2D/3D via DirectX9 | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:Yes - Darkbasic | Big community, a lot games | Easy to start. Support for BSP and 3DS. | No OOP. Basic syntax. | |
| DizzyAGE | C++ | Windows | Free | 2D via DirectX | Template:Yes | Template:No | Template:Yes - GS9 scripting language | Tool used to create Dizzy games, in the classic adventure style | |||
| DXGame Engine | VB6 | Windows | Free | 2D+ via Direct3D | Template:Yes | Template:No | Template:No | Automated Sprites. 2D Tile Map (Unlimited Layers). Collision Checking. Basic Particle Engine. High Level. | |||
| Doom Rendering Engine | Proprietary | DOS/Windows | GNU (Open Source) | 2.5D | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:No | Easy handeling (Great for beginners), Easy map making, Fast and powerful results. | Exestensive communities allow for questions to be answered. Other derived software allow the use of these wads | Not really a 3D engine, inability to look up or down, 2D sprites. And numerous others | |
| dx_lib32 2.2 | Visual Basic 6.0 (Visual Basic .NET compatible) | Windows | Free | 2D hardware via DirectGraphics (Direct3D8) | Template:Yes - DirectSound8 for sound effects & DirectShow8 for music & video playback. | Template:No | Template:No - But you can quick implement script support (vbScript sintax) in your Visual Basic 6.0 games with Microsoft Script Control, avaible with documentation (ES) in download section of project web site. | Multiple graphics effects (filters, alpha modes, isometric & caballera perspectives functions, sprite vertex ligthing). Basic primitives shapes. Low level functions for surface bitmap edition. Basic sound FX (very easy to apply effects in your sounds!). Movie playback. Easy input handling. Support for PAK file format. Safe & easy multithreading (execute code in separate thread with system event Timers). Math functions. Basic collision functions. More details & more features in web site (ES). | Single light DLL (VB6 Runtime and DirectX8 API only dependency). Low/medium hardware requierements. Simple interface. Easy to start. Several layers of abstraction. Automatic resources management. Support for audio & video codecs like OGG Vorbis (avaible in download section of project web site) & DivX video codecs (any Windows Media & DirectShow codec). Full documentation with tutorials. Compatible with Windows Vista. | No full OOP interface. ActiveX DLL (like OCX component). All documentation, forum and web site are in Spanish. | |
| DX Studio | .NET | Windows | Commercial | 3D via DirectX9 | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:Yes - JavaScript | Ageia PhysX, HLSL Shaders, GUI Editor. | Object-Oriented, Active Development, High-Level Scripting. | ||
| E76 Sim Engine | 100% lua scriptdriven | Windows | Standard/Indie license | 2D/3D via OpenGL/DirectX | Template:Yes - OpenAL and software | Template:Yes - UDP and TCP | Template:Yes | Newtonian physics. 3D sound. Cryptography. World management. GUI controls and skins. Event management. Key-mapping. Dynamic lighting. 3D animation. World editor. Multi-language/Unicode support. | 100% scriptable (no compiling required). Completely extensible and flexible. | ||
| EasyWay Game Engine | Java | Windows, Linux, Mac OS | opensource LGPL | 2D/3D via OpenGL | Template:Yes - OpenAL | Template:No | Template:No | Easily to expand. Perfect pixel collision. Pathfinding. | Easy to learn. Rapid development. | Incomplete documentation | |
| Name | Language | Platform | License | Graphics | Sound | Networking | Scripting | Other features | Plus | Minus | |
| Epee Engine | C++ | Windows,Linux,Mac,homebrew console planned | zlib/libpng | 2D SDL but 3D planned using OpenGL | Template:Yes | Template:No | Template:No | See web site | Very easy to use and fast rendering | Engine is still in the early stages | |
| Entanglar | Any .Net (VB/C#/C++) | Windows,Mono | Unannounced | Template:No | Template:No | Template:Yes - Complete transparent entity sync (properties & methods). | Template:No | 2D Physics. Stable fixed timeslice timer. Entity management. | Completely transparent, decoration of properties/methods with attributes makes them automatically synchronised. Remote simulation error prediction. Flexibility to choose any graphics/sound/scripting. | Alpha build only. No 3D physics yet. Light documentation. | |
