20 Free Software for Game Development 2021

Find out some of the Best Free Software for Game Development in 2021.

The field of Game Development has seen a great surge in this decade and is all set to cross new heights ahead of time. This shows the significance of the field and the interest of new aspiring developers attracted towards it. Though the competition in the market is way too high, the dedication and passion of new era Game Developers are equal to it. And the only thing that pushes the Indie Community Back is the lack of resources and opportunities, but not anymore. As we are advancing to a New Era of Game Development, now the Cyber Space is witnessing innumerous possibilities with tons of resources to help everyone prove and get to the top spot. This is the right time where the budget is no more a constraint to start making Games. This article is curated to focus on some of the Best Free Software for Game Development to date. Although there is much more specific Software being Super Expert in their field, this article has been limited to provide a brief base ground to start from, however, further series of this article would host a detailed list of all the Software from various fields ahead of time.

Game Engines

The first thing that you would ever need to make any game is the Game Engine. Whether you are thinking of making the next Mario or aspiring to make the next Minecraft, all these require a Game Engine to turn your idea into reality. With each increasing year, the competition among Game Engines is increasing and resulting in the creation of many new paths to approach. Here are a few top-grossing and best Free Game Engines in 2021 to start with -

Unity

A well-known and widely used Game Engine which has been attracting beginners and developers towards it for years is a great Software not just for the entry-level geeks but also for every Game Developer out there to make its dream game. Supporting a wide range of Platforms with user-friendly manuals and tons of resources available online makes it easier for Game Developers to turn all their ideas into a live game. It has been an all-time favorite Game Engine among beginners and experienced Game Developers to achieve their goals and make a successful business out of it. Unity Personal is Free for learning and Commercial use with all the required basic features, however, more features can be unlocked by getting a Paid Unity Subscription.

Here are a few top-grossing latest Unity Games -

1. Cuphead

2. Ori And The Blind Forest

3. My Freind Pedro

4. Monument Valley 2

5. Hollow Knight

6. Fall Guys

7. Kerbal Space Program 2

Unreal

If you are thinking of starting Game Development or you are already a Game Developer, you must be knowing Unreal game Engine and the question, “Unity vs Unreal: Which is better?” for sure. Well, that’s what the level of competition is and the popularity of this Software in the field of Game Development. Unreal is widely known for its ultra-realistic high fidelity graphics and has already proved its significance in the industry by showing the real power of Unreal Engine by breathtaking visuals from the Games made from it. This shows the capabilities of the Engine to produce some of the best visuals matching with reality and turning the game into a real-world experience. Not just that, Unreal has a wide set of applications and is used by tons of Industry Professionals to make beautiful looking AAA quality games. However, it was March 2015, when Unreal Engine 4 was released with a Free to Use license allowing all the beginners to jump in and harness the power to make visually excellent Games. Since then, Unreal has attracted several developers towards it and started enlarging its community giving a sharp competition to Unity. Comparatively, the resources available for Unreal are way too narrow but the void would be filling up pretty soon with the advancement in Gaming Industry. Unreal Engine comes up with a Free plan with a royalty system of 5% revenue for products that make more than $3,000 per quarter.

Here are the latest Unreal Engine made Games -

1. Batman Arkham City

2. Little NIghtmares

3. Bordelands 3

4. Street Fighter 5

5. Fortnite

6. Chivalry 3

7. MotoGP 20

GameMakerStudio2

If you have ever thought, “Whether I can make a game if I don’t know Coding?”, then the answer is pretty simple, Yes, we can make stunning games even if we don’t know how to code. And this is pretty possible with the Game Maker Studio 2 that helps you making a game by Drag & Drop Blocks. Game Maker Studio has great popularity among beginners who are not willing to code the entire game and there are many awesome titles published with this engine. Though it is more powerful to construct a 2D Game with increasing time the 3D Capabilities are quite enhancing and it would be soon possible to make high fidelity 3D Games with this Engine. The Free license supports unlimited use cases of the IDE; however, the exports of any kind are only supported on the Paid Versions of it.

