Game engines (1198)
2D Fighter Maker 2nd.
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3D Rad
Initial release:
4A Engine
4A Games is a video game development studio known for its atmospheric first person shooters Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light. The studio was established in 2005 by experienced game industry professionals with the aim of creating premium quality games for latest generation consoles and personal computers. All our experience, talent and enthusiasm go into creating games with deep story, unique gameplay elements and highly detailed believable environments.
Adobe AIR
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Adobe Flash Player
Initial release:
Adobe Flash Player is the standard for delivering high-impact, rich Web content. Designs, animation, and application user interfaces are deployed immediately across all browsers and platforms, attracting and engaging users with a rich Web experience.
Adobe Shockwave
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AI
Initial release:
Early PC game engine used by ELF Corporation starting in May 1989 in Angel Hearts until June 1990 in De-Ja.
AI2
Initial release:
Updated game engine by ELF Corp. Made in 1990 for RAY-GUN and used in Dragon Knight II as well.
AI5
Initial release:
An engine used for many eroge titles made by Elf (Dragon Knight III, Doukyuusei, YU-NO)
Aleph One
This is an open-source remake of the Marathon 2 / Marathon Infinity engine.
Allegro
Allegro is a cross-platform library mainly aimed at video game and multimedia programming. It handles common, low-level tasks such as creating windows, accepting user input, loading data, drawing images, playing sounds, etc. and generally abstracting away the underlying platform. However, Allegro is not a game engine: you are free to design and structure your program as you like.
Amazon Lumberyard
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Amazon Lumberyard is a free AAA game engine deeply integrated with AWS & Twitch.
Anvil
Initial release:
The second version of Ubisoft Montreal's internal development engine, previously known as Scimitar.
The engine was renamed during the development of Assassin's Creed II, releassed in 2009, and was later used for Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood and Assassin's Creed: Revelations.The engine was renamed again in 2012, during the development of Assassin's Creed III, to AnvilNext.
AnvilNext
Initial release:
The third version of Ubisoft Montreal's internal development engine, previously known as Anvil and originally known as Scimitar.
The engine was renamed during the development of Assassin's Creed III, released in 2012.
It was used for the Assassin's Creed III spin-off, Liberation, as well as the series sequel Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag and Assassin's Creed Rogue.The engine is currently known as AnvilNext 2.0, changed in 2014 during development of Assassin's Creed Unity.
AO Engine
Custom engine created by the developers of Agony Online.
AppGameKit Classic (AGK)
Initial release:
AppGameKit Classic is a powerful game development engine, ideal for Beginners, Hobbyists & Indie developers. Now anyone can quickly code and build apps for multiple platforms using AppGameKit's BASIC scripting system. With just a few commands you can have demos/games up and running on mobile devices. Bob Duffy, Developer Relations Intel Corporation, said “AppGameKit is a great cross platform development tool. It allows developers to quickly optimize and compile apps.”
Games can be developed and deployed to your chosen mobile devices for rapid prototyping. AppGameKit Classic does all the heavy lifting for you - making it easy to code, compile and then export apps to each platform. All you need to focus on is your game/app idea. It's that simple!
Arcade Game Studio
Initial release:
Arcade Game Studio is an engine that can make classic 80's retro games. It offers many tools to build games that look and feel like 80's games. Add your stuff, very lightweight, able to be played in almost all Windows games, and has a built-in editor. No coding is required, you can make a game in under an hour.
Aurora Engine
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BigWorld
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Bipsi
Initial release:
Bipsi is a tool for making small games where a character explores a world and interacts with its inhabitants.
Bitsy
Initial release:
Bitsy is a web-based "little editor for little games or worlds" featuring limited color palettes and a small pixel canvas.
Black Desert Engine
Initial release:
Pearl Abyss created the "Black Desert" engine specifically for Black Desert Online, to handle the fast rendering required for its seamless world and large-scale castle sieges.
BlooMoo
Initial release:
BlooMoo Engine (formerly Piklib) is an Aidem Media's internal engine, which runs most of the company's games from 2001-2007. BlooMoo was written in C++ and uses the DirectX library. It is responsible for the game display, animation and sound. It is also used to interpret the scripting language, which contains the main game logic and board descriptions.
