Mobile Game Development has become a pivotal part of the gaming industry as Game Development Companies have understood the importance of the Game Development Process and focused meticulously on each & every step & stage to ensure they deliver bug-free game versions in the market to give an enthralling experience to the users.
More than 20+ mobile game engines are available in the market for game development, due to which anyone can create & design a mobile game without coding experience, extensive programming knowledge, or a large budget. You can develop your game quickly with a creative idea, motivation, and desire in the gaming industry.
In this blog, we will walk you through the best gaming engines available in the market used by 1000s of game developers worldwide for the game development platform.
After reading the blog, you will have comprehensive information for choosing a game development platform to create your mobile game. You will also learn about essential factors for launching your mobile game app in Apple App Store & Google Play Store.
Best Mobile Game Engines & Development Platforms
Unity
Unity is one of the pre-eminent and most used game engines in the market that helps game developers’ teams to work in collaboration and create mobile games with 2D & 3D development features.
Unity is a cross-platform game engine that supports multiple platforms, such as desktops, laptops, smartphones, and tablets. Unity is one of the easiest game development engines for beginner game developers.
Besides 2D & 3D games, Unity allows users to create interactive simulations for video gaming & animation for engineering, automotive, filmmaking, and many more industries.
It will enable users to import assets from other 3D apps, or you can buy assets directly from different app stores. Users can easily find valuable game materials & guides and get community support.
Unity Supported Platforms
- Mobile Platforms: iOS & Android
- Desktop Platforms: Mac, Windows, & Linux
- Web Platform: WebGL
- VR Platforms: PlayStation VR & Oculus
- Console Platforms: Xbox, PS4, & PS5
Some of the popular games developed with Unity are Pokémon Go & Call of Duty (Mobile Version).
Unreal Engine
Unreal Engine is primarily used for developing 3D Games. It is a user-friendly game engine platform that doesn’t require programming skills. The Film Industry also uses Unreal Engine for creating virtual sets & animated movies.
Unreal Engine allows developers to get paid & free store assets. It supports multiple platforms, such as desktops, laptops, tablets, & smartphones.
Unreal Engine Supported Platforms are:
Android, iOS, Windows, PS4, PS5, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Stadia, Magic Leap, Oculus, HTC Vive, Samsung Gear VR, Playstation VR, and HoloLens 2
Some popular games designed with Unreal Engine are Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood & The Matrix Awakens.
Solar2D
Solar2D, commonly known as Corona SDK, is a Lua-based game engine allowing developers to build 2D mobile game apps. It focuses on ease of iterations & usage. Solar2D development kit is open-source and free to use.
It has an active user community and a marketplace with available plugins & 2D features. It features Solar2D Playground, an interactive website to create & run projects online.
Solar 2D Supported Platforms are:
Android, iOS, Windows, Linux, Mac, Apple TV, Android TV, and Fire TV.
Some popular games developed with Solar2D are Flappy Bird, Corona Cannon, and Match 3 Space RPG.
SpriteKit – 2D sprite-based games
SpriteKit is a game engine developed by Apple to make games on iOS. SpriteKit framework allows game developers to draw images, shapes, text, and videos in 2D. It is a user-friendly platform for creating mobile games & graphic-intensive apps.
Its simple programming interface makes it the best game engine development platform for apple-based mobile games. There is no need to download external libraries or sources. It also assures that the game apps perfectly match Apple’s current & new products.
Some popular games developed with SpriteKit are Accelebot, Squashy Bug, & Trestle.
Buildbox
Buildbox is one of the most accessible mobile game engines and development platforms in the market for Android game creation. It is one of the best game engines for beginners with no coding experience, as no programming or scripting skills are required.
It allows developers to create 2D & 3D mobile games easily & quickly. It uses drag-and-drop functionalities for creating professional interface mobile games. It has a huge community of users for support for developing mobile games.
Buildbox Supported Platforms are Android & iOS.
Some popular games developed with Buildbox are Blue Edge, Slip Away, Colour Switch, Ball Jump, and The Line Zen.
AppGameKit
AppGameKit is a cross-platform mobile game engine that doesn’t require specific coding skills. It deploys the game on multiple platforms & available for all devices.
AppGameKit allows developers to develop 2D games with essential elements of 3D. It gives ample options to beginners to develop & deploy mobile games.
It offers AppGameKit Studio – an all-in-one workspace with comprehensive elements for designing & developing a game from an idea (initial concept) to a ready game.