Check out all the Games made using Game Maker Studio 2 -

1. Undertale

2. Hotline Miami

3. Shovel Knight

4. Katana Zero

5. Hyper Light Drifter

GODOT

A completely Free Open Source MIT Licensed Engine with absolutely no Royalties, no upfront fees, no hidden cost, and no cost for anything. GODOT is undoubtedly a great Open Source Engine that allows you to create powerful 2D and 3D games with a full set of features matching with all other engines. With an ever-increasing active community, Godot has been maintaining its spot for years. It uses its own custom language for making games, GDScript which is more likely resembles Python. Though GODOT doesn’t possess the same level of resources as Unity and Unreal does but definitely has a great community to solve out all of your problems instantly.

Here are a few games made with GODOT -

1. Kingdoms of the Dump

2. Until Then

3. Primal Light

4. Precipice

5. Hive Time

3D Modelling

Everyone loves to make 3D Games and we all know how hard is to find the entire set of 3D resources to make such a game. Now, if you chose to make your own 3D models then finding the right software to start with free of cost is a tasking job. Well, these years we have seen how Blender has paved its way to becoming one of the most user-friendly 3D Modelling Software with hundreds of powerful features easing out the way of making 3D for Games. Here are two Free 3D Modelling Software to make your dream 3D Game -

Blender

One of the most popular and top-grossing 3D Modelling Software which gained an instant surge in user base especially Game Developers recently, Blender, is an Open-Source 3D Modelling Software with a powerful set of features widely used by both beginners and industry professionals. With a massive library full of informative resources and a vast active community Blender is undoubtedly the best Software to start with. From modeling to Animation, everything can be done in Blender. So it is a complete solution for all the 3D needs for your Game.

MagicaVoxel

Desiring to create Voxel Games? Simply, check out MagicaVoxel and start creating your first Voxel Art Game without any hurdle. With a super powerful set of features and a fully dedicated Voxel workflow, the MagicaVoxel allows you to create high-quality Voxel renders and is used widely amongst Game Developers creating Voxel games.

MagicaCSG

There’s a whole new trend in the 3D Modeling workflow. Modeling using Signed Distance Fields is now much more accessible with the introduction of MagicaCSG, new software from, Ephtracy, the maker of MagicaVoxel. The Software comes with its own path tracer rendering engine as well just like MagicaVoxel for those high fidelity Renderings. Welcome to a whole new world of 3D Modeling.

Zbrush Core Mini

If you wanted to delve deeper into the world of digital sculpting then Zbrush Core Mini is the perfect way to do so. Yet another accessible iteration of the industry-standard sculpting software Zbrush, Zbrush Core Mini focuses on getting the taste of Zbrush’s power into everyone’s hands. Although it’s not as powerful and feature-packed as Zbrush it’s a great point to start with.

2D Art

Making a 2D Game? Need Some Background Sprites? 2D Characters? There’s a lot of ways to do it for Free. Here are a few Best Free 2D Art Software to make awesome 2D Graphics for your Games -

Gimp

GIMP is a completely Free Open Source Feature-Packed Image Editing Software to turn down all your ideas into visuals. Being considered as the alternative solution to Photoshop, it is widely used for Commercial Purposes when users don’t want to spend on other Paid Services like Photoshop. The ever-growing use case of GIMP has led its way to add up more features and make it even more powerful while still staying Free for all.

Krita

An overall drawing solution for all artists with the features like animations, vector art, painting, and a lot more stuff in a single Software designed specifically to deliver high-quality professional resources for all purposes. Krita has a wide range of skill set that gives endless possibilities to the user to create anything he desires. It is being used by industry Professionals for Game Assets such as Backgrounds, Game Characters, Animations, and a lot more. Also, many artists use Krita for Comics and Manga designs, so if your game is focused to be made in a comic style then Krita would be a great fit in your workflow.

Animations

Animations play a crucial role in Games making them feel more dynamic and livelier. This is one of the most vital driving factors to juice up your game to feel AAA. Even this can be done without paying a penny, check out Free Animations Software used for Game Development -

DragonBones

If you are searching for Free 2D Animation Software supporting Skeletal Animations the surely DragonBones is a great fit for all of your needs. This powerful software is an Opensource and highly productive toolset to make your character dynamic in a couple of mins. It also allows to deform the sprite mesh and with the pre-defined set of animation, you can see your character in action instantly. It supports a wide range of platforms and has been used by many big games.

