List of Top 2D Game Engines

2d games represents the single biggest market and these are the best game engines for creating awesome 2d games, that can compete on mobile, console or desktop. Whether you're distributing on IOS, android, consoles or Steam, these game engines have the features and track record to deserve your consideration. At the end of this article you'll know what engines to consider, what types of games these engines have made in the past and what genres of games they are best used for. This is our list of best 2d game engines.

Want to make a great 2d game, if you pick from any of these engines from this article, you can't go wrong, as all of these, have great reputations. All of the following engines have strong communities and enough tutorials and resources online, to get you started making your games. So let's start.

Cocos2D-X

This is one the most popular 2d game engines in the world, as Cocos has powered a good portion of the mobile games, you see in IOS and Android. Cocos is also the most popular game engine in Asia. Cocos2D-X is open-source and is cross-platform, including Android, IOS, Linux and more it has a lot of detailed documentation for developers and is supported by a vast community. It has been used in development projects by major studios, like Zynga, Glu, BigFish Games, Disney Mobile, and more. In terms of languages Cocos2d-X supports: C++, Lua, Javascript. The best news about Cocos2d-X is that it's under the MIT license for free and commercial use. No license costs, no royalties.

Supported Languages: C++, Lua, Javascript Games;

Made on the engine: Hill Climb Racing, Flow Free and BadLand;

Prices: FREE (MIT License);

Benefits: 1. Most popular engine in Asia;

2. Android, Linux, OSX, IOS and more;

3. Vast Community;

4. Used by Zynga, Glu, BIGFISH GAMES, Disney mobile and more;

Unity

No engine has seen more adoption in last decay, as Unity has become a popular choice for independent developers. It has even started to gain acceptance with larger studios. Unity is cross-platform and deploys on virtually any platform with ease, including Android, IOS and Windows. It also support virtual reality platforms. It uses C# for its programming language. Unity is free for personal use and paid-plans start at 35$ per month. Unity has been used by countless indies and industry giants, like EA, Ubisoft, Square Enix and more. Popular Unity games include Pokemon GO, Super Mario Run and Angry Birds 2.

Supported Languages: C#;

Made on the engine: Pokemon GO, Super Mario Run and Angry Birds 2;

Prices: Free for Personal use. Commercial use - 35$;

Benefits: 1. Most adopted by indie developers;

2. Used by big studios;

3. Android, IOS, Windows;

4. Virtual Reality support;

Gamemaker Studio

Gamemaker Studio is popular for its to pick-up interface and excellent toolset for game developers, that are not coders. Gamemaker has a great drag-and-drop interface, that allows you to create games without knowing how to code. But if you want to customise your development, you may want to brush upon Gamemaker language. The engines custom programming language, that you can use to modify scripts, events, and other code elements. The latest version Gamemaker Studio 2 starts at 31.90$ for basic license and goes all away up to 1500$ for its ultimate edition. A free trial is also avaliable. Great games made with game maker include Spelunky, Hotline Miami and Undertale.

Supported Languages: Gamemaker Language;

Made on the engine: Spelunky, Hotline Miami, Undertale;

Prices: $39 USD(Basic) up to $1500 USD(Ultimate);

Benefits: 1. Easy to pickup interface;

2. Excellent toolset for non-coders;

3. Drag&Drop interface;

4. Supports mobile, consoles, and desktop;

GODOT

A highly regarded open-source engine, that is rapidly gaining in popularity. GODOT is a cross-platform engine, that will publish and web, windows, mac, linux, Android, IOS. GD Script is the main programming language on Godot, but C# is a also supported. In terms of pricing, as mentioned, GODOT is open-source and 100% free to use for commercial purposes. No licenses or royalties need to be paid. Some great games in GODOT include Unnamed, Spooky Ghost Dot Com, Godotron.

Supported Languages: GDScript C#;

Made on the engine: Unnamed, Spooky Ghost Dot Com, Godotron;

Prices: FREE(MIT License);

Benefits: 1. Highly regarded by community;

2. Web, Windows, Mac, Linux, IOS, Android;

Construct 3

With it simple interface, drag-and-drop features, and build-in libraries, Construct 3 is a great engine for rapidly prototyping your ideas. What is the coolest and most unique thing about this engine, is that it runs completely in your browser. Everything, from importing your assets, to creating your logic, to testing and playing your game, all the way to export in your game, it all happens in your browser, how convenient is that? With Construct 3 you can quickly export games to Web and HTML5, you can also publish games for a number of platforms including IOS, Android, Steam, Facebook, and more. Construct 3 is, also excellent option for beginners, as it not used a coding language. In terms of pricing Construct 3 licenses started 99 dollars a year for a personal license, they do however offer pretty comprehensive free trial, you can head over to editor.construct.net to try it out. If you want to try out games made in Construct 3 you can play a bunch over at the Scirra arcade.

Supported Languages: No Coding Required;

Prices: $99 USD/Year or Free Trial;

Benefits: 1. Drag&Drop interface;

2. Perfect for prototyping ideas;

3. 100% Browser based;

4. Html5, IOS, Android, Steam, Facebook, and more;

Fusion

Back in the 90's, hobbyist game developers, who didn't know how to code, still had great options, like Click&Play, and multimedia fusion express, thanks to the fine folks at Clique team. Fast forward to today, and they are still at it, with Clickteam fusion 2.5. Just like their previous iterations Clickteam fusion 2.5 is designed for 2d titles and features a drag-and-drop interface and visual programming. With it you can make games for platforms including Windows, Android and iOS. And just like Construct 3 with Clickteam fusion 2.5 there are no complex programming languages to learn. You can purchase Clickteam fusion 2.5 on Steam for $99. Some of the most famous indie games have been created using Clickteam fusion including Not A Hero, Freedom Planet, and 5's Nights At Freddys. It's currently rated very positive on Steam with 90% of its 376 steam reviews, giving it the thumbs up.

Supported Languages: No Coding Required;

Made on the engine: Not A Hero, Freedom Planet, and 5's Nights At Freddy's;

Prices: $99 USD on Steam;

Benefits: 1. Designed for 2d Tiles;

2. Drag & Drop Interface;

3. Visual Programming;

4. Windows, Android, IOS, and more;