A complete list of software for creating games (3D PC)
We present to you our website’s attempt to create a comprehensive list of game engines that will be of interest to indie developers, convenient for initial engine selection, and help you take the next step toward creating your own computer game. Everything is simple, concise, categorized, and color-coded according to relevance.
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Game engines for creating 3D games
| Name | Description, advantages | Platforms | Language | Genres | Price |
| 3D Game Studio v.A8 (2012) |
Engine developers: Conitec Datasystems, Inc. (Germany). Pros: Reliable and high-quality, with excellent features. Cons: Not the most powerful or optimized. The game AaaaaAAaaa was created using this engine. Website: 3dgamestudio.com |
Windows | No software, Lite-C | 3D and 2D games of any genre | Limited “Free”, $99, $199 |
| 3D Rad (Custom Built) v.7 (2007 – 2013) |
A high-quality free game engine. This engine is most often used to create racing games. The program has a simple and intuitive interface, uncluttered. It supports the NVidia PhysX physics engine. Online game creation is also possible. Website: 3drad.com |
Windows | — | 3D games of any genre | Free, $5 |
| Agar v.1.4.1 (2002 – 2011) |
A powerful, open-source, cross-platform game engine. Designed for ease of integration, Agar follows the philosophy of building the GUI around the application, not the other way around. Website: libagar.org |
Windows, Mac | C, C++ or Objective-C (Perl, Ada) | 3D and 2D games of any genre | For free |
| Baja Engine v2.7.5 (2008) |
A professional-quality game engine. It includes all necessary modules: sound, animation, and networking. The Lost Mansion (3D quest) was created using this engine. Website: bajaengine.com |
Windows, Mac | Lua 5.1 | 3D and 2D games of any genre | For free |
| Barok Engine (2013) |
An engine from Polish indie developer Sagaceil. Designed for game development, visualization, and presentation creation. Supports OpenGL 2.0–3.2 and NVIDIA PhysX. Website: barokengine.com (in Polish) |
Windows | C++, Lua | 3D games of any genre, RPGs, presentations | Free, by arrangement |
| Blender Game Engine v.2.69 (2013) |
A powerful high-level programming tool. Its primary focus is game development, but it can be used to create any interactive 3D program. Website: blender.org |
Windows, Mac, Linux, Solaris | C++, Python | 3D and 2D games of any genre | For free |
| Blitz3D (BlitzMax, BlitzTech) | A powerful and easy-to-use programming language based on Basic. It compiles incredibly fast code and supports DirectX 7. The game SCP — Containment Breach — was created using this engine. Website: blitzbasic.com |
Windows, Mac, Linux | Blitz Basic (based on Basic) | 3D and 2D games of any genre | Free for 30 days, $59, $79 |
| CAST II Game Engine (2011) |
For Delphi programming. The WYSIWYG game world editor is a single tool for editing any aspect of the game world in real time. All engine capabilities are available in the editor. DirectX 8.1 support. Website: casteng.com/ru |
Windows | Delphi (Object Pascal) | 3D and 2D games of any genre | For free |
| Crystal Space (CEL – Crystal Entity Layer) v.2.0 (2013) |
A modular, customizable, and extensible rendering engine. Supports OpenGL and advanced features: shaders, lighting systems, physics, 3D sound, animation, foliage, and a virtual file system. Website: crystalspace3d.org |
Windows, Mac, Linux | — | 3D games of any genre | For free |
| Cube 2: Sauerbraten (2013) |
An advanced engine forked from the Cube engine. Games in the first-person shooter genre, single-player and multiplayer. Website: sauerbraten.org |
Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, Mac, Unix | — | FPS (first-person shooter) | For free |
| Delphix Engine v.3.2 (2013) |