Box2D
A 2D Physics Engine for Games
Brux GDK
Brux (formerly known as XYG) is an open-source, cross-platform, runtime-based game development kit using the Squirrel language. The aim is to make development both easy and versatile, allowing games to be written by hand in a simple text editor or made in an IDE similar to Game Maker, and to allow games to be ported with little to no modification to the code, offering a "build once, run everywhere" development process. All of its code is available under the GNU General Public License v3.
Build
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Buildbox
Initial release:
Buildbox is a no-code development platform focused on game creation without programming, coding or scripting. The core audience for the software is entrepreneurs, designers and other gaming enthusiast without prior game development or coding knowledge.
Bullet
Bullet is real-time collision detection and multi-physics engine/simulation.
CANVAS Engine
The CANVAS engine is a propritary engine owned by SEGA used in the Valkyria Chronicles series.
From the Valkyria Chronicles wikia:
"The game's visuals, which utilize SEGA's CANVAS graphics engine, resemble a watercolor painting in motion."It's use is described on the Valkyria Chronicles Remastered website as:
"Hand-drawn watercolor imagery creates a warm graphical motif, while blurred outlines, soft edges, hatching, and visual use of onomatopoeias create an enthralling and vibrant game world. The melded style of 3D graphics and still images allows the player to move freely around a world that appears to have come directly from an artist's sketchbook."Carbon Engine
Initial release:
Created internally at Limited Run Games, Carbon Engine is a multi-platform development tool that helps different emulators interface with modern hardware. It uses emulation as a base, on top of which the Carbon Engine builds features like UI, rendering, audio, data management, controller inputs, and console-specific SDK features like trophies. It allows Limited Run to put out highly accurate, emulation-based ports of classic games for modern hardware.
The engine currently supports legacy content from NES/Famicom, SNES/Super Famicom, Genesis/Mega Drive, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Game Gear and Master System.
Sega CD/Mega CD and PlayStation content is also being worked on.Chrome Engine
Initial release:
Made entirely by Techland, Chrome Engine® is a complete game development framework for the PC and consoles. It supports all modern game programming technologies and techniques vital for the game creation process. The idea behind Chrome Engine® was to create a powerful game engine with all the features required to create commercial AAA games with advanced visualization, scripting and physics system, integrated networking and artificial intelligence. The main goal was to keep the engine as efficient and easy to use as possible, so that users can configure its parameters with only one mouse-click.
Clausewitz Engine
Initial release:
In 2007 the Paradox Development Studio debuted a proprietary game engine, titled Clausewitz (named after the Prussian general Carl von Clausewitz), in Europa Universalis III which has been put to use in every game developed by PDS since. The engine provides a 3D view of part or the totality of the world map, depending on the played game. Sengoku was the first game utilizing the Clausewitz 2.5 engine.
Click & Create
Initial release:
Clickteam's 1996 DIY game toolkit, first released as Click & Create and later re-released in 1999 as Multimedia Fusion Express
CloakNT
Initial release:
CloakNT engine was created by Cauldron Ltd, a Slovakian studio, for games like Chaser (2003), Soldier of Fortune: Payback (2007), Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2013 (2012).
As of 2014, Bohemia Interactive quietly announced that Cauldron has been acquired and decided to integrate into a new branch called "Bohemia Interactive Slovakia" and is responsible for incorporating the animal and hunting mechanics into the game. Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2013 is using CloakNT 3, the last known version of the engine.Features:
(CloackNT 1) High-end engine, build in 2001.
Physics: Collision Detection: Solid objects physics.
Lighting: Per-pixel, Lightmapping, Anisotropic: Dynamic per-pixel lighting.
Shadows: Shadow Volume: Dynamic shadow volumes.
Texturing: Basic, Multi-texturing, Bumpmapping, Mipmapping.
Scene Management: Portals.
Meshes: Mesh Loading: 3D Studio MAX export.
Special Effects: Particle System, Water, Fog, Mirror: Volumetric fog, Refractive water surface, Projectors.(CloakNT 2)
Unknown.(CloakNT 3) Mid-end engine, build in 2005.
Physics: Boned models, Ragdoll, Solid objects.
Lighting: Radiosity, Medium HDRR and Bloom effects.
Shadows: Jittered shadows, Shadow texture size at 350+++,
Special Effects: Water, Volumetric fog and dust, Shader quality 2.0 (sun and light reflections), reflections (such as weapons and surface).CloakNT3
Initial release:
CloakNT engine was created by Cauldron Ltd, a Slovakian studio, for games like Chaser (2003), Soldier of Fortune: Payback (2007), Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2013 (2012).
