Download a program to create games. Choosing a program to create a game

To begin with, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with several programs that will help answer this question.

V this moment There are many programs on the Internet, paid and free, with which you can create a game of any genre and any complexity. This article describes the most common free game creation programs and their features that you can download and start creating games. I suggest you take a look at them.

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Defold Game Engine

In this article, I want to introduce you to a very young and free game engine for creating AAA games - Defold Game Engine. This engine was developed by Ragnar Svensson and Christian Murray in 2014 and there are already over 20k users and over 30k projects on this engine.

Defold runs on MacOS/OS x, Windows and Linux (32bit and 64bit). With it, you can create a game for 6 famous iOS platforms, Android ,HTML5, as well as for MacOS/OS x, Windows and Linux.

Defold is a complete 3D engine, however the toolset is made for 2D, so you have to do a lot of hard work yourself to create 3D games. Improved tools for creating 3D, the developers are planning in the near future. All applications and game logic in Defold are implemented using lua scripts. Lua is a lightweight, dynamic language that is fast and very powerful.

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Amazon Lumberyard

The lumberyard game engine can be used to create high-quality AAA games for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4, support for iOS and Android devices will be announced soon, with deep integration in Amazon Web Services and fan engagement on Twitch, the Lumberyard engine can also be used and in making multi-platform games, as it now has its own network engine.

Lumberyard was not created from scratch, it is based on the code of the CryEngine engine, in the middle of summer 2015, Amazon acquired a broad license for the CryEngine engine, but according to the developers, many innovations and features were incorporated into the system, such as: a tool for creating plants, a tool for creating skeletal animations, a particle editor, physics-based shaders, modular gems that make it easy to work with natural effects, and much more.

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Cry Engine 5

CryEngine is a game engine created by the German private company Crytek in 2002 and originally used in a first-person shooter Far Cry. In mid-March, the company provided the world with a new, fifth CryEngine. The engine is absolutely free and anyone can use it, with which you can create a game of various genres and varying complexity.

  1. CryEngine Sandbox: A real-time game editor offering "What You See Is What You PLAY" feedback.
  2. Renderer: integrated open (eng. outdoor) and closed (eng. indoor) locations without seams. The renderer also supports OpenGL and DirectX 8/9, Xbox using the latest hardware features, PS2 and GameCube, and Xbox 360.
  3. Physics System: Supports character inverse kinematics, vehicles, rigid bodies, liquid, ragdolls. rag doll), fabric simulation and soft body effects. The system is integrated with the game and tools.
  4. Character Inverse Kinematics and Mixed Animation: Allows the model to have multiple animations for better realism.
  5. Game AI System: Includes Team Intelligence and Scripted Intelligence. Ability to create custom enemies and their behavior without touching C++ code.
  6. Interactive Dynamic Music System: Music tracks respond to player actions and situations and offer CD quality with full 5.1 surround sound.

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Construct Classic

Construct Classic is a small program whose main function is to create games, 2d animations and cartoons. This constructor was created according to the WYSIWYG principle. This means that you do not have to sit at programming tutorials for a long time to create your own animated video. Everything is much simpler - we add some object, turn on animation for it, and it starts to move.

The Construct Classic app is free. What's more, it's open source, so developers and programmers can customize it just the way they want.

Main features of Construct Classic:

  • A system for editing events and reacting to them via drag-n-drop.
  • The ability to use a huge number of plugins.
  • The program was created in python, but you can modify it in C ++.
  • It is possible to connect pixel shaders to HLSL.
  • You can connect ready-made source codes of games and applications in CAP format to the program.

Changes in the latest version

  • Physics: Fixed a bug in r1 where physics objects created after launch could fly off screen at high speed.
  • Behavior: Fixed a bug. when you couldn't jump off the platform. Caused by fixing the "landing in the air" bug in version r1. Both fixes are now working.
  • Installer: Fixed problem with installation in version r1.

