Summary
Video game engines are an essential building block to create open-world RPGs, MMOs, FPSs, and more. Every video game runs on some kind of game engine. Game engines are capable of outstanding worlds as we have seen in recent years. Engines are whatgive fans gorgeous graphics, stellar gameplay mechanics, and unique characters.
Unfortunately, not every game engine is created equally. Some game engines are created in-house while other developers purchase commercial licenses to use an engine. However, for this ranking, only the cream of the crop will be considered. Thebest game engineshere are ranked by their potential, their portfolio, and the graphics of the games they have created. Of course, players can have their own opinions in this department, but it’s important to see how these engines stack up against each other from an objective standpoint regardless.
Updated on Jul 31, 2025, by Mehrdad Khayyat:Some believe game development has become easier in recent years, while some others think the exact opposite. Aside from the fact that it is indeed a hot debate, everyone can agree that the rise of code-free engines has made it easier to create entry-level, indie games.
But on the other hand, creating games that could live up to the community potential with today’s standard has been challenging for the bigger studios with massive budgets. So, the technological advancements with new engines are actually required to make things possible.
24Adventure Game Studio
Release: 1997
There was a time when freeware games made using Adventure Game Studio were all the rage. These titles continued the tradition of point-and-click adventure gaming, which had become a thing of the past for many. Many excellent story-driven titles were created using this engine, with notable video game personality Ben “Yahtzee” Crowshaw being one of the many aspiring developers who tried their hands with this malleable engine.
While some people may argue that this engine has lost its relevance in modern times, there are still some passionate devs who try to channel the good ol' days of point-and-click gaming. Notable mentions includeKathy Rain,Gemini Rue, andUnavowed, three games that show that this engine still has a lot of legs to stand upon in the hands of a talented developer.
23Ren’Py
Release: 2004
Players who love visual novels are more than familiar with Ren’Py, an engine made with Python that lets players develop unique visual novels that feature heavy stories, great artwork, and relaxing gameplay as players go through these titles at their own pace and experience what the many games featuring this engine have to offer.
Of course, not all titles made using this engine are run-of-the-mill visual novels with linear stories and the like. Some games try to experiment the best they can given the limitations of this engine, with games likeDoki Doki Literature Clubshowing how games can subvert expectations and take players on a wild ride for the ages that horrifies them to their very core.
22GDevelop
Release: 2008
GDevelop is an open-source game engine that tries to ease the process of game development, especially for rookie developers with no knowledge of scripting. So, it’s quite useful to get started in the game development profession.
The game engine actually comes with simplified scripting tools that make it possible for creative people to make 2D games without deep knowledge of coding. That being said, the engine cannot make high-level games with super-smart AI or complex gameplay mechanics.
21Defold
The biggest advantage of Defold over most other game engines is that it uses Lua as its primary scripting language, which is way easier to learn compared to something like C++. Defold can be used for both 2D and 3D games, but the engine is mostly known for its fluency in 2D game development, with a detailed tilemap editor.
It’s a source-available project that lets the community maintain the platform. With Defold, users can create games for PC, web, mobile, and consoles. The engine has been receiving updates constantly since its release. Some of the well-known games developed by Defold includeFamily Island,Void Scrappers, andPlague Lords.
20Roblox
Release: 2006
Roblox is not just a place to play a wide variety of games, but it also gives the community all the tools they need to create new games as well. The Roblox engine is a pile of easy-to-learn systems that allows creative minds to execute their brilliant ideas and share them with a massive community while earning money from that.
The platform has been around for a long time, and it is absolutely free to use and free to publish games, with the owner company getting a percentage of the revenue earned from each game. So, it is by far the best option for anyone who wants to make a simple game with no need to deal with publishing challenges.
19GameMaker
Release: 1999
One of the most popular tools used to create most modern indie games (before Godot came and stole its thunder), GameMaker is responsible for some excellent video games that push this engine to its very limits. The barrier to entry when it comes to developing games using this engine isn’t all that high, meaning that developers can hone their skills and take their first step into video game development.
Some of the most notable games made using this engine include the belovedUndertale,Katana ZERO,Hyper Light Drifter, andHotline Miami. All these games are in a class of their own and make it infinitely clear why both players and developers respect GameMaker and how it strives to make one’s entry in video game development as easy as possible.
18Amazon Lumberyard (Open 3D Engine)
Release: 2016
Not a popular choice for big game developers, but Amazon Lumberyard has been used in several big projects, most of which were developed by Amazon’s own game development studios. Probably the most successful game that has been developed by Lumberyard is New World. Star Citizen also uses this engine as a base for its own game engine.
Lumberyard supports both C++ and Lua scripting languages. The engine was rebranded as Open 3D back in 2021 after Amazon partnered with Linux Foundation to overhaul the engine. Since then, the engine has become free and open source, drawing a lot of interest from the indie game developers.
17Star Engine
Created by Cloud Imperium Games, the developer behindSquadron 42andStar Citizen, Star Engine is actually a heavily modified version of CryEngine and Amazon Lumberyard.
The development ofStar Citizenkicked off in 2012 with CryEngine, but then CIG renamed their internal engine to Star Engine in 2016 after implementing multiple modifications. Due to the project’s need for Amazon Services, Star Engine was then integrated with Amazon Lumberyard.
16Creation Engine
Release: 2011
While the reputation of the Creation Engine has taken a hit in recent times, no one can deny the fact that Bethesda’s new engine set the world on fire whenSkyrimlaunched. The ease of modding with this engine coupled with the amazing quality ofSkyrimled many people to believe that this engine was in a class of its own, although it only took a few years for the drawbacks of this engine to rear their head.
However, these issues can be ignored in the grand scheme of things, with the Creation Engine allowing players to enjoy some of the best open-world RPGs that players still can’t get enough of to this day. Fans can only hope that Bethesda regains the goodwill they enjoyed back when this engine made its debut, with the recent trajectory of the studio being anything but impressive.
15Snowdrop
Release: 2013
Debuted byTom Clancy’s The Division, Snowdrop is a Ubisoft-owned engine that has been hosting most of the major projects by Massive Entertainment since 2013. The engine was created to help Massive Entertainment create better games for the eighth generation of consoles with better animations, lighting, and destruction features.
Since the release of The Division, Snowdrop has received updates over time. Massive Entertainment developed bothAvatar: Frontiers of PandoraandStar Wars: Outlawsbased on Snowdrop. However, the engine is not exclusive to the Malmo-based studio. Ubisoft San Francisco also used the same engine to develop its free-to-play shooterXDefiant.