Blender

As mentioned earlier, Blender is a One-Stop 3D Solution, not just Modelling and Texture, but you can also make wonderful Animations in Blender while giving life to your 3D Character. The animations in Blender have seen a significant enhancement and it is now being used by top industry professionals to craft some of the beautiful animations for their games.

Video Editing

Finished Gaming? Want to make awful trailers and promotional content for your game. Not at all a problem, just check out these Best Free Video Editing Software and start making stunning Videos of your game to showcase the world.

Davinci Resolve

Searching for a professional solution and an alternative to Adobe Premiere Pro is no longer a difficulty, Davinci Resolve is a powerful, One Stop Solution for all your video editing needs and professional exports. This is used by many industry professionals to create stunning awful videos not just for commercial advertising but for many high-quality Games. Whether you are thinking of making a promotional video taking the current trend or planning to make a funky trailer, Davinci Resolve got all the features available upfront to tackle it.

Lightworks

Want to pick up high-quality stock resources and finish up your first video instantly? Not at all a problem, Lightworks is a Free Video making Software that allows you to create awesome videos with the help of hundreds of templates to choose from and customize them as per your need with a full set of effects. If you don’t want to start from scratch and are rather willing to get a video done asap then Lightworks would work best for you.

Music

One of the most Essential Elements that sets the right mood for your game, the field of Music, has witnessed tons of Software to produce different kinds of tunes, melodies, ambiance, etc., and is a vast field to explore in itself. However, there are a few Software that can ease up your life by creating breathtaking Sounds in just a couple of mins. Here are a few such software that would the right mood for your Game -

Audacity

Audacity is a great Open Source DAW widely used by beginners and professionals to make music for your game. It has powerful audio editing capabilities and supports unlimited tracks. It also gives the option for recording while making it an overall good product. It doesn’t support MIDI, which is a distinct drawback but apart from it surely it’s great too for your Music Editing needs.

Bandlab

If you are planning to make some quick audios for your projects with some presets, templates, and stock Audio then never miss out to check BandLab. It’s an Open Source complete solution for all of your Modern Music needs with hundreds of templates ready to use instantly. Make your music in a couple of mins without creating tunes from scratch and enhance your project with quality tracks. Not just that, it has hundreds of effects and features with enormous possibilities with full potential to make some uniquely sounding tracks.

GarageBand

If you are an Apple user, you might have known it since you have used Apple Product. Garage Band is Apple’s FREE entry-level DAW which comes pre-installed with all the apple products that have the true potential to create uniquely professional soundtracks by using hundreds of pre-installed instruments. The ease of use is also a prime factor that plays a role in attracting a huge user base towards it. Also, a point to note here, not just the quality but the design of the App is way too good and intuitive.

Project Management

A properly organized work is the key to efficient working and high productivity. While making a project it is always necessary to keep things organized and maintain a schedule to meet up with deadlines and track progress side by side. This ensures perfect time delivery and higher productivity making the business reach heights. Here are such Project Management Software that would help you to keep everything in your attention and help you to maintain everything consistently -

Trello

Among all the Project management Software present in the market, Trello is one of the most popular and heavily used in the industry for its simple, intuitive, and user-friendly design based on the Kanban Design concept. With unlimited boards, tasks, checklists, task lists capabilities, it has become the ideal choice for every Game Developer and Freelancer to choose for their project.

Codecks

Specifically made for Game Developers, Codecks is really awesome and powerful software that helps to organize in various visually appealing ways in a trading card concept. As it is biased towards Game Development, it features most of the things related to the field such as Discord Integration, Game Design Documents, Open Development Projects, and many more. Is it FREE? Yes, it is but up to a certain limit.

Asana

Asana is another such great tool popular among Game Developers due to its feature-packed content and lightweight tool that supports the Agile Method. The visually appealing UI with a well-managed dashboard helps the user to clearly understand the status of the project and allows to uplift the scalability whenever required. However, There’s even more to explore.

So here was a brief list comprising of 20 Best Free Software for Game Development 2021. There are even more excellent tools for specific fields which would be covered in the upcoming article. Stay tuned and we hope it was a good reading.

With Love From VOiD1 Gaming

**VOiD1 Gaming is not sponsored by any of the above companies. This list is in no particular order and preferences of the software are solely dependent on the user interest. All trademarks appearing in this list are registered trademarks of the respective companies.**