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GameMaker Studio

GameMaker: Studio is a free version of the popular professional toolbox for creating small mobile multi-platform games. Thanks to the user-friendly intuitive interface of the program, game developers can develop their creations more quickly and efficiently. All this because they do not have to deal with manual coding, spending a lot of time on this process.

The distribution of GameMaker: Studio contains ready-made templates for sprites, rooms and individual objects. All of them can be dragged with a few mouse movements to the future playing field, while indicating the conditions for their interaction with each other.

Main features of GameMaker: Studio:

  • Cross-platform. Without much difficulty, you can create games for Windows, Android, Linux.
  • Convenient working window programs where there is nothing superfluous.
  • Ability to create small 2D games in a matter of hours.
  • Ready applications can be integrated with Steam.
  • You can connect ready-made templates to the application, change paths, objects, sounds, backgrounds, scripts step by step and make interesting and unusual games out of this.
  • GameMaker is great for developing games and applications on mobile platforms.

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game editor

game editor- free constructor to create simple 2D games for Windows, Mac, Linux, IOS, Android operating systems. Created games are a set of game objects, each of which is given a reaction to a certain event, which determines their behavior in the game.

Built-in sets of animations are responsible for the appearance of objects. It is possible to use your own graphic and audio elements. In addition to the standard reactions of objects, you can use your own, written in a special scripting language Game Editor.

Main features of Game Editor:

  • Simple and easy to understand interface.
  • The finished application can be exported to Windows, Linux, Android, IOS.
  • The created game can be tested immediately, at any time you can stop it and start editing again.
  • Ability to use graphic files in JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, PCX, TGA, XPM, XCF and TIF formats.
  • Ability to use audio files in Ogg Vordis, MID, MOD, S3M, IT and XM formats.

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3D Rad

3D Rad is a free program for simple creation(without the use of code) various 3D games, interactive applications and physical simulations. Creating applications in 3D Rad is based on combining components (objects) in various combinations and setting up interaction between them. Physics is based on taking into account the interaction between objects.

3D Rad has a function to import models into project being created, a large number of examples and samples of three-dimensional objects, as well as the ability to add sound effects in WAV or OGG format. Works made with 3D Rad can be distributed as separate programs or web applications.

Main features of 3D Rad:

  • Creation of high-quality 3D games.
  • Realistic physics of object interaction.
  • Ability to import models.
  • High-quality graphics processing.
  • The possibility of using artificial intelligence.
  • Ability to use multiplayer.
  • High quality audio effects and music
  • Ability to embed games on web pages.

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Unreal Development Kit

The Unreal Development Kit (UDK) is a powerful free engine and development environment with great capabilities for creating games for a large number of platforms and operating systems. It contains all the tools for creating 3D games, advanced visualizations and detailed simulations.

The Unreal Development Kit includes the fully integrated Unreal Editor, as well as pre-built scripts, sprites, textures, and sounds. They can be combined with each other, prescribe the conditions for their interaction, while creating new games.

Main features of Unreal Development Kit:

  • Ability to create games for Windows, Mac OS, Xbox, PlayStation 3, Wii, Android.
  • Simple and convenient high-level programming language UnrealScript.
  • Realistic light, shadows and effects.
  • Advanced physics of behavior and interaction of objects.
  • Support LAN and direct connection to IP.
  • Ability to test the created application at any stage of its design.
  • Multi-threaded rendering of created games.
  • Ready game templates.

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NeoAxis 3D Engine

NeoAxis 3D Engine Non-Commercial SDK is a free version of a powerful and quality application for creating 3D games. In fact, it is a ready-made engine with its own models, physics, graphics and templates. Based on NeoAxis, you can create both various three-dimensional single models and complex visualization software, or even create fully featured 3D games. It all depends on the talent and goals of the developer.

NeoAxis 3D Engine consists of a whole set necessary tools to implement any developer's idea. In it in ready-made there are already 24 full-fledged maps, some of which are already good shooters, where you need to shoot at aliens, run through dark corridors in search of an exit and fight monsters in the village.

