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10 Software to create a video game |
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Video game lover, do you want to take it to the next level and create your own game? |
Such a project is much easier these days as video game software and related tools are becoming more |
and more accessible. Thus, amateurs and confirmed developers can just as easily create their own game. |
Here is our selection of software allowing you to create your own video game in 2D or 3D. |
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Unreal Engine |
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It's hard to put together a list of video game development software without mentioning Unreal Engine. |
Known to all developers of video game programs, this software is a great classic. |
The proof: it was used to develop famous games like the Borderlands sagas or Mass Effect. |
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| | In addition, Unreal Engine allows you to develop games on a multitude of platforms: |
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.Computers |
.Consoles |
.Android and iOS devices |
.Virtual reality headsets |
Thanks to its powerful and comprehensive features, this software allows you to create 3D video games |
of exceptional quality. |
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Its main strengths? |
A scripting language suitable for beginners; |
Powerful features; |
Rich editing tools; |
Many modules are available for graphical enhancement. |
In addition, the tool gives you access to a community of creators from all over the world where you can |
ask for advice and tips in the event of a blockage. |
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Beginners can also count on more than 160 hours of tutorials to learn how to get started with this tool, |
a flagship in the field of video game design. |
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Unity |
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Like Unreal Engine, Unity is also a reference among video game software. |
It has also been used to design successful classics such as The Forest, |
Endless Space and Verdun. |
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Suitable for creating 2D and 3D games, it is a powerful game engine whose free version |
is ideal for beginners. |
Advanced developers will prefer to opt for the paid version in order to have richer features. |
However, Unity is primarily aimed at users and freelancers who have few resources. |
Its semi-pro prices are very advantageous. |
Multiplatform, Unity allows you to work on computers under: |
.macOS |
.Steam OS |
.Windows |
.On the Web |
.On consoles like Nintendo Wii U or Xbox One and on virtual reality platforms |
However, his preferred platform remains Android. Focusing on this platform has notably |
contributed to the success of Unity because its creators have thus bet on a popular platform. |
Another advantage of using Unity to create your video games: its easy handling and |
an interesting teamwork option. |
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Cryengine |
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Developed by CryTech, Cryengine is an essential 3D engine in the development of cross-platform games. |
Specialized in shooting games, it allows the creation of games adapted for virtual reality as well |
as on PC and console platforms (PS4, Xbox One). |
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CryEngine has notably enabled the creation of planetary hits such as the Crysis or Far Cry series. |
Free, it allows you to develop in the C++ language. |
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GameMaker Studio |
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Essential in the world of amateur video game development, GameMaker is one of the most complete |
software in the sector. It indeed offers a whole range of functionalities useful at all |
stages of your 2D game program design. |
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| | The 30-day free trial version only allows you to work on Windows. However, from the paid version, |
you must purchase additional licenses to have access to an export on the different platforms available: |
Android, Linux, macOS, iOS, HTML5 or even Xbox One and Playstation 4. |
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Here are the main features of Game Maker: |
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A powerful and complete image editor that allows you to create and modify images and sprites; |
A tile editor that lets you convert sprites to tiles; |
An object editor to animate your elements; |
An optimized workspace with all the features at your fingertips; |
A debugger to optimize the performance of your games, etc. |
Having enabled the design of games like Miami or RPG Undertale, GameMaker is suitable for amateurs |
and experienced developers alike. |
Beginners can indeed take full advantage of the “drag and drop” option: you just have to drag |
and drop your elements with your mouse. In addition, the clean programming language used by |
the platform has been designed to be easily understood by amateurs. |
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SOFTWARE TO CREATE A MOBILE VIDEO GAME |
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If you want to create a game for mobile devices, here is a selection of software you can use. |
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GDevelop |
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Multiplatform if and entirely French-speaking, GDevelop is a software developed in France. |
It allows you to design 2D and 3D games for Windows, Linux, macOs, for tablets and smartphones |
but also for the web. The software also boasts of creating games “that work everywhere” and that |
“can be exported with a single click”. |
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| | Suitable for beginners in programming thanks to an intuitive, fast and complete interface, |
its handling does not require knowledge of a programming language. |
GDevelop is nevertheless appreciated by connoisseurs thanks to its powerful functionalities which |
