Godot review

Godot ranks first because it covers most of what small teams need and never charges for it. The license page states that the engine is free and open source under the MIT license and that its terms do not apply to the games you create, so there is no revenue cap, seat fee or royalty to track. The editor has a dedicated 2D engine that works in real pixel coordinates, which makes it a strong pick for 2D games, and the 3D side covers desktop, mobile, web and XR through OpenXR and WebXR. You can script in GDScript, which is designed for the engine, or use C# and C++. The trade-offs are in reach and support: consoles are handled through third-party publishers instead of a built-in exporter, C# does not run on the web in Godot 4, and there is no vendor support contract. For learners and indies, those limits rarely matter at the start.

Who it is for

Hobbyists and indie developers who want a capable engine with no fees, no revenue caps and full access to the source.

Price

Free and open source under the MIT license; no paid plans or royalties.

Godot Engine is free and open source software released under the permissive MIT license
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 9, 2026.

Key features

• Dedicated 2D engine with real 2D pixel coordinates and 2D nodes, separate from the 3D renderer
• Scripting in GDScript, C# or C++, or other languages through GDExtension
• Built-in support for OpenXR and WebXR, with more XR SDKs through plugins
• Deploys to desktop, mobile and the web, with console releases handled through third-party publishers
• MIT license: the engine's terms do not apply to the games you make with it

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: No license fee, revenue threshold or royalty at any size
• Strength: Separate 2D engine suits pixel art and UI-heavy games
• Strength: Full source code is open for study and modification
• Weakness: Console exports go through third-party publishers rather than an official exporter
• Weakness: C# is limited to desktop and mobile in Godot 4, with no C# on the web
• Weakness: No official paid support plan from the project

Key facts

• License: MIT (Expat)
• Latest stable: 4.7.2
• Languages: GDScript, C#, C++, GDExtension
• Consoles: Through third-party publishers
• Price: Free

Where it ranks

Godot is No. 1 in our Best Game Engines verdict.