Main features of NeoAxis 3D Engine:

  • The installed program consists of a number of separate applications - a configurator, demo features of the program, a map editor and a main code editor.
  • Applications developed using the NeoAxis environment can be run on Windows and Mac OS X
  • The full range of features of the built-in NVIDIA PhysX. Support for ragdolls and vehicles.
  • Built-in support for synchronization over LAN and the Internet.
  • The application supports a huge list of languages, English, Ukrainian, Russian are available.
  • The editor is built very conveniently - all program resources are clearly structured into separate thematic folders.
  • The program consists of ready-made sets of objects, maps and models, so any student can understand it.

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Game Maker Lite

Game Maker is one of the most famous game makers focused on creating 2D games of almost any genre and difficulty level. The program has built-in editors for sprites, objects, scenarios and rooms, and also allows you to set a sequence of actions with reference to time and route of movement.

Game Maker differs in that it does not require knowledge of any programming languages ​​to create games, although the ability to use scripts is also present.

Main features of Game Maker:

  • Simple and intuitive program interface.
  • Built-in lessons for creating the first games.
  • Programming with drag-n-drop.
  • Free collection of free images and sounds for games.
  • Ability to create simple 3D games.
  • Built-in Game Maker Language (GML) programming language, allowing you to develop more functional and interesting games.

Attention:

The free version of Game Maker is limited in functionality, and when you start the games created in it, the program logo is displayed.

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Unity 3D

Unity 3D is a powerful development environment that makes it easy to create a game. 3D games and applications created with Unity work on Windows, OS X, Android operating systems. iOS, Linux, Blackberry, and Wii, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 game consoles. Applications built with Unity support DirectX and OpenGL.

With Unity 3D, you can create video games of any genre. The developer can easily import textures, models and sounds. All popular image formats are supported for textures. Scripting is done primarily with JavaScript, although code can also be written in C#.

Main features of Unity 3D:

  • Wide customization options.
  • Accessible and understandable interface.
  • Scripts in C#. JavaScript and Boo.
  • Full integration of the game engine with the development environment.
  • Support for dragging objects in the editor.
  • Support for importing a large number of formats.
  • Built-in network support.
  • Support for tissue physics (PhysX Cloth).
  • Ability to add functionality.
  • Tools for collaborative development.
  • Blender is a free 3D computer graphics creation package containing modeling, animation, rendering, video post-processing, and game creation tools. The functions of Blender are quite enough for both ordinary users and professionals to work. The program has all the basic tools used in professional 3D editors.

    A full-fledged editor with all the main functions and a set of textures, models and event handlers is placed in a relatively small amount of Blender. Additional features in Blender are implemented by connecting plug-ins - both official, created by the authors of the editor, and developed by users.

    Key features of Blender:

    • Support for a variety of geometric primitives (including polygonal models, SubSurf fast modeling system, Bezier curves, NURBS surfaces, metaspheres, sculpting and vector fonts).
    • Versatile built-in rendering engines and integration with an external YafRay renderer.
    • Animation tools including inverse kinematics, skeletal animation and mesh deformation, keyframe animation, non-linear animation, vertex weight editing, constraints, soft body dynamics, rigid body dynamics, particle-based hair system, and collision-enabled particle system
    • Python is used as a means of creating tools and prototypes, logic systems in games, as a means of importing and exporting files, and automating tasks.
    • Basic functions of non-linear editing and video combining.
    • Game Blender is a subproject of Blender that provides interactive features such as collision detection, dynamics engine, and programmable logic.

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    Stencyl

    Another environment for developing simple computer games that does not require the user to know codes and programming languages. You will have to work with diagrams and scripts presented as blocks. At the same time, it is allowed to drag objects and characteristics with the mouse. Despite the fact that the blocks provide dozens of options, the authors of Stencyl took care of those who may not have enough of this. So, it is allowed to prescribe your code in blocks. True, for this you need to understand programming.

    Users who have worked in Photoshop will love the Scene Designer graphics editor designed for drawing game worlds. Its toolkit is strikingly similar to the menu of a popular photo editor.