| Entropia Engine | VB6/C | Windows, and works perfectly with Wine on Linux (tested version 0.9.44) | LGPL | 2D using DirectX 8.1 | Template:Yes (Via DirectSound or FMod, or DirectShow for music/video) | Template:No | Template:No | See Web Site (or the SDK) | Lots of utilities for a rapid game development. Particle engine. Sprite engine. Map engine. Dynamic lights engine. Tiler. Console. PAK file format. | Web site in Spanish while Engine mostly English | |
| ephLib | C++/Io | OS X (Others in progress) | GPL/Other | 2D/3D via OpenGL | Template:No | Template:No | Template:Yes - IoLanguage | Constrained particle and rigid body physics. Scalable polygonal and continuous collision detection. | Easily modifiable. Suitable for prototypical development. | Under development. | |
| Esenthel Engine | C++ | Windows, Mac OS X, iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch | Free/Commercial | DirectX 9,10,11, OpenGL, OpenGL ES | Template:Yes | Template:Yes MMO | Template:Yes C++ | Many | Cross Platform. Next-Gen Graphics. MMO Capable. Physics. Rich Toolset. Lot of Tutorials. Stable. | ||
| Ethanon Engine | C++ (AngelScript) | Windows | LGPL | Accelerated 2D with pixel shaders | Template:Yes | Template:No | Template:Yes - AngelScript | Dynamic light, shadow and particle effects, with a visual interface. | Easy and full documented scripting system. | Cross-plataform version not finished yet. | |
| Fenix Project (beta) | language hibrid between Pascal and C | Windows, Linux, Mac OS, Solaris, BeOs, DreamCast, GP32X | Open Source | 2D via SDL | Template:Yes - MikMod | Template:Yes - SDL_Net | Template:No | Perfect Pixel collision, path finding routine, music modules and Ogg Vorbis Support, cross plataform, very similitudes with Div Game Studio: compatibility with more of file formats (FPG, MAP, PAL, etc...) and a few compatibility with the syntax and other functions of the Div language | Very easy syntax, documentation and web site in english and spanish, a complete game of functions, easy for newbies, the evolution of Div Game Studio! | No official IDE (alternatives exist). 2D via software. No OPP language. Buggy. | |
| FIFE | C++, Python | Win32, Linux, MacOS X, BSD | Free (LGPL 2.1) | 2D software renderer via SDL, hw-accelerated mode via OpenGL | Template:Yes (OpenAL audio backend) | Template:No (Currently in the planning phase) | Template:Yes: Python support out of the box, Lua and a couple of other languages supported via SWIG. | Planned support for complex rulesets | One of the few open source 2D isometric game engines available | Work in progress, not fully usable yet | |
| FlatRedBall 2.5D | .NET | Windows | Free | 3D via DirectX | Template:Yes | Template:No | Template:No | Template, Collision Detection, Physics, Skeletons | |||
| G3D | C++ | Linux, Windows, MacOS X | Free (BSD) | 3D via OpenGL | Template:No | Template:No | Template:No | ||||
| G3DRuby | Ruby | Windows, Linux | Free | 3D via OpenGL | Template:No | Template:No | Template:No | ||||
| GameBrix | None needed | Web-Based | Free | 2D | Template:Yes | Template:Yes, some | Template:Yes, script editor for ActionScript 2.0 | No programming required for making quick 2D web-based Games and Animations | |||
| Game Maker | Delphi | Windows | Free and Commercial | 2D/3D | Template:Yes | Template:Yes (limited) | Template:Yes - GML | Terrific for making quick 2d tile-based games with easy scripting interface. Slow 3D support (via DirectX). | Code is interpreted not compiled, leading to slow games with large filesizes. Slow 3D support is slooooow. | ||
| GameStart | C++ | Windows, Nintendo Wii, Mac (alpha stage), Linux (planned) | Commercial, Free trial. | 2D/3D | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:Yes - using Squirrel | Platform agnostic, Deferred Rendering, Physics, Terrain engine, Abstract shader tree, SVN/CVS compliant. | Comprehensive and fully visual IDE, tailored for developers, designers and artists. Production proofed workflow. | ||
| Genesis3D | C++ | Windows | Free/Commercial | 3D via DirectX | |||||||
