The Best Free Tools to Create Your Own Video Games

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With the recent release of the free version of Unreal Engine and the announcement of the free Source 2 Engine, you now have even more options to create your own games. But choosing the best engine for you and your skill set is a little tricky. Let’s take a look at some of the best free software for a wide variety of skills.

Before you can really dive into most of these tools, you need at least a foundation in programming. But regardless of whether you are a child or an adult , we have everything you need . When it comes to creating your first game, our friends at Kotaku will take care of you . However, not all of these tools even require programming skills, so you can get started right away.

For starters: Stencyl or GameMaker

If you’re just getting started making games and don’t have any programming experience, you might want to start with some of the easier-to-use tools. Two of the most popular and well received are Stencyl and GameMaker. Both are very easy to use for newbies and they have created some quality games.

Stencyl is a tool for making games without code. It is a completely drag-and-drop interface and you can publish your games to Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, and Flash. If you’ve ever used something like Scratch , you’ll immediately become familiar with Stencyl’s LEGO-like approach to building code by placing blocks. Stencyl aims to make it easier to create sprite-based games, which is why it is most often used for puzzles and side-scrolling games. It’s tricky to do something very complex with Stencyl, so if you’re looking to create something like an RPG or strategy game, you probably want to look elsewhere. Some popular games made with Stencyl include Impossible Pixel and Zuki’s Quest . Stencyl also has a built-in tutorial that teaches you just about everything you need to know.

GameMaker is another free and easy-to-use newbie tool with which you can create games for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android. Like Stencyl, this is mostly drag and drop, but also includes hooks for creating multiplayer games, linking external SDKs, diving directly into code, and more. The free version of GameMaker exports with a watermark, but it’s still a good place to start and comes with a tutorial for learning the basics. GameMaker is much more versatile than Stencyl in the style of games it can handle, andthey have tons of guides for different types of games to teach you the basics. Popular games made with GameMaker include the original version of Spelunky and Hotline Miami .

Of course, there are tons of other options for these tools. Buildbox is a new tool that gives you a trial period and a tutorial to learn how to use it, and GameSalad is also a long-running and popular platform, although it is often reported to be buggy and unstable. Construct is also worth a look if you want to create HTML5 games. The problem with all of these options is that you end up being very limited in your design. Because they are made for beginners, you will end up breaking the tool when you try to do something particularly difficult. This means that they end up creating glitchy, unplayable games if you try to work too far outside of their system. However, they are a great place to start, and they are suitable for people who don’t have a lot of coding experience.

For intermediate users looking to create 2D games: Cocos2D

Cocos2D is an open source 2D game creation tool. The finished game can be published to Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Windows Phone, or the web.

Most of what you will be doing in Cocos2D is in C ++ (and also supports Lua and JavaScript), so you need to think carefully about this programming language before you can start doing anything with Cocos2D. However, once you get comfortable with these languages, Cocos2D is pretty easy to use, comes with a complete IDE for making games, and is completely free with no restrictions whatsoever. As the name suggests, Cocos2D is built specifically for 2D games, so it works best with simple sprite-based games that don’t require 3D. You can also create 2D games with Unity (more on that in a second), but Cocos2D is a little easier to learn if you’re just getting started (and obviously you already know C ++).

Cocos2D has been used to create all sorts of successful games, including the award-winning Badland . If you’re not sure where to start with Cocos2D, Ray Wenderlich has a fantastic guide , just like Udemy .

For advanced users creating 3D games: Unreal Engine or Unity

If you’re interested in making more complex 3D games, Unreal Engine and Unity are two of the most popular free tools. Both have their strengths and weaknesses, and both have different licensing agreements to look out for before deciding which one is best for you.

With Unity, you can create 3D and 2D games for just about anything, including Windows, Mac, Xbox, Playstation, Android, iOS, and more. It also supports assets from the likes of 3ds Max, Maya, Softimage, Cinema 4D, Blender and more. Unity uses C # along with its own programming language, so you should be familiar with it before diving into it. However, between Unity and Unreal, Unity is probably the easier to learn of the two. It has many predefined behaviors and a built-in asset library makes tracking assets easy. Several developers I talked to while writing this article suggest Unity as the best starter tool because it is conceptually easier to understand and learn than Unreal. If you’ve built a game with something like GameMaker, you can immediately understand how Unity works. Unity also supports several alternative payment models right in the engine, including a number of free-to-play monetization models.

The free personal version can help you get started. If you’re making a game with the free version, you don’t have to pay licensing fees or royalties, although there are some caveats. Namely, if you are using the free version, you cannot receive funding / income over $ 100,000 . There are tons of great tutorials out there to help you get started with Unity . Popular games made with Unity include Alto’s Adventure , Gone Home, and the upcoming Firewatch .

You can release games made with the Unreal Engine to PC, Mac, iOS, Android, Xbox One, and Playstation 4. Unreal has almost everything you need to create a game built into the engine, including 3D modeling tools, landscape systems, and more. D. and more. Because Unreal Engine 4 is packed with so many things, it usually has a higher learning curve than other tools, so even if you’re good at C ++, expect to bump into some walls while learning. However, you can create incredibly professional games with Unreal. You can also reverse engineer Unreal nodes to learn more about how it works, but nonetheless, it is difficult to upgrade to Unreal Engine 4 without any prior knowledge. Unreal Engine 4 is still relatively new, but several games have been released using this engine, including Daylight and Tekken 7 .

To use Unreal Engine 4, you will have to settle for a royalty if your game is to be sold. When you submit a game or app, you pay Unreal a 5% royalty after your first $ 3,000 per quarter. Sounds like big money, but depending on how much income your game brings in, it’s not as much as it sounds. To get started, check out all the tutorials available for Unreal Engine 4 .

It’s also worth considering the Valve Source 2 Engine , which should be available for free later this year, but we don’t know much about it beyond that.

For writers: Twine / RPG Maker

Not everyone has experienced programmers, and while tools like Stencyl are great for these types, they are still too complex for many. If you consider yourself a more narrative storyteller, you have two great options: Twine and RPG Maker.

Twine is a very simple system that allows you to create interactive, non-linear stories. Basically, you can choose your own adventure. It’s incredibly easy to use. You connect your stories through different nodes, like a mind map. Each choice the player can make is given a new note. Then when you’re done, you can easily post this to the website. It’s pretty straightforward to use, but if you’re having trouble or want to add some extra elements, the Twine Starter Guide has everything you need to know. Popular games made with Twine include A Kiss and Cry $ tal Warrior Ke $ ha .

If Twine is too old-fashioned for you, RPG Maker can help. The free version isn’t as powerful as the paid alternatives, but you can still do a lot with it. The system is also easy to learn, you can drag and drop graphics, insert dialog with one click, and more. You will have to really think outside the box to create more than a simple role-playing game, but well-received games like To the Moon and LISA show that this is possible. Plus, you can get started with a pack of free music and art supplies so you don’t even need to learn to draw. The built-in tutorials will also come in handy when creating your first game. Popular games made with RPGMaker include Clock of Atonement and One Night .

Additional free asset tools

Of course, the game is much more complex than just the engine. You will need all sorts of other resources, including images, sound, and more. I asked several indie developers to list some of their favorites:

Thus, you should be on the right track for making cheap games. Obviously, you still have to waste time, blood, sweat and tears, but at least your wallet shouldn’t be hurt either.

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