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    CraftStudio

    Add and modify objects in 3D space, write scripts and rules, draw animations and effects. The authors of CraftStudio have thought of everything to make creating PC games from scratch in real time clear and fun. At the same time, all tools for modeling and animations are built into the program and are clearly marked. The same can be said about the visual script editor. What is most interesting is that you will not find any problems with format compatibility or conversion. For more advanced users, a Lua Scripting text editor is provided.

Do you want to create your own 3D open world game with a compelling storyline? In the digital age, everything is possible! Special game engines will allow you to realize any fantasy, even without programming knowledge.

Thanks to modern technologies, today almost everyone can build their own 3D game. All you need to work is a computer, a special program and a margin of perseverance. Try yourself as a creator virtual worlds. Hone your skills in creating 3D games, and perhaps in a couple of years it will be your company that will delight us with wonderful digital entertainment.

Awaken your craving for art, and we will help you choose handy tool for creativity.

On what engine to build 3D games?

Due to the growing popularity of computer games, there are more and more programs for creating them. In such a variety of offers, it is easy to get confused and choose not the most suitable tool. To ensure your work is on the right track from the start, we'll help you choose the perfect engine for creating 3D games.

For our guests we have collected best programs In one place. Here you can study the properties of the engines in detail, see screenshots and video tutorials. Read reviews, compare ratings and download suitable 3D engines via torrent or file sharing services (MEGA or Yandex.Disk).

Who doesn't love playing on a computer or smartphone? There are probably few such people.

For some gamers, the love of games goes so far that they begin to understand the entertainment device itself, and dream of creating games themselves. Well, today there are many opportunities for the realization of this cherished dream!

If you want to create your own toy at your leisure, catch a list of special free programs for this.

Blender



A free package of professional software for creating interactive games and 3D computer graphics.

Tools for work will be enough for both beginners and professionals. Blender contains tools for modeling, animation, video and sound processing.

The program is a full-fledged editor, which already contains the main textures, event handlers and models. If you need additional features, you can download plugins: they are created by both official developers and users.

But you will find lessons on working in this program.

Go ahead, create new universes!

Unity 3D


It is a powerful environment for developing applications and games, including for mobile devices. 3D games created with Unity work on Windows, iOS, Android, Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii. You can create games of any genre; textures and models are easily imported, images of all popular formats are supported.

Scripts are mostly written in JavaScript, but code can also be written in C#.

Training materials for working in the environment (on English language) you will find on the official website at the link.

Construct Classic

Open source 2D and 3D game builder. You don't need programming knowledge to work. Just add an object and turn on the animation.

There is no Russian version, but the interface is very clear, so you can work even with basic knowledge of English.

Not only is the builder free, it's open source, and you can customize and edit it as you wish if you wish.

You can see Construct Classic tutorials.

Game Maker Lite



Free development software simple games, any genre: platform, puzzle, action and 3D games. Suitable for beginners. You can use your own images and effects, or the built-in program. To access a larger selection of images and effects, you need to register.

No programming knowledge is required to work, but some scripts can be written independently, if desired. So this program can be used for teaching programming as well.

Lessons on how to work in the program for beginners are on this site.

Unreal Development Kit

Free engine for creating games. Very powerful, with tons of features and tools for advanced visualizations and detailed simulations. You can create games for many modern platforms.

The program already includes textures, models, sounds, sprites, scripts. It remains only to combine and create your own game.

You can watch video tutorials and manuals for working in the program.

game editor

Editor for creating simple 2D games OS Windows, iOS, Android, Linux.

There are built-in sets of animations that are responsible for the appearance of the characters. You can use your own graphics. The program also provides a standard set of reactions that determine the behavior of the character in the game. But you can create your own, in a special scripting language Game Editor.

3D Rad



Free software for developing 3D games and interactive applications. You don't need to use the code, so creating your own games is quite simple.

The game is created by selecting various objects and setting up the interaction between them. There is a function to import models, a large number of examples and samples. You can distribute ready-made games as a full-fledged web application or program. It is possible to embed games on web pages.