| Name | Language | Platform | License | Graphics | Sound | Networking | Scripting | Other features | Plus | Minus | |
| GhostEngine | C++ | Windows (Mac and Linux support is on the works) | Engine code is Zlib/libPNG-licensed | 3D via OpenGL/DirectX, with DirectX support in the works | Template:No | Template:Yes, UDP | Template:No | Still under heavy development. Not ready for use yet. | |||
| Goblin 2D+ | C/C++ | Windows | Freeware, Shareware and Commercial | Mainly 2D via D3D but has support for .X and .MD2 3D models | Template:Yes - Own | Template:No | Template:No | Small footprint. Able to make standalone executables (no DLL). | Active development - stable | ||
| Golden T Game Engine | Java | Windows, Linux, MacOS X | Free | 2D via OpenGL | Template:Yes | Template:No | Template:No | ||||
| Gosu | C++, Ruby | Windows, Mac, Linux | Free | 2D via OpenGL/DirectX | Template:Yes | Template:No | Template:Yes | ||||
| HGE (Haaf's Game Engine) HGE at SourceForge HGE | C++ | Windows | Open Source (Zlib/libpng license) | 2D via DirectX | Template:Yes via BASS | Template:No | Template:No | Authoring tools, lightweight | Easy to start, good engine structure | ||
| Horde3D | C++, C DLL interface | Windows, Linux, Mac OSX | Free (LGPL) | 3D via OpenGL | Template:No | Template:No | Template:Yes - Lua, Python | Shader based design, skeletal animation, animation blending, morph targets, post processing effects like HDR or DOF, COLLADA support | Lightweight next-generation engine with clean design | ||
| Irmo | C | Linux | Free | Template:No | Template:Yes | Template:Yes - Ruby | |||||
| Irrlicht | C++/.NET | Windows, Linux, Mac OSX | Free (zlib/pnglib) | 3D via DirectX(8,9), OpenGL or various software renderers | Template:No | Template:No | Template:Yes - Lua script | Collision Detection, HDR, PARALLAX | Big Community. Good documentation. | Active development. Stable. | |
| ika | C++ | Windows, Linux | Free (GPL) | 2D via OpenGL | Template:Yes | Template:No | Template:Yes - Python | Very low overhead | |||
| Name | Language | Platform | License | Graphics | Sound | Networking | Scripting | Other features | Plus | Minus | |
| Jad Engine | C# | Windows | LGPL | 3D via Managed DirectX | Template:Yes - MDSound and Vorbis.NET | Template:No | Template:No | Focused to graphics cards that support shaders 2.0 or better. Uses Newton Physics Engine for movement and collision. HDR. FirstPerson and SelfDriven (exported from 3D Studio Max) camera support. Skeletal animation using channels. Integrated postproduction system. AI Engine. Genetic Programming Framework. | Very more easy. Intuitive interface. | No full documentation | |
| Jamagic 1.2 | Jamascript | Windows | Commercial (withdrawn from sale) | 3D | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Inbuilt editors | Easy to learn. Can build online games like flash. | No longer supported | |
| JEngine SSE | C++ | Windows, Linux{Yes} | Free (GPL) | 2D via OpenGL | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:Yes - Lua | Collision detection. Cg and GLS effects. GUI. Full 2D open source framework with editor. | |||
| Jet3D | C/C++ | Windows | Free | 3D via DirectX | Template:Yes | ||||||
| jMonkey Engine | Java | Windows, Linux, MacOS X | Free (BSD) | 3D via LWJGL | Template:Yes - OpenAL Sound | Template:Yes - JGN and jme-networking | Template:Yes - jMonkey Scripting Framework | A Java scene graph based 3D game engine. See the latest release notes | |||
| Joge | Java | Windows, Linux, MacOS X | Free (Creative Commons License) | 2D via LWJGL | Template:Yes | Template:No | Template:No | ||||
| JOGRE Engine | Java | Windows, Linux, MacOS X | Free (BSD) | 2D | Template:No | Template:No | |||||
| Lavgine | Engine in C++, Games in Lua | Windows, Linux(Wine) | Free (non-commercial), Commercial (15% from profits), Closed Source | Hardware accelerated 2D | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:Yes: Lua |
