Best Game Engine Software in 2026
Updated
In short: Construct 3 is ranked #1 of 91 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of Godot Engine and CRYENGINE. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Godot Engine. The lowest first paid tier on this page is PlayCanvas at $15/mo.
Game engines offer different approaches to building and exporting a game, so start with the platforms you want to target and the tools you prefer to use. Compared on target platforms, mobile and console export, and scripting languages, these options also vary in visual scripting and multiplayer tools. Source code model, free-plan availability, and paid-from pricing provide further comparison points. Construct 3, Godot Engine, and CRYENGINE are among the engines to consider. Check whether the export options match your intended platforms and whether you’d rather work with code, visual tools, or a mix of both.
91 game engine software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
#2 Godot Engine Runner-up · 9.0 Free plan · Free
#3 CRYENGINE Also great · 9.0 Free plan · Free
- Free planFree trial AndroidiOSLinuxmacOSWebWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- $9.99/user/mo
- Visual scripting
- Yes
- Multiplayer tools
- Yes
- Mobile export
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Free plan AndroidapiextensioniOSLinuxmacOSWebWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Source code model
- open_source
- Visual scripting
- No
- Multiplayer tools
- Yes
- Mobile export
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Free plan AndroidiOSLinuxmacOSWebWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- Free
- Source code model
- source_available
- Visual scripting
- Yes
- Multiplayer tools
- Yes
- Mobile export
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Free plan AndroidiOSLinuxmacOSWebWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- Free
- Source code model
- open_source
- Visual scripting
- Yes
- Multiplayer tools
- Yes
- Mobile export
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Free plan AndroidiOSLinuxmacOSWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Source code model
- source_available
- Visual scripting
- Yes
- Multiplayer tools
- Yes
- Mobile export
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms$79.99/mofirst paid tier About GameMakerVisit site - Free planFree trial AndroidextensioniOSLinuxmacOSWebWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Free plan AndroidextensioniOSLinuxmacOSWebWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Source code model
- source_available
- Visual scripting
- No
- Multiplayer tools
- Yes
- Mobile export
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Free plan AndroidiOSLinuxmacOSWebWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Source code model
- source_available
- Visual scripting
- Yes
- Multiplayer tools
- Yes
- Mobile export
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Free plan Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- Free
- Source code model
- Open source on GitHub under the MIT license
- Visual scripting
- Yes
- Multiplayer tools
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms$15/mofirst paid tier About PlayCanvasVisit site - Free plan AndroidiOSLinuxmacOSWebWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Source code model
- open_source
- Visual scripting
- Yes
- Multiplayer tools
- No
- Mobile export
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Free plan AndroidiOSLinuxmacOSWebWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Source code model
- open_source
- Visual scripting
- Yes
- Multiplayer tools
- Yes
- Mobile export
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Free plan AndroidiOSLinuxmacOSWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Source code model
- open_source
- Multiplayer tools
- Yes
- Mobile export
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Free plan AndroidiOSmacOSWebWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Source code model
- closed_source
- Visual scripting
- Yes
- Mobile export
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - AndroidiOSLinuxmacOSWebWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Source code model
- open_source
- Visual scripting
- No
- Multiplayer tools
- Yes
- Mobile export
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Free plan LinuxWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Source code model
- closed_source
- Visual scripting
- Yes
- Multiplayer tools
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms$832.92/mofirst paid tier About UNIGINE EngineVisit site - AndroidiOSmacOSWebWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Source code model
- source_available
- Visual scripting
- Yes
- Mobile export
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - AndroidiOSLinuxmacOSWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Source code model
- open_source
- Multiplayer tools
- Yes
- Mobile export
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Free planFree trial apiLinuxmacOSself-hostedWebWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - AndroidiOSWeb
- Free plan
- Yes
- Source code model
- open_source
- Visual scripting
- No
- Multiplayer tools
- No
- Mobile export
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - AndroidiOSLinuxWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Source code model
- open_source
- Visual scripting
- Yes
- Multiplayer tools
- No
- Mobile export
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - AndroidiOSLinuxmacOSWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Source code model
- open_source
- Mobile export
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - AndroidiOSLinuxmacOSWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Source code model
- open_source
- Mobile export
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - AndroidiOSLinuxmacOSWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Source code model
- open_source
- Visual scripting
- No
- Mobile export
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - AndroidiOSLinuxmacOSWebWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Source code model
- open_source
- Visual scripting
- No
- Mobile export
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - AndroidiOSLinuxmacOSWebWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Source code model
- open_source
- Visual scripting
- Yes
- Mobile export
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms
Is your platform on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which game engine software is ranked first on The Geeks Club?
Construct 3 is ranked #1 of 91 with a score of 9.7. Godot Engine is second and CRYENGINE third.
How many of these have a free plan?
15 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, PlayCanvas has the lowest first paid tier we found: $15/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on how quickly a newcomer can get going: documentation depth, a free tier or trial, and the platforms it runs on. Paid placements never change a rank.