Game Maker Studio

Free set of creation tools mobile games. Simple, intuitive interface, thanks to which games are developed quite simply. Programming knowledge is not required, since you do not have to write code manually.

There is nothing superfluous in the working window of the program. Games developed on Game Maker: Studio are cross-platform, and finished applications can be integrated with Steam.

NeoAxis 3D Engine

Universal environment for developing 3D projects.
This is a ready-made engine with its own models, textures, physics, templates and graphics. There are even 24 ready-made, full-fledged cards!
On it, you can create not only games, but also single models, complex visualization of software.

It remains only to turn on the imagination and create.

Itching to create your own game? No problem. Choose a program and go to your dream!

An integral part of game designers and emulators is the presence of a deeply developed scripting mechanism. Instead of manually describing the behavior of objects, you can download a program for creating games and simply arrange arrows. Plus mechanisms for rendering 2D and 3D graphics, support for useful plugins, data export / import, etc.

Blender

A large software product for working with 3D graphics, creating complex scenes, animation, including interactive scenarios. Based on them, you can get a semblance of simple games, but in fact, the application is more in demand for obtaining finished three-dimensional videos - for inserting into films, websites, cartoons, etc. Distributed for free, the project is constantly evolving.

3d Rad

An application for creating simple 2D and 3D games, a relatively good tool for learning and developing developer skills. Import of ready-made models is supported, there is a system for calculating the behavior of objects in three-dimensional space, a scripting mechanism for controlling their movement. Plus add function sound accompaniment during game play.

game editor

A powerful system of interaction between game objects based on the analysis of their behavior in space. Essentially a 2D simulation kit that can be used to create simple games. Supports a scripting programming language for reacting to events, compatible with all basic platforms - Win, Linux, OS X, iOS, etc.

Unreal Development Kit

A real gift to all developers, a set of tools for interacting with the Unreal Engine. Almost half of all the brightest and most iconic games for Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii and Android were created on it. The widest possibilities to create 3D games with very complex and detailed graphics.

Game Maker Studio

Cross-platform designer/engine, a full-fledged program for creating games for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android or HTML 5. Intuitive interface, the ability to import ready-made objects, sounds and scripts, support for shaders. Compatible with Steam and Facebook, ideal for developing simple games like Tetris or SuperMario, including 3D projects.

Neoaxis 3d Engine

An environment for developing interactive 3D scenes, including full-fledged small games. Compatible with NVIDIA PhysX, supports the use of joysticks and gamepads, you can connect C ++ libraries and program the behavior of objects manually if the capabilities of the built-in set of scripts are not enough. The basic version is free, but for access to Pro and the ability to develop commercial products, you need to fork out a lot.

Kodu Game Lab

A Microsoft educational project, an application for implementing the concept of "visual programming" and a very simplified 3D game designer. Most of the rules of behavior and physics of the game world are written by default, children only have to arrange objects and plan the scenario of the game. There are versions for Xbox and PC, the latter is free.

Raycasting Game Maker

A simple FPS game builder using 2D sprite graphics, similar to the genre's progenitors, Wolfenstein 3D and DOOM. All physics and behavior model are written by default, the application user's task is to decorate levels, place objects and specify specific parameters - health level, number of cartridges, etc. Free, open environment.

Scirra Construct Classic

The angle is based on visual design, the program is designed for creative people who are far from routine work. Almost everything is automated, most of the work is in the selection of effects and the development of the game scenario. There is support for DirectX 9, a solid package of plugins, compatibility with Python scripts, plus a set of lessons for beginner game developers.

Unity3d

A new, versatile, promising engine for creating games of any genre - without fundamental restrictions. Focus on cross-platform finished projects can be used on Windows, Android, iOS, Blackberry, OSX, Wii, Playstation 3, Xbox. There are mechanisms for importing objects, scripts and sounds, support for a scripting language based on JavaScript or C #, and work with three-dimensional graphics.