LiveData Manager to swap data on change, Physics with materials base on Box2D (300+ objects with FPS 120+), Animations for each object on scene, Scene managment, 3D Sound based on XACT (Content-driven API), Game Programming in LuaScript (optional: encrypted scripts), Auto memory managment, Achievement System, Built-in GUI, Dynamic Languauge, Particle system, In-game console, Netowrking (TCP/IP, timeouts, clock synchronization, handshaking, encrypted packets, automiatc packets splitting), 2D physics via network (in development), Up to 64 clients via network (special version of LavgineServer in development), IniFile manipulation module, XML XPath reading module, Unicode support for bitmap fonts, Support for mods (each mod is placed in diffrent folder), Profile system for saving all important in-game variables Many config files to define gameplay. |
Still evolving. Last update: 2010-12, developed by ONE person (consequence, integrity, the same API and quality of code :P) | Alpha phase (2010-12), lack of tools (in plans), developed by ONE person | |
| Lightfeather 3d engine | C++ | Windows, Linux, MacOS X | Free (zlib/libpng) | 3D via OpenGL | Template:No | Template:Yes | Template:No | GLSL and Cg shaders. HDR. MRT. Portals. Occlusion culling. PVS. Skeletal and morphing animation. Exporter for Blender to LFM format. Post-processing framework. Paging terrain with splatting. Built-in GUI. Many editors. More.. | |||
| LÖVE | Lua | Windows / Linux | zlib/libpng | 2D via OpenGL | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Physics | |||
| Multimedia Fusion 2 | Custom - none scripting | Windows | Commercial | 2D | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Lua | ActiveX, Dll, many plug-ins, movement extensions | Easy to Learn, a favourite with younger developers, online games like flash | ||
| neabEngine | PHP | Windows, Linux | Free / Commercial | 2D (AJAX) | Template:No | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Comes with the full source code, allows to add/edit modules. | |||
| NeL (alt: OpenNel) | C/C++ | Windows, Linux | Free/Commercial | 3D via DirectX or OpenGL | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | CEGUI Integration | ||||
| NemoX 3D Engine | VB/Delphi/.NET | Windows | Free | 3D via DirectX | DirectX | Template:Yes | |||||
| NeoAxis Engine | API: C#/.NET, Internally: C++ | Windows/Other | Free/Commercial | 3D (OGRE DirectX/OpenGL) | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Game Demo, GUI Editor, Map Editor, Resource Editor (Mesh, Particles, etc...), ODE and PhysX by AGEA Support, and Documentation | You can purchase the source code of the engine. | The Engine's Source Code for the whole engine is $9,999. | |
| NeoEngine | C++ | Windows, Linux | Free (MPL) | 3D via DirectX or OpenGL | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Lua | ||||
| NetGore | C# | Windows | Free (Open Source) | 2D | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Open source, multiplayer (MMORPG) support, very active development | |||
| Novashell Game Creation | C++ | Windows, GNU/Linux, MacOS X | zlib/libpng | ClanLib (OpenGL) | Template:Yes - ClanLib | Template:Yes - ClanLib | Template:Yes - Lua | Fast game creation with Lua | Sector based partitioning. Easy editing files. Level editor. Physics engine. | Beta, some features not tested, official development frozen. | |
| OGE - Open Game Engine | C++ | Windows (mingw, VC), Linux (gcc) | Free (LGPL) / Commercial | 3D (OGRE hence DX + OpenGL) | OpenAL | RakNet | Squirrel | GUI (CEGUI). Physics (ODE). Unicode. OGEd - Game Editor | Multithreading. Clean OO. | Early stage of development. | |
| OGRE | C++ | Windows, Linux, MacOS X | Free (LGPL) / Commercial | 3D via DirectX or OpenGL | Template:No | Template:No | Template:No | Supports all high-end 3D technologies. Plug-in structure. | Large Community. Good documentation. Used in severals large games and simulations. Open Source. | ||
| ORE | VB6 | Windows | Free | 2d via DirectX7 / DirectX8 | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | ||||
| Name | Language | Platform | License | Graphics | Sound | Networking | Scripting | Other features | Plus | Minus | |
| ORX meta-engine | C/C++ | Windows / Linux / MacOS X / portable via plugins(DS, PSP, ...) | Free (LGPL) | 2D (plugins based on SDL, SFML) | Template:Yes - Plugins based on FMod & SFML | Template:No | Template:No | Platform-independent design. Animation graph. Resource management. Physics. | Easily portable on new platforms. Plug-in architecture. Object oriented. Customizable. | Small dev team. No editor. Scripting support in progress. No external Term Papers or essays term papers support | |
