So far on Ask Gamedev we’ve discussed popular game engines including Gamemaker, Unity, RPG
maker and Unreal, along with highlighting a variety of titles developed using these
engines.
Today we’re taking a look at the best open-source engines on the market today.
We are Ask Gamedev and these are the Top 8 Open Source Game Engines.
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You may be asking yourself “What is an open source game engine?”
We all understand that Game engines are tools for game developers to code and develop a
game quickly and conveniently.
What makes open source engines special then?
The simple fact is that the original engine source code is made freely available and may
be redistributed and modified.
Have we got your attention?
Great!
It’s time to review our top 8
First up on our list of open source game engines is CoronaSDK.
A free cross-platform framework that is ideal for the creation of 2D titles and apps for
android, iOS, along with PC platforms including windows and mac.
Corona even supports TV platforms such as Apple TV, fire TV and Android TV.
Corona labs have recently decided to make CoronaSDK open source, making the engine development
process more transparent while empowering the community to directly impact future growth
and potential.
Corona is now dual-licensed under both commercial and the open source license GNU GPLv3.
The difference being the download and use of the Corona source code means any title
you develop be it a game or app will require your source to be equally available.
The core programming language began with Lua, with later additions of native extensions
for other languages, including C, C++, Objective-C, Java, and HTML5.
Some hall of fame apps built with Corona includes Tiny Boxes, Ava Airborne, and Scale.
Second on our open source game engine list is the 2D game engine GDevelop, a cross-platform
engine designed to be used by everyone - programming skills are not required.
What makes GDevelop unique is the use of event logic which can be found in similar game engines
such as RPG maker.
GDevelop provides users with a plug and play option that removes the requirement of learning
a programming language, while still providing the option to extending parts of your game
with JavaScript and HTML coding.
Developers are also given the option to include ads, reward videos, and product links via
Shopify.
The one-click deployment option allows developers to export their game to numerous platforms
including Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Linux, Facebook Instant Games, and also includes
options for itch.io and Kongregate.
Popular indie titles developed using the GDevelop game engine include Lil BUB’s HELLO EARTH
and Hyperspace Dogfights.
Third on our list is Spring Engine, a 3D RTS open source engine.
Using Lua and C++, developers are capable of customizing every aspect of this engine,
including the user interface, AI, and pathfinding modules.
Spring Engine is unique in its origins as it originally began as an RTS game and was
later developed into an open source game engine.
It was to be used by not only the original developers but others as well, to create and
produce additional RTS based titles under the GNU General Public License.
This guarantees end users the freedom to run, study, share and modify the software.
Features of the Spring Engine include: - Support for battles of up to 5000 units
- Support for large maps that feature deformable terrain, forest fires, dynamic water, and
custom skyboxes - Fully 3D combat in land, sea, and air,
- Complex 3rd-party AIs, and more.
Titles developed with Spring Engine include Zero-K and Spring: 1944.
Number four on our list is Panda3D.
Originally developed by Disney interactive, Panda3D was implemented in the creation of
various 3D attractions for Disney theme parks, including Aladdin’s Magic Carpet.
It became open source in 2008 under the modified BSD license which has minimal restrictions
on the use and distribution of software, merely requiring that all code retain the BSD license
notice if redistributed in source code format.
Panda3d was created using the C++ language with the intended development language being
Python for faster development.
Building platforms include Windows, Mac, Linux, with the potential for Android.
Aside from being used for Disney’s development projects, this engine can be used for game
development, visualizations, and experiments.
Panda3D has been used for a number of university courses, open source projects, and several
large commercial games including Pirates of the Caribbean Online, Toontown online and
Profit Colony.
Fifth on our list is Cocos2d-x, just one branch of the Cocos2d open-source game framework
written in C++.
Cocos2d-x is widely used to build games and apps for mobile platforms.
The full list of supported platforms include iOS, Android, Tizen, Windows, Windows Phone
8, Linux, and Mac.
Containing a brand new Graphic Renderer, the Cocos2d-x renderer is optimized for 2D graphics
with OpenGL.
It supports skeletal animation, sprite sheet animation, and adopts a RenderQueue design.
Maintained by its community, Cocos2d-x is licensed under the MIT license, which provides
a very limited restriction on reuse.
Cocos2d-x enables the use of three programming languages including C++, Javascript, and Lua.
Popular cross-platform titles created using Cocos2d-x include Hill Climb Racing, Dragon
City and Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff.
Number 6 on our list is Xenko, a free open source 2D and 3D cross-platform game engine
that was originally developed by Silicon Studio.
Having become an open-sourced community-driven project in 2018, it has been used in the creation
of games for Windows, Linux, Android, iOS, PS4 and Xbox One.
It is also VR ready, with the option to enable VR with a single click.
Xenko contains built-in templates, a full asset creation toolchain along with a flexible
and customizable rendering pipeline for accelerated development.
It is licensed under the MIT license.
Xenko showcases multiple projects that use their game engine within their community pages.
On Steam, you can find Xenko-made game, Children of the Galaxy.
Coming in at number 7 is Luxe, a game engine that is still in development but promises
great potential for both 2D and 3D titles.
Written in C++, the intended programming language will be Wren, with hopes of being flexible
enough to of use any language further down the development line.
The core principle of Luxe is to be built around various tools and modules rather than
features..
Through the use of modules, the developers of Luxe have prevented the system from becoming
unfocused and bloated, allowing users to choose the precise tools they need for their game
development.
Building platforms for the Luxe game engine include Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android
and Web.
Despite its Alpha state, various titles have already been released using Luxe, including
The Westport Independent, Topsoil, and Operator Overload.
Before we review our eighth and final open source game engine, let's take a look at this
week’s Ask GameDev community member game of the week.
DragonClaw Studio’s Twilight Star: Heart of Eir.
A single-player fantasy RPG that aims to combine classic 90’s elements with modern turn-based
mechanics as it follows a woman named Eir as she sets out on a quest to find answers
that will reshape her destiny.
With a year into production, the developers have launch an Indiegogo for continued development.
Now for the eighth and final open source game engine on our list: Godot - a fan favourite!
Godot is a 2D and 3D cross-platform compatible engine released under the MIT license.
Some of Godot’s features include: A built-in node system featuring hundreds
of nodes each with their own behaviours A visual editor
Persistent live editing And the ability to create your own tools
languages supported include GDScript, C#, C++, and more - including visual scripting!.
Godot is well known for its functionality on teamwork based projects.
Allowing team members to share files and work simultaneously on the same project.
It has an intuitive and full-feature interface that is beloved by the indie community.
Building platforms include Windows, Mac, Linux, UWP, BSD, Haiku, Android, iOS and the web.
Past Titles created using Godot include Deep Sixed, StereoBreak, and Grimante.
For more Ask Gamedev content, check out this video on the best no code game engines, or
this game engine playlist.