Saljack Enterprises

Is there any video game brewing in your mind for years? What if you could make that game idea come to life, even if you have no video game development experience? Nowadays, anyone can make a video game with a little elbow grease and perseverance.

Of course, it doesn’t mean video game development is easy. Not by a long shot. But thanks to the free game development software tools, a game that might’ve taken one year to be completed can now be made in six months or even faster than this, sometimes without any code!

The simple free game development tools are easy to use, but have limitations. Here is the list of game development tools, you can choose them according to your convenience.

Construct 2: It is the best option if you’re not familiar with writing the code. This tool is fully GUI-driven, which means everything is drag-and-drop. The beauty of this software is that it can export to dozens of different formats and platforms, and you don’t have to change a single thing in your game to accommodate these various options. It has some of the best and most comprehensive documentation. Also, there are hundreds of tutorials to understand concepts from basic to advanced. With Construct 2, you can browse and purchase ready-made assets from the Scirra Store.The free version has all of the main features, but it is limited to 100 events, 2 simultaneous special effects, 4 object layers, access to only a small part of the included sample assets, and no permission is granted to sell your games. The Personal license costs $130 and lifts all of these restrictions.

Game Maker: Studio: GM:S has been around since 1999, and it’s yet active along with other free game development software out there. New versions with updated feature are released at regular intervals. Like Construct 2, GM:S allows you to create entire games using nothing more than its drag-and-drop interface for variables and game logic. Once your game is completed, you can use the required version to export to any number of platforms and formats. The free version only supports Windows export while the Professional version can export to Android, iOS, and HTML5 using modules that you need to purchase separately. It has interesting quality-of-life features like the ability to add in-app purchases to your game, multiplayer networking, source control, and extensibility through third-party extensions. It also has built-in editors for animations, images, and shaders. You can use the free version, but GM:S is a bit pricey otherwise.

Unity: Unity started as a 3D engine, but ultimately added 2D support in 2013. Although it’s perfectly capable of creating 2D games, but it could affect 2D games performance. It is a component based design. Everything in the designed game is an object, and you can connect various components to each object, where each component will control some aspect of the object’s logic and behavior. The provided documentation is excellent. Unity has the widest export support of all the game engine: Mac, Windows, iOS, Linux, Android, Facebook, WebGL, all kinds of VR systems like Steam VR and Oculus Rift, as well as several gaming consoles like XB1, PS4, Switch and Wii U. You can buy all the required assets for your game on the Unity Asset Store, many of them are available for free. The free version does not have any engine restrictions and can be used royalty-free as long as your revenues stay under $100,000 per year. For some advanced editor features and unlimited revenue, you need to buy the paid version.

Which free game development software tool did you find more engaging? What kind of games are you craving to make? Share with us in the comments section or tweet us @essjay_ent!

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