| Ovorp Engine | .NET | Windows | Free | 2D via DirectX | Template:Yes | ||||||
| PAB game engine | VB | Windows | |||||||||
| Panda3D | C++, Python | Windows, Linux, MacOSX | Free | 3D | Template:Yes (FMod, OpenAL or Miles) | Template:Yes | Python, C++ | Free models. Documentation. Simple installation. | Easy to learn. Stable. Used in Disney's ToonTown. | ||
| Photon | C++ | Linux, Windows | zlib | 2D via OpenGL | Template:Yes, OpenAL | Template:No | Template:No | Resource management | Good documentation | Early in development. Uncertain future. | |
| PlayerRealms | Visual Basic 6 | Windows | Free | 2D via DirectX 7 | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:No | In-game editors | Works on Windows 2000/XP/Vista | No scripting capabilities | |
| Playground SDK | C++, Lua | Windows, Mac | Free | 2d/3d via DirectX/OpenGL on Windows/Mac | Template:Yes | Template:No | Template:Yes, Lua integration | Animation editor; dialog editor; particle editor; ultra-flexible particle system; 2d sprite system; dynamic texture atlas support; flat file support; background file reading support; small footprint. | Used by PlayFirst and many other developers to write over 100 published causal games. Best-in-class i18n. Excellent documentation and support in the forums. | No game editor (yet; one is planned). | |
| PLib | C++ | Linux, UNIX, Windows, MacOSX, MacOS9 | Free (LGPL) | 2D and 3D via OpenGL | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Used in numerous projects. Up-to-date documentation. | A bit hard to use. PW seems a bit immature, and the alternative is to use the lower-level GLUT. | ||
| Popcap Framework | C++ | Windows | Free | 2D | Template:Yes | Template:No | Template:No | Super Game Engine for developing super games like as Zuma | have great game ZUMA | ||
| PowerRender | C++ | Windows, XBox | Commercial | 3D via DirectX | Template:Yes | Template:No | Template:Yes - Custom C++ scripting language | Physics. Collision Detection. HDR. | Easy to learn. Flexible engine. | Poor shadow support. | |
| PTK Engine | C++ | Windows, Mac | Free and Commercial | 2D | Template:Yes | Template:No | Template:No | Font, TTF, Spline, Tar files | Lightweight | ||
| PPTactical Engine For RTS games | C++ | Windows, Linux | Free (LGPL) | 2D | |||||||
| PureBasic | Basic | Mac OS X, Linux, Windows | Commercial | ||||||||
| PySoy | Python | Linux, Mac OS X, Windows | Free (GPLv3) | 3D via OpenGL | Template:Yes, with OpenAL and Ogg | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Integrated Physics | Template:No proprietary dependencies | Still in Beta (lacks features) | |
| Quake Engine | C | DOS, Windows, Linux, Mac OS X | GPL, Commercial | Software, OpenGL | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | QuakeC | ||||
| Quake II Engine | C | Windows, Linux, Mac OS X | GPL, Commercial | OpenGL | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | |||||
| Quake III Arena Engine | C | Windows, Linux, Mac OS | GPL, Commercial | OpenGL | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | |||||
| Name | Language | Platform | License | Graphics | Sound | Networking | Scripting | Other features | Plus | Minus | |
| Raydium 3D | C | Windows, Linux | Free (GPL) | 3D via OpenGL | Template:Yes via OpenAL | Template:Yes | embedded PHP, Python bindings | Physics via ODE | |||
| Ray Game Designer 2 | None needed | Windows | Free | 3D via OpenGL or Direct3D | Template:Yes | Template:No | Template:Yes | Collision Detection. Translucency. Lighting. | Requires no programming. Very easy to use. Includes most needed tools. | Very limited gameplay options. Outdated graphics engine. Very small community. | |
| The RealFeel Engine | VB6 | Windows XP/Vista | Free (Closed Source) | 2D | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:No | Designed for MMORPGs. | |||
| Reality Factory | None needed | Windows | 3D via Genesis3D (DirectX) | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | |||||
