The best game engines for beginner game developers
Unity, Unreal and Godot are the big three game engines you will hear folks talking about — and learning one of these engines is a good idea for your game career.
But maybe working in game engines isn’t your goal. Maybe you want to write or design game systems or create art. Or maybe, you’re just looking for an easy way to get your foot in the door and get your first game out. Luckily, there are some game engines that are comparatively easier to learn, designed for non-developers to make games. Here are a few you can consider.
- Twine
Twine is incredibly quick to learn and has a lot of potential considering how simple it is. Twine is perfect for anyone who wants to focus on narrative and writing to make portfolio pieces that focus on these things. At it’s core, Twine is mostly used to create text base games, though with some savvy you can make more complex games using the engine.
Twine can be picked up in less than half an hour but maybe a few hours to really get down all the macros you can use to make more complex games.
Example of a simple game made in Twine: https://litrouke.itch.io/please-answer-carefully
Example of a complex game made in Twine: https://ccrberus.itch.io/walk-with-me
Note: By simple I do NOT mean bad. I mean it uses basic functions of the engine that are quick to pick up.
2. RPG Maker
I’ve talked about RPG Maker in the past. There’s a few versions, but it doesn’t really matter which you use. I recommend just picking up the newest one out when you decide to jump in.
RPG Maker takes a bit longer to pick up, but you don’t need to know any code to make a convincing game. You also are not limited to making classic RPGs, though it has all the mechanics readily availilble to you to make one if you want. RPG Maker also has a huge community of developers that can help you out and artists that sell art designed for the game.
It’ll likely take you 5–10 hours to pick up the basics of RPG Maker, depending on your comfort level and what you consider the basics.
Example of a simple game made in RPG Maker (disclaimer, this is my own game): https://sulkypigeon.itch.io/duke
Example of a complex game made in RPG Maker: https://algebrafalcon.itch.io/time-is-solid-here
3. GameMaker Studio
GameMaker Studio is a step up from the previous two. You can make some pretty full fledged 2D games in GameMaker studio. Some have even pushed the engine into 3D. That being said, it’s much easier to pickup than the big three engines while still being more flexible than the previous two engines I’ve mentioned. It’s a great engine to pick up if you want to develop on your own or with a very small team, and don’t want to spend a lot of time learning an engine, but still have some more complex game mechanics you want to add.
To learn the basics of GameMaker Studio, I’d say you’ll need to dedicate a bit over 10 hours, but of course this is dependent on your comfort level and previous experience.
Example of a simple game made in GameMaker Studio: https://shebatogear.itch.io/ramoon
Example of a complex game made in GameMaker Studio (disclaimer: paid but very cheap and a classic): https://store.steampowered.com/app/391540/Undertale/
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If you want to learn more about me or my games, you can find my website here: https://www.heyitsamanda.com/