Most of the applications in this category are open source - downloading a program for creating games for free is not a problem. And many of them support the principles of visual programming - difficulties with mastering, even in the absence of knowledge of programming languages, should not arise. Although, of course, the process of creating a good game in any case will be time-consuming and not fast.

Sooner or later, any person who more or less actively plays computer games, the thought comes to mind: "Other people's games are, of course, good, but their own is still better!". Some of these people begin to study programming, game design, but this is not an easy task, and not everyone will be able to complete their studies. Professional developers, knowing about all the possible difficulties associated with the study of this difficult science, have created special software packages for creating games.
For the most part, these programs use a graphical representation of the functions familiar to every professional programmer. This allows you to create full-fledged 2D and 3D games using only one mouse. Sounds tempting, right? Unfortunately, it hasn't been without its downsides. Most of the programs are narrowly focused in the genre (that is, if it says "Strategy", then the maximum genre mixing that you can afford is "RTS / RPG", etc.), and some of them even allow you to freely change models, textures, backgrounds, music, movements, but in any case, these will only be variations on the theme of the same game. In today's review, programs are presented that (if possible, of course) are devoid of the above disadvantages.

game maker

From a simple editor of textures and models (the first versions of the program), Game Maker has become a full-featured application development environment. The eighth version, the latest to date, allows you to work with 2D and 3D objects, use standard and user-created libraries (you need to use Lib Maker for this), and much more.
Game Maker is probably the friendliest game maker software out there today. To create code, you can use both the mouse (a “graphical” programming option) and the more classic keyboard (that is, manually type in the code). It supports importing models from various editors, for example, from the popular 3D Max.
However, despite the obvious advantages, there are also disadvantages. One of them is the limited 3D support introduced since the sixth version of the program. Until the sixth version, the main games created with Game Maker were platformers, but after that it became possible to create full-fledged three-dimensional games. Another disadvantage is that a minimum knowledge of programming principles is required. Each action created on the basis of Game Maker is based on the reaction of an object to some event, which means that before you start working, you need to understand what triggers, scripts and sprites are (the latter are needed, for example, in order to to make fire and grass). And, of course, it would be better to be able to work with textures, models and animation.

Unity 3D

Programs for creating games would not exist in the form in which they exist today, if not for this package. Unity 3D is a much more sophisticated tool than Game Maker. It includes a built-in model editor, a powerful graphics engine that fully utilizes the capabilities of DirectX and OpenGL, separate programs for creating and processing shaders, shadows, terrains, physics and sounds, as well as rich script libraries.
All of the above works great in tandem, which allows a person working with Unity 3D not to use third-party programs. Unlike our previous guest, this editor, firstly, is aimed at working with three-dimensional graphics, and secondly, it makes it possible to create games of any genre on high level, thirdly, it facilitates the process of creating online games.
However, there is also a fly in the ointment in this big, luxurious barrel of honey. And this, again, is the minimum knowledge of programming principles. Up to a certain point (at the stages of developing the environment and models), you can not think about it, but then you will need to make some efforts. Despite the rich library and powerful scripting engine with instant compilation, you will have to write some part of the code yourself. At least if you really want to create something of your own.

3D Rad

The clear winner for ease of use. 3D Rad can become a starting point for many talented igrodelov, a kind of training platform, and can become a full-fledged designer of game hits. Much here depends on the talent of the developer, because quite a lot can be squeezed out of this program.
The main features are the same as in previous programs, but 3D Rad, unlike the others, supports plug-ins, has some pre-installed AI models (car and tracker), shadow and texture maps, the ability to create Online Games(!) and shareware updates (donate $5 once for the development of the engine and get free updates every month; those who do not donate wait three months).



Conclusion.
All three game creation programs are good in their own way. Game Maker is average both in terms of complexity and capabilities, 3D Rad can do a lot, but only with a sensible selection of plug-ins, and Unity 3D is generally a complete environment for comfortable game building, which, however, requires certain skills. So choose any of them, based only on your goals and talents.