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What Software Is Used to Make Video Games? Engines & Tools Guide by Skill Level

Choosing a game engine depends on your experience, target genre, platform, and budget. Here are the industry standards categorized by workflow:

Unity (C#): Most popular for indie/mobile. Huge Asset Store, vast tutorials, cross-platform (20+). Free tier (Personal) until $200k revenue. Used for: Among Us, Hollow Knight, Genshin Impact, Pokemon GO.
Unreal Engine 5 (C++ / Blueprints Visual Scripting): Industry leader for high-fidelity 3D/AAA. Nanite/Lumen tech. Free until $1M gross (5% royalty after). Steeper learning curve. Used for: Fortnite, PUBG, Hellblade II, Final Fantasy VII Remake.
Godot 4 (GDScript / C# / C++): Free, open-source (MIT), lightweight (~100MB). Node-based architecture, dedicated 2D engine, improving 3D. No royalties. Rising fast for indie 2D/3D.

GameMaker (GML Visual / Code): Industry standard for commercial 2D. Drag-and-drop + proprietary language. Subscription model. Used for: Undertale, Hyper Light Drifter, Katana ZERO.
Construct 3 (Event Sheets - No Code): Browser-based, pure visual scripting. Great for rapid prototyping, education, simple 2D. Subscription.
GDevelop (Events - No Code): Free, open-source, browser/desktop. Exports to web, mobile, desktop. Good for beginners/jams.
RPG Maker MZ / Unite: Specialized for JRPGs (tile-based maps, database for items/skills/enemies). Scripting via JS (MZ) or C# (Unite). Paid.

Ren'Py (Python): Visual Novel engine. Free, open-source. Massive community.
Pico-8 / TIC-80: "Fantasy Consoles" with strict limits (128x128, 16 colors, Lua). Great for learning constraints, pixel art, chiptune.
CryEngine (C++ / C# / Schematyc): High-end 3D, SVOGI lighting. "Pay what you want" royalty model. Complex.
Stride (C#): Open-source (MIT), .NET based, similar architecture to Unity but modular.

MonoGame (C#): XNA spiritual successor. 2D/3D. Used for: Stardew Valley, Celeste, Bastion.
LibGDX (Java/Kotlin): Cross-platform. 2D/3D.
Raylib (C/C++): Simple, modern, hardware-accelerated. Great for learning graphics programming.
PyGame (Python): Beginner-friendly 2D wrapper over SDL.

If you want...	Start with...
Easiest start, 2D or 3D, huge help resources	Unity
Best 3D graphics, visual scripting (no code), AAA workflow	Unreal Engine
Free, open-source, lightweight, 2D focus	Godot
Make a 2D game commercially, prefer coding	GameMaker
Make a game without coding (visual logic)	Construct 3 / GDevelop
Make a Visual Novel	Ren'Py
Learn programming through game dev	Raylib (C), MonoGame (C#), PyGame (Python)

Advice: Pick one. Finish a tiny game (Pong, Flappy Bird, Text Adventure) in 1-2 weeks. Switch engines only if you hit a hard wall.

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