Everyone wants to develop their own game but I have seen many people asking questions as “What game development software shall I use ?”, “What game development SDK is best for game development?”. Well, to make your task a little easier, I am providing a list of game development SDKs and engines along with their download links which are available for free. This list also includes info about graphics development software. One can download any of these SDKs for free and start developing their own game.
Game dev tools and SDKs to program your own Apps
1. MARMALADE SDK game dev tools
Marmalade SDK is billed as the fastest way to build cross-platform C++ games. It enables you to open Xcode or Visual Studio projects and compile them for iOS, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry 10, Tizen, Mac and Windows desktops from a single Marmalade project file.
Used in: Draw Something, Plants vs Zombies, Signal to the Stars, Talisman Prologue, VectorMarmalade SDK is priced from £379 ($500) per year (Indie licence), and comes with Marmalade C++, Marmalade Quick and Web Marmalade included for free. Marmalade Juice is available upon application.
2. UNREAL ENGINE game dev tools
The powerhouse behind the ambitious Infinity Blade series offers two solutions for mobile game developers. Firstly, its full source Unreal Engine 4, which includes complete access to the integrated Unreal Editor suite, C++ source code and direct support from its engineering team. In addition, it provides the free edition of Unreal Engine 4, the Unreal Development Kit, which has had more than 2.25 million unique installs to date.
Used in: Infinity Blade series, Batman: Arkham City Lockdown, Borderlands Legends, Injustice
Unreal Engine 4 is available and priced upon application. UDK is free.
Download Link : www.unrealengine.com
3. UNITY game dev tools
From 2D puzzle games to complex 3D action titles, Unity continues to be a favourite among developers for its accessibility, dependability and cross-platform capabilities. For mobile, Unity’s integrated development environment allows developers to port between all major mobile platforms, and soon Tizen and PlayStation Mobile. Games can also be ported to the web (via Unity Web Player), PC, Mac, Linux and all major consoles, including PS Vita with relative ease, giving you greater potential to reach the widest audience possible.
Used in: Bad Piggies, Deus Ex: The Fall, Leviathan Warships, Temple Run 2, The Room
Unity 5 is free, Unity Pro (plus optional iOS, Android, BlackBerry add-ons) priced from £965 approx’ ($750).
Download Link : www.unity3d.com
4. PROJECT ANARCHY game dev tools
Havok, the outfit best known for its physics tool, made a splash back in March with the announcement of Project Anarchy, its first specially made package for mobile game developers. This end-to-end mobile games engine allows you to ship games for free on iOS, Android and Tizen.
Used in: (Product recently launched)
Project Anarchy is free, Project Anarchy Pro pricing is available upon contact.
Download Link : www.projectanarchy.com
5. APP GAME KIT game dev tools
The big boys aren’t all that’s available for mobile devs these days. For those in search of formable development alternatives, App Game Kit is a worthy solution. Games and apps can be built in BASIC or C++, making the tool ideal for beginners or professional developers.
Used in: Driving Test Success series, Sky Without Sun: Target, Space Connection: Atlas
App Game Kit priced from £40 ($60).
Download Link : www.appgamekit.com
Also read: C++ game engines for beginner App developer and programmers
6. CORONA SDK game dev tools
Developing mobile apps that run on all key devices is getting harder, and there is an increasing need to diversify and publish cross-platform content.Corona SDK aims to offer the ability to seamlessly publish apps across multiple platforms with a single code base, giving developers room to focus on creating engaging, high quality games.
Used in: Blast Monkey, Bubble Ball, Fun Run, Major Magnet, Streetfood Tycoon
Corona SDK is free, Corona SDK Pro £368 ($588), Corona Enterprise from £594 ($948).
Download Link : www.coronalabs.com
7. LUDEI game dev tools
The beauty of the HTML5 world we’re entering is the range of platforms that can now be served by this new universal standard. Ludei provides you with a customised JavaScript virtual machine for accelerated HTML5 canvas and WebGL app and game deployment on mobile.
Used in: Dominion, Heroes of Honor, iBasket, Mortar Melon, Scribble Mix
Ludei is free.
Download Link : www.ludei.com
8. NEXTPEER game dev tools
Launched in August 2013, Nextpeer is a multiplayer social SDK for mobile games that aims to enable you to easily create multiplayer games, as well as increase retention and engagement for your games. It is said to take less than 15 minutes to integrate with the SDK, and some 2,800 games are already integrated with the Nextpeer SDK on iOS.
Nextpeer SDK is free.Download Link : www.nextpeer.com
9. PLAYHAVEN game dev tools
PlayHaven offers a selection of tools targeted at helping you manage player acquisition, engagement, and monetization, on iOS and Android, plus Unity, Adobe AIR, Marmalade and Corona via plug-ins.
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PlayHaven Acquire, PlayHaven Engage and PlayHaven Monetize are free, but additional costs exist for advertising and other services.
Download Link : www.playhaven.com
Also read: Game engine no coding – Best Game engine for non-programmers
10. POWERVR GRAPHICS SDK game dev tools
Players expect to be able to fire up their mobile games, and pick up right where they left off without a moments pause. Imagination’s PowerVR Graphics SDK aims to help you achieve the lightning-fast performance that today’s players demand. A cross-platform toolkit for iOS, Android and BlackBerry designed to support all aspects of 3D graphics development, the tech is used in over a billion devices today.
PowerVR Graphics SDK is free.
Download Link : www.powervrinsider.com
11. ARM game dev tools
The firm behind several microprocessors that power today’s pocket-sized computers, also offers a selection of software development tools to ensure that you are able to extract every ounce of performance from the ARM Mali platform, understand graphical issues and play around with its leading-edge technologies early.
ARM Mali GPU Software Development Tools are free.
Download Link : malideveloper.arm.com
12. ENLIGHTEN game dev tools
A heavy lifter when it comes to lighting, Geomerics’ chief tool has been ported to mobile in the last two years. The rapid improvements of mobile devices have brought console-quality techniques to mobile and Enlighten is a particularly compelling offering, with its ability to scale naturally to a platform’s capabilities, be it iOS, Android or PS Vita.Enlighten prices are available upon contact or request.Download Link : www.geomerics.com
This was the list of top freely available game development SDKs and engines available online. So, choose your SDK and start practising, this will help you to develop with ease and much faster. This will help you all to initiate and transforming your idea into a game.
Hope this helps you.
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