AppGameKit Supported Platforms are Android, iOS, Windows, Linux, Mac, and HTML5.
Some popular games developed with AppGameKit are Skrobol and Repton 2.
Fusion 2.5
Fusion 2.5 was developed by Clickteam, a French software development company, to improve the game’s performance. It uses an event editor system for quickly developing games.
Fusion 2.5 is fully integrated with the physics engine and has an active community for support. It doesn’t require programming skills to develop a game interface. Fusion 2.5 supports 2D mobile games and is best suited for static game development.
Fusion 2.5 Supported Platforms are Android, iOS, Windows Mobile phones, Flash, and Xbox.
Some popular games developed with Fusion 2.5 are Bit Odyssey, Distraint, and Quadle.
Amazon Lumberyard
Amazon Lumberyard is a cross-platform game engine based on CryEngine & is powered by Amazon’s features. It helps in creating high-quality games. Developers get AWS Cloud Storage feature and integration with Twitch.
It has beginner-friendly tools which help in the quick creation of prototypes & offers a learning curve to beginners. Amazon Lumberyard is more expensive than other AWS products, but it is one of the ideal game engines for beginners.
Amazon Lumberyard Supported Platforms are Android, iOS, Windows, Xbox One, and PS4. Breakaway & Crucible are popular games developed with Amazon Lumberyard.
GameMaker Studio 2
GameMaker Studio 2 is a cross-platform game engine developed by YoYo Games. It offers a drag-and-drop programming language called GameMaker Language. Game Developers can use the supported script language for advanced game development.
It supports numerous platforms. It has a large set of tools that allows users to create & deploy mobile games quickly. GameMaker Studio 2 primarily focuses on creating 2D games by using a standard library of graphics drawings.
GameMaker Studio 2.0 Supported Platforms are:
Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Nintendo Switch, Ubuntu, Xbox XS, PS4, PS5, and HTML5
Some popular games developed with GameMaker Studio 2.0 are Super Hiking League DX, Samurai Gunn 2, & Webbed.
Construct 3
Construct 3 game engine was developed by Scirra Ltd. It is used for developing & creating 2D mobile games, role-playing games (RPGs), racing games, and puzzles. It offers a Box2D physics engine for those developers who want to develop games based on physics.
Construct 3 doesn’t require any coding skills for game development. It uses JavaScript as an optional scripting language.
Construct 3 Supported Platforms are Android, iOS, Windows, Linux, Mac, Xbox, and HTML5.
Some popular games developed with Construct 3 are Airscape: The Fall of Gravity, The Next Penelope, and Cosmochoria.
MonoGame
MonoGame game engine is a cross-platform for developing 2D games. It uses .NET and C# programming language to write reliable & accurate game codes.
MonoGame is based on Microsoft’s XNA framework. It has open-source technology and a large community of users to support you. MonoGame has a vast number of supported platforms.
MonoGame Supported Platforms are Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PS4, and PSVita.
Some popular games developed with MonoGame are Bastion, FEZ, and Skulls of the Shogun.
Gideros
Gideros is a free, open-source game development platform for creating 2D & 3D games. It enables rapid game development & deployment. It provides instant testing during the game development process. It offers open-source plugins, native speed, and a complete set of development tools.
Gideros Supported Platforms are Android, iOS, Windows, and Mac. Some popular games developed with Gideros are Tetcolor, Magness, and Proto-Tap.
Phaser
Phaser game engine is an open-source HTML5 game framework that focuses on mobile development & 2D framework.
It uses JavaScript and enables quick rendering for mobile platforms & desktops because it uses Canvas & WebGL renderer internally. It allows beginners & advanced game developers to create games for the browser rapidly.
Phaser Supported Platforms are Android & iOS. Some popular games developed with Phaser are Atari Asteroids, Fishing.io, and Idle Zoo.
Godot
Godot is an open-source, cross-platform engine for creating & developing 2D & 3D mobile games. It uses a pixel-based measurement system, best for creating 2D games. Beginner developers will benefit from its node-based interface.
It has a large set of tools for game development, and every game developed is wholly owned by the developer. Godot offers UI editing, which includes a visual editor & content creation accessibility for animators, artists, and level designers.
Godot Supported Platforms are:
Android, iOS, Windows, Linux, Mac, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PS4, and HTML5.