| RealmForge | .NET | 3D via Axiom (OpenGL) | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | ||||||
| Realmcore and Shardcore | .NET / C# | .NET / CLI | Closed source. | 2D and 3D via DirectX or OpenGL | Template:Yes via DirectX or OpenAL | Template:Yes - Complete server framework via Shardcore. Peer-to-peer and client-to-server within Realmcore. | Template:Yes via Lua | Genre-agnostic. Fully extensible and modular game engine. API-agnostic implementations. Allows custom renderers. | Incomplete - still in production. | ||
| RetinaX | Completelty .NET 2.0 (C#). No wrapped C++ Libraries. | Free (BSD) | 3D via Managed DirectX | Template:Yes | Template:No | Template:No | User Interface | Easy to use. Well structured framework. | |||
| Revolution3D | VB/C++/.NET | Windows | Free | 3D via DirectX | Template:Yes | Template:No | Template:No | ||||
| RPG Maker 2003 | C/Delphi | Windows | Shareware | 2D | Template:Yes via DirectX | Template:Yes | Ruby | Level Editor | Easy to use | ||
| RPG Maker XP | C/Delphi | Windows | Shareware | 2D | Template:Yes via DirectX | Template:Yes | Ruby | Level Editor | Easy to use | ||
| PTK Engine | C++ | Windows, Mac | Free and Commercial | 2D | Template:Yes | Template:No | Template:No | Font. TTF. Spline. Tar files | Lightweight | ||
| Saq2D | C# | Windows | Free | 2D engine via XNA | Soon | Maybe | Template:No | ||||
| SLUDGE | C++ | Windows, Mac OS X, Linux | Free (LGPL) | 2D via OpenGL | Template:Yes via OpenAL | Template:No | Template:Yes, own scripting language | Engine for graphic adventures | Easy to use | ||
| Sprite Craft | VB/C++/Delphi | Windows | Free | 2D | VBScript/JavaScript | ||||||
| Name | Language | Platform | License | Graphics | Sound | Networking | Scripting | Other features | Plus | Minus | |
| Source Engine | C++ | Windows, Linux (server-side) | Commercial | Direct3D | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:No | Havok Physics, Valve Faceposer Technology, VGUI, HDR | |||
| The Nebula Device 2 | C++ | Windows | Free | 3D via DirectX | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | ||||
| Thousand Parsec Framework | Python, C++, others | Windows, Linux, MacOS X | Free (GPL) | 2D/3D | Template:No | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Framework for online turn based space strategy games | |||
| TNT Basic | Basic | MacOSX | Free (GPL) | 2D | Template:Yes | Template:No | Template:No | ||||
| Torque | C++ | Windows, Linux, MacOS X | Commercial | 3D via OpenGL | Template:Yes - OpenAL | Template:Yes | Template:Yes - Custom Torque Script | Mission Editor. Terrain Editor. WYSIWYG GUI editor. Particle engine. Theora video. Multiple language support. | Open source. Large community. Many 3D modeling exporters. | ||
| Torque2D | C++ | Windows, Linux, MacOS X | Commercial | 2D | Template:Yes - OpenAL | Template:Yes | Template:Yes - Custom Torque Script | ||||
| Truevision3D | VB/Delphi/C++/.NET | Windows | Free for learning/Commercial | 3D via DirectX | DirectX | Template:Yes | Template:Yes - VBscript, Python, Java Script | Physics. Plugins for popular modeling packages. Active user base. Normal Mapping. Relief Mapping. Complex shaders. | |||
| UnrealEngine2 / 2X / 3 | C++ | Windows, Linux, MacOS X, PS2, Xbox, PS3, XBOX 360 | Commercial | 3D | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:Yes via UnrealScript | Physics. HDR (UE3). | Expensive. | ||
| UnrealEngine2 Runtime | C++ | Windows, Linux, MacOS X, PS2, Xbox, PS3, XBOX 360 | Non-Commercial / Educational | 3D | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:Yes via UnrealScript | Expensive. | |||
| Unigine | C++ | Windows, Linux | Commercial | 3D | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:Yes - UnigineScript | Physics. HDR. PRT. Pixel and vetex shaders (3.0). Soft shadows. | Tools. GUI. | High cost. | |
| Unity | C++ | Mac (development), Windows, web, Nintendo Wii | Commercial | 3D via DirectX or OpenGL | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:Yes - .NET based JavaScript, C#, Boo, or C++ DLLs | Ageia PhysX. Terrain engine. Extensible shaders. JIT compiled scripts. Soft shadows. Collaboration tools. Realtime networking. | Many tools. Complete documentation. | Source code is a separate license | |