A set of components for creating games in Delphi. Features include sprite graphics, masks, automatic collision detection, a new timer, control keys, etc. Website: delphix.com Russian Website: delphiworld.narod.ru |
Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, Mac, Unix | Delphi (Object Pascal) | 3D and 2D games of any genre | For free |
| Drag[en]gine (2013) |
A game engine from Team Epsylon. It features a modular development environment. Due to the loose coupling between modules and the system or other modules, it’s very easy to modify or improve individual modules without affecting other parts of the engine. Website: dragengine.rptd.ch |
Windows, Linux | — | 3D games of any genre | For free |
| DX Studio v.3.2 (2013) |
A fully integrated development environment for creating interactive 3D graphics. Website: dxstudio.com |
Windows | C++, C#, VB.Net | 3D games of any genre | Free, by arrangement |
| FPS Creator Reloaded v.Issue 3 (2013) |
A game builder from The Game Creators. It allows you to create 3D shooters with modern, beautiful graphics using an intuitive drag-and-drop interface. The engine supports DirectX 10. Website: fpscreator.thegamecreators.com |
Windows | Without software, script. language like C++ | FPS (3D first-person shooters) | $49.99 |
| GLScene v.1.2 (2013) |
OpenGL 3D component library for Delphi. Website: glscene.sourceforge.net |
Windows, Linux | Delphi (Object Pascal) | 3D games of any genre | For free |
| HGamer3D v.0.2.1 |
All libraries and components are included. The following libraries are used: Ogre, CEGUI, SFML, enet, BulletPhysics, Vect, and netwire. The engine source code is available. Website: hgamer3d.org (unavailable) |
Windows | Haskell | 3D games of any genre | For free |
| Kochol Game Engine (KGE) v.0.1.0 (2011 – 2013) |
An open-source, object-oriented 3D game engine. KGE is relatively easy to learn. Its graphics API uses OpenGL and DirectX. It includes built-in PhysX dynamic physics. Website: kge3d.org |
Windows | C, C++ | 3D games of any genre | For free |
| MegaGlest v.3.9.0 |
The engine from the strategy game MegaGlest. The game is completely open-source and free. The engine evolves alongside the game itself. The following games were created using this engine: MegaGlest, 2080 Mars, and Annex: Conquer The World. Website: megaglest.org |
Windows, Mac, Linux | — | 3D RTS strategies | For free |
| NeoAxis 3D Engine v.2 (2013) |
A powerful Russian 3D editor with a large number of examples. Multiplayer support. Disadvantages: not the most advanced technology, not fully thought out and polished. Games created with the NeoAxis Engine can be played directly in web browsers thanks to a dedicated web player. Website: neoaxis.com/ru |
Windows, Mac | C#, C++ | 3D games of any genre | Free, $95/$295, $395/$995, $9,800 |
| Panda 3D v.1.8.1 (2013) |
A Disney engine from CMU. A framework for 3D visualization and game development in Python and C++. Open source. The following games were created using this engine: Disney’s Toontown, Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean Online, and A Vampyre Story. Website: panda3d.org |
Windows, Linux, Mac, FreeBSD | C++, Python | 3D games of any genre | For free |
| Polycode (2013) |
It can be used as a C++ API or as a standalone scripting language. It supports hardware shaders, 3D sound, network programming, and a physics engine. Website: polycode.org |
— | C++, Lua | 3D and 2D games of any genre | For free |
| PLIB v.1.8.5 (2006) |
A game engine that includes 3D graphics, sound, music, a graphical user interface, and a window manager. Website: plib.sourceforge.net |
Windows, Mac, Linux | C++ | 3D and 2D games of any genre | For free |
| Quasar (2011) |
An object-oriented game engine from Syide Technologies, built in .NET. Website: sourceforge.net |
— | C#, Lua | 3D games of any genre | For free |
| Quest3D (2013) |