Some popular games developed with Godot are Haiku, Kingdoms of the Dump, and Until Then.
Cocos2d-x
Coco2d-x is an open-source game engine with cross-platform development that helps in 2D & 3D mobile game development. It is primarily intended for experienced game developers.
It uses JavaScript, C++, and Lua as the scripting language. It allows you to create tiny games. It comes with detailed documentation. It has a large community for support.
Coco2d-x Supported Platforms are Android, iOS, Windows, Facebook Instant Games, and HTML5.
Some popular games developed with Coco2d-x are Dragon Ball Z, Pokemon Masters, and Magic Rush.
Cryengine
Cryengine is one of the most powerful game engines available in the market. Though it doesn’t support mobile platforms (currently in the beta phase), it is still an excellent choice for beginners.
It provides the highest experience for developers and real-time game development. It offers incredible features like realistic characters, high-end physics, a sandbox, visuals, audio controls, and high performance.
Cryengine has complete source code, documentation, tutorials, and a community for support. It also has a marketplace with ample assets that users can use for their gaming projects. Once mobile support is available, it will become one of the top game engines in the market.
Cryengine Supported Platforms are:
Windows, Linux, Xbox One, PS4, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, OSVR, and PSVR
Some popular games developed with Cryengine are Crysis 3, Hunt: Showdown, and The Climb.
GameSalad
GameSalad is a game engine designed for all age groups above 12. It provides no-code visual programming to the developers.
Over 75 games created in GameSalad reached the top 100 in the App Store, and many games held the #1 rank. It is one of the easiest game engines for creating & publishing 2D games.
GameSalad Supported Platforms are Android, iOS, Windows, Amazon Kindle, and HTML5.
Some popular games developed with GameSalad are Nitro Car Racing, 8-bit space, and ZOMBEAT! Zombie Invasion.
Defold
Defold is a free game engine for creating & developing games for mobile, desktop, web, & console platforms. It is primarily used for creating 2D games. Defold is easy to use.
It provides phenomenal technical documentation & a community of developers for support. It is written in Lua scripting language, and you can use native code for more advanced functions. It doesn’t require setup. You can get many editors like code & visual editors.
Defold Supported platforms are Android, iOS, Windows, Linux, Mac, Nintendo Switch, Steam, and HTML5.
Some popular games developed with Defold are BoxRob, Craftomation 101, and Plague Lords.
Haxe 4
Haxe is an open-source and cross-platform game engine for creating apps & games. It is a free developing language game engine with different pricing packages for additional features & support.
It has numerous game frameworks & libraries that leverage a single code & help in achieving native speeds across multiple platforms.
Haxe Supported Platforms are Android, iOS, Windows, Linux, and Mac.
Some popular games developed with Haxe are Spellbreak, Northgard, and Dead Cells.
GDevelop
GDevelop is an open-source and cross-platform game engine made by Florian Raval, a software engineer from Google. This game engine is primarily for non-developers without coding skills who want to create full video games.
It is easily accessible and straightforward to make games with GDevelop. It has an “event system” to define your game’s logic. It has several tutorials & interactive options. It offers numerous possibilities for JavaScript game developers who want to add more extensions.
GDevelop’s Supported Platforms are Android, iOS, Facebook Gaming, MS Store, and Steam.
Some popular games developed with GDevelop are Swamp, Hyperspace Dogfights, and The Research Age.
Apart from the 20 mentioned mobile game engines & development platforms, you can opt for Stencyl & Starling Framework. Stencyl offers a drag-and-drop interface, useful for beginner developers, and they create 2D games without code.
Starling Framework is an open-source, cross-platform game engine using Adobe’s AIR™ technology. Starling framework can be run in the browser, allowing developers to debug games in the browser and deploy games on a mobile device. It is known for high-speed rendering performance.
Conclusion
After reading the blog, you will have comprehensive knowledge & understanding of 20+ mobile game engines & development platforms. You will be clear about which game engine to use for your mobile game development.
However, if you have questions or are looking to develop a mobile game, feel free to contact us, and we will help you design a top-notch creativity game, converting your vision into reality.
At Polymator, we have a team of game developers who have 15+ years of experience in the gaming industry and help us in providing a wide range of gaming services that includes 2D & 3D Art, Unity Game Development, AR & VR Game Development, and more, depending on your requirements.
Contact us today, and launch your game in the market. We are available via call at +91 720 303 7070 and email at contact@polymator.com.
