Godot vs GameMaker: which is the right game engine for you?

Most industries have well-known brands and lesser-known alternatives. The big guns get the headlines and most of the airtime, but not necessarily because they're any better. In the world of game design, this is very much the case with Godot and GameMaker. Compared to Unity and Unreal Engine, you could say they're well behind the pack but that would be doing them a grave injustice.

Both Godot and GameMaker are fantastic game engines that have seen a rise in popularity thanks largely to Unity's pricing restructure. The fact that Godot is free and GameMaker offers a free version makes these two alternatives particularly appealing for indie developers. Both enable you to make and release games in the best games consoles, including PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch, as well as PC.

Both game engines are particularly good at 2D game development, although Godot does have tools for making 3D games. If you're looking to develop games specifically in 2D, then you've come to the right place. You might also want to check out our everything you need to know about Unity guide.

In this 'versus' I put Godot side by side with GameMaker. I consider the pros and cons of each and look at why one engine might be more preferable than the other. We'll dive into subjects including cost, use cases, core tools, and resources, all the while offering impartial commentary on each game engine.

Even though neither engine is particularly hardware-hungry, you'll benefit from getting one of the best laptops for game development and if Godot Engine piques your interest, check out everything you need to know about Godot Engine.

1. Godot vs GameMaker: cost

Godot and GameMaker are very similar in that they both offer free versions of the software. Godot is 100% free with no paid-for version, whereas GameMaker offers two extra licenses for those who want additional features and capabilities.

GameMaker's free version limits users to non-commercial uses and every export platform except consoles. If you'd like to make games for money, then the Professional license, for $99.99, is required. If you want to go a step further and add console export functionality, then that attracts a much larger sum of $799.99 per year.

GameMaker's pricing structure is really straight-forward and does away with any royalty fees that other engines like Unity have adopted.

Godot, on the other hand, is the simplest of them all. There are no install fees, runtime fees, or percentage of sales fees. The engine is free and open-source, with all development costs being funded by generous donors. Anyone who wants to make a donation can do so through the Godot Engine website.

Both game engines are fantastic for indie developers wanting to make games. GameMaker developers will need to pay a fee, but it's not huge in the grand scheme of what you get for the moment, especially if you're only exporting to desktop, web, or mobile.

2. Godot Engine vs GameMaker: use cases

Godot and GameMaker are both incredibly capable 2D game engines and is the sector where both have seen most of their success. Cassette Beasts by Bytten Studio (one of the best indie games) and Brotato by Blobfish are two of the most popular 2D games created with Godot. GameMaker, on the other hand, has been used to create Undertale, Forager, and Chicory: A Colorful Tale. These three games have attracted widespread popularity.

Over and above GameMaker, Godot offers 3D tools as well. Developers who are either unsure of how many dimensions they want to work in or who want to avoid limiting their options would be best off adopting Godot. The fact that it's 100% free for all use cases is another big win for the open-source engine.

Neither Godot nor GameMaker are likely to ever adopt TV and film use cases in the same way that Unity and Unreal Engine are beginning to.

3. Godot Engine vs GameMaker: core tools 

Godot Engine is perfect for game designers wanting to work in both 3D and 2D. This sets it distinctly apart from GameMaker. Across all of these dimensions, Godot provides the necessary tools for building, animating, and rendering 3D worlds and characters.

2D specific tools in Godot enable working in 2D pixel coordinates with dedicated 2D nodes. By providing these specific tools, 2D game designers can forget the third dimension and not get bogged down with tools they don't need to worry about. All of this enables designers and developers to streamline their workflows by tailoring the development experience.

Godot is very similar in this regard. Room, object, and image editors provide everything required to get your games setup without too much trouble. Animations and cutscenes can be created using sequences and levels can be quickly designed with tilesets.

One of the best things about game development in GameMaker is that it provides two ways of working. The first is using GML Code, which requires scripting knowledge, whereas the second is called GML Visual and requires no programming knowledge whatsoever. This alone makes it perfect and probably slightly better than Godot for beginners.

Both Godot and GameMaker are able to deploy games across a variety of different platforms, including desktop, mobile, and the web. Games can be output to consoles with both engines, although this is more straightforward with GameMaker.

4. Godot Engine vs GameMaker: resources

Godot Engine has a wide-ranging set of committed fans who have taken to YouTube to provide excellent content for learning how to use the open-source engine. One of the best is @uheartbeast, which has a large set of Godot videos ranging from individual tutorials all the way to creating games from beginning to end. If you'd prefer a more established set of Godot tutorials, then check out either Udemy or GDQuest.

GameMaker's website has a tonne of excellent video tutorials that will get you up and running in no time. Tutorials can be filtered by beginner, intermediate, and advanced, helping users tailor their learning experience to their level of knowledge. Popular tutorials include 'How to optimise your games' and 'A Unity User's guide to GameMaker.' You can also find tutorials across YouTube with Let's learn this together being one of the better options.

5. Godot Engine vs GameMaker: ease of use

Both Godot and GameMaker are great options for beginners, with GameMaker probably pipping its competitor to the post. Why, I hear you ask. Well, GameMaker offers a lot of advanced capabilities using its GML Code, but it also enables complete game design using the alternative GML Visual. This visual workflow requires zero programming knowledge, making it ideal for beginners and those not familiar with scripting languages.

If you want to use Godot, then you're going to have to learn how to use one of its supported scripting languages. These include GDScript, C#, and C++. The first in that list is Godot's own scripting language, which is so high-level that it's actually very easy for any beginner to learn. And if you know Python already, then you'll be flying right away.

In terms of the interface and workflow, both Godot and GameMaker provide dedicated tools that are simple and straightforward. I would say that the main plus that GameMaker has over Godot is that it only provides 2D tools and is therefore simpler in an overall sense.

6. Godot Engine vs GameMaker: system requirements 

Godot and GameMaker are pretty undemanding when it comes to hardware resources with most modern laptops or PCs able to run both engines.

Both options are compatible across Windows, macOS, and Linux, making either a viable option for any operating system. GameMaker is pretty easy-going when it comes to CPUs, with the simple recommendation of a dual-core GPU. Godot is similar, although a quad-core CPU is recommended.

4GB of RAM is enough for both Godot and GameMaker, although the latter claims it'll actually be fine on only 2GB. You won't necessarily need one of the best laptops for gaming but any machine with a semi-decent CPU and GPU will be absolutely fine.

7. Godot Engine vs GameMaker: conclusion 

Godot and GameMaker are very viable alternatives to the big players of Unity and Unreal Engine. Game developers will feel right at home in both engines, although GameMaker only offers 2D game development and is therefore an ideal option for 2D developers.

If you're looking for a game engine that is free from beginning to end with no license fees or game sale fees, then Godot is the one to go for. GameMaker does offer a free version but if you want to do anything commercial with the games you develop, then you'll need either a Professional or Enterprise license.

If I were to advise beginners on which engine to try first, then I would point them in the GameMaker direction. The provision of a visual interface for setting up game logic means the requirement for knowing scripting languages is removed. That being said, Godot's own scripting language is pretty high-level and therefore one of the easier programming languages to learn.

Godot and GameMaker are pretty evenly matched, with the former being the only option out of the two for 3D games and the latter being slightly more suited to developing 2D games.