A huge feature set, good technical support, and a reasonable price. Supports the latest versions of DirectX. Games created using the engine include Audiosurf and The Endless Forest. Website: quest3d.com |
Windows | C/C++ | 3D games of any genre | E 999, E 2999, E 9999 |
| Revolution3D Graphics Engine v.0.9.3 (2007) |
A 3D graphics engine developed by X-Dream Project. Website: devmaster.net/revolution3d |
Windows | C, C++, C#, VB6, Delphi | 3D games of any genre | For free |
| Skyline Game Engine v.0.7.1 Pre-Beta (2013) |
A game engine from Aurasoft, based on the open-source 3D graphics engine Ogre, Skyline enables the creation of AAA-quality games that meet the latest visual demands of gamers. Multiplayer support is also available. Website: chi-ad.com |
Windows | LUA, drag-and-drop | 3D and 2D games of any genre | E 50, E 250 |
| Spring RTS Engine (TA Spring) v.95.0 (2005 – 2013) |
The engine was developed by Stefan Johansson and Robin Westberg. Multiplayer support is available. The following games were created using this engine: Total Annihilation. Website: springrts.com |
Windows, Linux, Mac | C++, Lua | 3D RTS strategies | For free |
| Truevision3d v.6.5 (1999 – 2009) |
A game engine created by Sylvain Dupont. Supports DirectX 8. Website: truevision3d.com |
Windows | VB6, VB.Net, C#, Delphi, C++, APL, BlitzMax | 3D games of any genre | $150, $500 |
| Xors3D Game Engine (iXors3D) | Developed by XorsTeam (Dmitry Fadeev). It integrates as a library with various programming languages: Blitz3D, BlitzMax, C++, C, C#, and PureBasic. Supports DirectX 9. Website: xors3d.com (unavailable) |
Windows, iPhone | C, C++, C# | 3D games of any genre | Free for 30 minutes. By appointment. |
| Yake Engine | A small, flexible, cross-platform game engine/framework. It is flexible and scalable thanks to its plugin system. Supports OpenGL and DirectX APIs. Website: yake.org (unavailable) |
Windows, Linux | C, C++ | 3D and 2D games of any genre | For free |
Information as of December 2013
Outdated 3D engines (old school)
| Name | Description, advantages | Platforms | Language | Genres | Price |
| Dark Engine v.2.3 (2000) |
A legacy engine used for Looking Glass Studios games. This engine powers Thief: The Dark Project (1998), Thief II: The Metal Age (2000), and System Shock 2 (1999). Website: ttlg.com |
Windows 9x | C++ | 3D Action, Stealth | For free |
| Doom ports (Boom, LxDoom, PrBoom, ZDoom, GZDoom, RORDoom) | Various ports of the Doom source code (one of the first games with 3D graphics). There are 57 such ports in total. Website: doom.wikia.com |
DOS, Windows | — | FPS (3D first-person shooters) | For free |
| Genesis3D engine SDK v.1.1 (1998) |
A legacy game engine from Eclipse Entertainment. Supports anti-aliasing, a sprite system, alpha masking and blending, and a map editor and model. Website: genesis3d.com |
Windows | — | FPS (3D first-person shooters) | For free |
| GemRB v.0.8.0 |
A free port of the Infinity Engine game engine. The following games were created using this engine: Baldur’s Gate, Icewind Dale, and Planescape: Torment. Website: gemrb.org |
Windows, Mac, Android | — | 2D Isometric RPG | For free |
| GoldSrc (Goldsource) (1998 – 2008) |
A legacy engine from Valve Corporation. Games powered by this engine include Half-Life, Counter-Strike, and Natural Selection. Website: valvesoftware.com |
Windows, Macintosh, Linux, PS 2, Xbox, Dreamcast | C++ | FPS (3D first-person shooters) | By agreement |
| Quake ports (ProQuake, GQ, TomazQuake CheapHack, DarkPlaces, Telejano) | Various ports of the Quake source code (one of the first games with full 3D graphics). Website: moddb.com/mods/cheaphack |
DOS, Windows | — | FPS (3D first-person shooters) | For free |
| Xash3D Engine (2011-2013) |
This home-made engine replaces Valve’s official GoldSource engine. It allows you to open the original Half-Life or its numerous mods and modify them as you wish. Website: hlfx.ru/forum |
Windows | — | FPS (3D first-person shooters) | For fre |