| XtremeWorlds | VB6 | Windows | Free (Closed Source) | 2D | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:No | Designed towards ORPG and MMORPG design | |||
| vbGORE | VB6 | Windows | Free (Open Source) | 2D via 3D | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:No | Designed towards ORPG and MMORPG design | |||
| Name | Language | Platform | License | Graphics | Sound | Networking | Scripting | Other features | Plus | Minus | |
| Visual3D.NET | .NET 2.0 (C#) | Windows, Xbox 360 | Commercial, Free Student Commercial & Non-commercial | 3D via DirectX or XNA | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:Yes - .NET languages, IronPython | Visual development and prototyping. Ragdoll Physics. Normal-mapping. Shaders (3.0). HDR. Integrated runtime design toolset. Skinnable GUI. | |||
| Wild Pockets | C++ | Windows | Free | 3D via OpenGL | Template:Yes | Template:No | Lua | Integrated Physics Art import from 3DS Max and Maya Global art/script library Transaction system to sell games Shader support |
Free Web based, send games with url link. |
||
| YAKE Engine | C++ | Windows, Linux | Free | 3D via OGRE (OpenGL), Direct3D9 | Template:Yes - OpenAL | Template:Yes | Template:Yes - Lua | GUI via CEGUI, physics via ODE | |||
| Yage | D | Windows, Linux | Free (LGPL) | 3D via OpenGL | Template:Yes - OpenAL | Template:No | Template:No | ||||
| Zak Engine | C++ | Windows | Free | 2D via DirectX 8.1 and 9.0 | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:Yes - AngelScript | Tiles Maps (AnaConda Map Editor). Sprites. Particle system. Bitmap fonts. | Stable. Easy to use. Fast games development. | ||
| ZFX Community Engine | C++ | Windows, Linux, BSD | Free (LGPL) | 3D via DirectX and OpenGL | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:Yes - Lua | ||||
| Edge2d Engine | C++ | Windows, Linux | Open Source | Library independent (both DirectX and OpenGL) | Template:Yes | Template:No | Template:No | Object-oriented. Plug-in based. | |||
| Phoenix Engine | C# | Windows, Mono | Beta | SDL.NET | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:No | IronPython | Map Editor, Sprite, Plugin system, e.t.c | ||
| Vision Engine | C++ | Windows, XBox360, PS3, Wii | Commercial | 3D | Template:Yes - FmodEx and OpenAL | Template:No - A Quazal Net-Z binding Sample is in the SDK | Template:Yes - Lua | Many | WYSIWYG Editor, Plugin System | ||
| Vista Engine | C++ | Windows | Open Source (GPLv3) | 3D via DirectX | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:Yes - Trigger Editor | Map Editor, User Interface Editor, Effect Editor, Trigger Editor, View 3dx | Open source. Easy RTS/RPG games development. World terraforming. | ||
| Indiana Adventure Game Engine | D | Windows, Linux, (Mac should work too but not tested), based on SDL | GPLv3 | 2D via SDL | Template:Yes - via SDL | Template:No | Template:No (as long as nobody requests it) | Scene editor, highly extensible (you can tweak the engine itself if needed) | Open, Portable, full programming power in "scripting" (I found no engine that features all these 3) | Very young, no large community yet | |
| SoftPixel Engine | C++ and wrapper for PureBaisc, BlitzBasic, Pascal | Windows, Linux | Free (zlib/libpng) | 2D & 3D via OpenGL 1.1 - 4.1/ Direct3D11/ Direct3D9/ SoftwareRenderer | Template:Yes - via winmm | Template:Yes - via UDP/IP | Template:Yes - Own script tool | Collision Detection, Shader (GLSL/ HLSL/ ShaderModel 1.0 - 5.0), Hardware Tessellation, very simple | Very easy like BASIC languages but powerfull like C++ & OpenGL | Small community | |
| PVLE game engine | C++ | Windows, Linux, MacOS (and more?) | GPL / Proprietary (Commercial) | 2D/3D via OpenSceneGraph (OpenGL) | Template:No - In dev via OpenAL | Template:No - In dev via TNL | Template:No | Physics via ODE, object oriented | Small and easy game engine. Uses the most existing code possible. | Very young and still alpha |
External Links[]
- 3D Engines List
- DevMaster.Net 3D Engine Database
- Jeux Infinis Engine Database (french)
- ListSergeant - User rated list of game engines
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