
GDevelop
No description available.
The Lens
GDevelop makes 2D and 3D games without writing code, using a visual event system that reads like plain English. It's game development for people who have ideas but don't want to learn C# or GDScript first. Drag behaviors onto objects, set up conditions and actions, and export to web, mobile, or desktop.
The free tier is usable: you can build and export complete games. The editor runs in your browser or as a desktop app. No account required to start building. The event system is surprisingly powerful once you get past the learning curve.
The paid tiers add cloud builds (export to mobile without local SDKs), multiplayer/leaderboard services, more cloud storage, and asset packs. Silver is $5/mo, Gold is $10/mo, and there are education and startup plans.
The catch: the visual event system hits a ceiling. Complex game logic (pathfinding, state machines, multiplayer sync) gets messy without code. The 3D support is early and limited compared to dedicated 3D engines. And the marketplace/asset ecosystem is smaller than Godot's or Unity's. If you know you'll outgrow no-code, start with Godot instead.
Free vs Self-Hosted vs Paid
open core**Free tier:** Full editor, export to web/desktop/mobile (local builds), community extensions, unlimited projects locally. Genuinely complete for solo game development.
**Silver ($5/mo):** Cloud builds (export without installing Android SDK), 500MB cloud storage, online leaderboards, player authentication.
**Gold ($10/mo):** Everything in Silver plus multiplayer infrastructure, 2GB cloud storage, more cloud build credits, analytics.
**Education ($2/student/mo):** Classroom features, student management.
**Startup ($25/mo):** Priority support, team collaboration, 10GB storage.
The free-to-paid trigger is clear: cloud builds for mobile. If you're only building web games, free tier covers it. If you need iOS/Android exports without setting up Xcode or Android Studio, Silver pays for itself in setup time saved.
**The math:** Setting up local mobile build toolchains takes 4-8 hours. At $5/mo for cloud builds, that's a no-brainer for hobbyists. For studios, the multiplayer infrastructure at $10/mo is cheap compared to building your own.
Free for web games. $5/mo for mobile cloud builds. $10/mo adds multiplayer services.
Similar Tools
About
- Owner
- 4ian (Organization)
- Stars
- 21,859
- Forks
- 1,324
Explore Further
More tools in the directory
Get tools like this delivered weekly
The Open Source Drop — the best new open source tools, analyzed. Free.
