GameMaker

What is GameMaker?

GameMaker started life in 1999 as a hobbyist tool called Animo, created by Dutch computer science professor Mark Overmars, and it has been making 2D games accessible ever since. YoYo Games took over development in 2007, and the company was acquired by Opera in 2021, which is when GameMaker became free for non-commercial use.

The engine is built around a simple idea: you place objects in rooms, give them sprites and events, and define what happens with either drag-and-drop blocks or the GameMaker Language (GML). GML reads almost like English, so newcomers can write working game logic within an hour of opening the editor.

GameMaker's pedigree is impressive. Undertale, the critically acclaimed RPG by Toby Fox, was made in GameMaker, as were Spelunky, Katana ZERO and many other beloved indie titles. It remains one of the friendliest on-ramps into game development.

Key Features

• Drag-and-drop event system for code-free prototyping
• GML scripting that reads like plain English
• Dedicated 2D sprite, tilemap, path and sequence editors
• Built-in physics, particles, surfaces and shader support
• Fast iteration with live preview while you build
• Export to desktop, mobile, web and consoles from one project
• A built-in marketplace for assets, audio and tools
• Friendly documentation and a large tutorial library

How to get started

Head to gamemaker.io, create a free account and download the editor. The free version is now the standard editor with no time limit, so you can learn and prototype without spending anything.

Inside the editor, your first game usually starts with a sprite, an object and a room. Add a sprite for your character, attach it to an object, place the object in a room, and use a drag-and-drop event to make it move. The official tutorials, including the classic 'Make your own game' video series, take you from that first sprite to a finished game with menus and audio.

• Create a free account at gamemaker.io and download the editor
• Follow the built-in quick start tutorial
• Make a sprite, an object and a room for your first scene
• Add movement with drag-and-drop or a few lines of GML
• Export to desktop or web from the File menu

Use cases

• 2D platformers, action games and shoot 'em ups
• Top-down RPGs and story-driven adventures like Undertale
• Hyper-casual and puzzle games for mobile
• Web games published to GX.games and other platforms
• Jam games and prototypes built over a single weekend
• Learning projects for students and first-time developers

Pricing and licensing

Since late 2023 GameMaker is free to download and use for non-commercial work on all supported platforms except consoles. That means you can learn, prototype and even release free games without paying anything.

For commercial releases you need a Professional licence, sold as a one-time purchase starting at $99.99, which covers desktop, mobile and web exports with a commercial license. Larger studios can choose an Enterprise subscription for extra services like console export and priority support. Exact prices and bundles change over time, so check the official site for the current lineup.

Pros and cons

GameMaker's strengths are its simplicity and its 2D-focused toolset. The drag-and-drop system lets absolute beginners ship games, GML is one of the gentlest scripting languages in gamedev, and the engine is fast enough for polished commercial releases.

The trade-offs: it is proprietary, so you do not own the engine source, and its 3D support is effectively nonexistent, which is fine if you only care about 2D. The community is smaller than Unity's, though it is devoted and full of helpful veterans.

Alternatives

• Godot: free and open source with excellent 2D tools
• Construct 3: browser-based, no-code 2D game maker
• Unity: cross-platform engine with C# and 3D support
• GDevelop: free, open-source, drag-and-drop 2D engine
• Flame: 2D engine for developers already using Flutter