allow in particular to: |
Fully manage objects, their animations, their collisions; |
Support 3D boxes; |
Parameterize the behavior of each object thanks in particular to the technique of pathfinding, |
etc. The software provides ready-to-use behaviors. |
Create events that are intuitive and easy to set up. |
Publish your games on different mobile or web platforms; |
Use an extension on Javascript to go further. |
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Game Salad |
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Ranked among the free game engines, Game Salad is perfect for learning the basics of creative game development. |
Its use does not require any coding. In addition, thanks to the drag and drop function, any budding |
can practice creating games dedicated to Apple devices. |
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| | Even the most experienced developers, however, can use Game Salad to test their creations via the integrated |
In-App Previewer tool. The latter allows you to test video game programs on Apple devices to get an overview |
of the logic and all the behaviors. |
Here is a quick overview of the main features of Game Salad: |
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An easy-to-use interface, suitable for beginners; |
Learning tutorials; |
Compatibility with Windows, Android, Amazon Marketplace and iOS; |
Ability to add social features as well as monetization options; |
Technical support at your disposal, etc. |
On the price side, you have the choice between 3 packages ranging from 17$to 25$ with the possibility |
of benefiting from a 50% reduction for students, educators and members of the American army. |
You also have the opportunity to try the tool for free for a limited time. |
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FREE SOFTWARE |
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If you're new to game creation, there's nothing like using free software. Here are a few free software |
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Godot |
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Having enabled the development of quality independent games, Godot Engine is no longer to be presented. |
This engine presents itself as a real alternative to the giants Unity and Unreal Engine. |
This is all the more true since it is a game engine intended for experienced developers. |
Here is everything you need to know about this 2D/3D game creation software. |
First of all, this software is available for free and open source under different platforms such as: |
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.Windows |
.Linux |
.macOS |
It also offers the possibility of distributing your games on mobile devices, on computers but also on the web. |
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| | Godot Engine is particularly appreciated for: |
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Its graphical and intuitive interface; |
Its many features including a powerful animation editor and management of dynamic lights and shadows; |
Support for 3D models; |
The numerous export possibilities offered. |
Using an in-house scripting language, Godot Engine remains professional software. Its manipulation thus |
requires to have some notions of coding. Moreover, deployment on the web is still pending. |
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Lumbeyard |
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Launched by the giant Amazon, Lumberyard is a 3D game engine. More specifically, it is the department of Amazon, |
which specializes in the development of video games, which is the author. |
This complete editor has all the features needed to develop a high-performance video game program (AAA games): |
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A co-mplete editor; |
A native code suitable for beginners; |
Quality visuals; |
A drag and drop functionality; |
Access to AWS (Amazon's cloud service); |
The possibility of creating a community of fans on Twitch). |
In addition, open-source and cross-platform, Lumberyard allows you to create games for PC, mobile devices |
and the web. |
Its access is free for developers and specialized studios. However, storage via Amazon Web is paid to |
stream the game online. |
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COCOS2-X |
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Free and open-source, Cocos2d-x is the most widely used 2D game engine. It is a platform that allows the |
development of video games, mobile applications or other interactive applications. This tool uses OpenGL ES, |
a graphics API which has the advantage of improving the performance of mobile applications. |
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| | Using the C++ language and compatible with HTML5 browsers, Cocos2d-x is reputed to be one of the fastest 2D |
engines. And this despite being free. It is suitable for developing games on all types of mobile devices, |
including those using the older generation Android platform. |
Cocos2d-x has also contributed to creating quality games such as: |
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.Dragon City |
.Geometry Dash |
.Tales of Asteria |
.Final Fantasy |
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LÖVE |
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A free 2D game creation platform, LÖVE is aimed at both experienced developers and beginners. |
However, it requires some programming skills. |
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| | Beginners will especially need to learn the LUA programming language. Moreover, the tools offered by |
this framework allow novices to learn this language while integrating the basics of video game design. |
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LÖVE is therefore the perfect solution for neophytes who wish to take their first steps in the sphere of |
game development. |
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Experienced developers will be able to rely on a powerful and complete tool. |
LÖVE is cross-platform software. It is available on mobile (Android) and PC (MacOS, Linux or Windows) platforms. |