As of 2014, Bohemia Interactive quietly announced that Cauldron has been acquired and decided to integrate into a new branch called "Bohemia Interactive Slovakia" and is responsible for incorporating the animal and hunting mechanics into the game. Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2013 is using CloakNT 3, the last known version of the engine.Features:
(CloackNT 1) High-end engine, build in 2001.
Physics: Collision Detection: Solid objects physics.
Lighting: Per-pixel, Lightmapping, Anisotropic: Dynamic per-pixel lighting.
Shadows: Shadow Volume: Dynamic shadow volumes.
Texturing: Basic, Multi-texturing, Bumpmapping, Mipmapping.
Scene Management: Portals.
Meshes: Mesh Loading: 3D Studio MAX export.
Special Effects: Particle System, Water, Fog, Mirror: Volumetric fog, Refractive water surface, Projectors.(CloakNT 2)
Unknown.(CloakNT 3) Mid-end engine, build in 2005.
Physics: Boned models, Ragdoll, Solid objects.
Lighting: Radiosity, Medium HDRR and Bloom effects.
Shadows: Jittered shadows, Shadow texture size at 350+++,
Special Effects: Water, Volumetric fog and dust, Shader quality 2.0 (sun and light reflections), reflections (such as weapons and surface).Construct 2
Initial release:
Construct is an HTML5-based 2D game editor, developed by Scirra Ltd.[3][4] It is aimed primarily at non-programmers,[5] allowing quick creation of games in a drag-and-drop fashion using a visual editor and a behavior-based logic system.
Core
Core is a open-source Sonic engine/framework created for Clickteam Fusion 2.5+.
Creation Engine
Initial release:
Creation Engine 2
Initial release:
The Creation Engine is a 3D video game engine created by Bethesda Game Studios based on the Gamebryo engine. Creation Engine 2 is an evolution of the engine achieved with the collaboration of Xbox Game Studio, to be first used on Starfield and later on The Elder Scrolls VI and Fallout 5.
CryEngine
Initial release:
Building on over a decade of continued engine development and refinement, CRYENGINE is used by AAA and indie developers alike to build some of today’s most ambitious games, while remaining 100% royalty-free to allow developers to reap the rewards of their hard work.
CryEngine 3
Initial release:
CryENGINE® 3 is a highly advanced development solution that surpasses all expectations for the creation of blockbuster games, movies, high-quality simulations, and interactive applications. The third iteration of Crytek's proprietary engine is the only all-in-one game development solution for the PC, Xbox 360™, and PlayStation®3 that is truly groundbreaking in itself.
High Quality Real-Time Graphics
CryENGINE 3 is the fastest high-end renderer in the world, with new features specifically designed for PC, Xbox 360™, and Playstation®3.Benchmark-setting graphical performance, near-photorealism in indoor and wide-open outdoor environments, and extraordinary real-time special effects are some of the hallmarks of our CryENGINE technology. The CryENGINE 3 renderer provides seamless support for both indoor and outdoor environ-
-ments on current platforms. Our multi-core and future-proof graphics technology ensure that CryENGINE 3 is next-gen ready. With CryENGINE 3, scalability across multiple platforms is a further evolution to enable great looking games – regardless of the target platform.
Advanced Modular AI System
Realistically rendered and animated characters require state-of-the-art AI systems to intelligently respond to the game environment and maintain the illusion of realism. CryENGINE 3 features powerful, scalable, and flexible AItechnology to handle character behaviors with modular sensory systems, such as sight and hearing, and fully support the complex requirements of the character locomotion system.
Realistic Characters
Characters and faces are some of the most important features of almost all modern high quality titles. CryENGINE 3 brings the most technically advanced, integrated, and scalable animation and graphics technology together to deliver astonishingly real characters to cross-platformgames at no extra licensing cost. As our Crysis series already demonstrated, Crytek are in the vanguard of the quest to achieve realistic characters in real-time graphics and will continue this tradition in the future.
Crystal Space
Initial release:
Crystal Space is a framework for developing 3D applications written in C++ by Jorrit Tyberghein and others. It is typically used as a game engine but the framework is more general and can be used for any kind of 3D visualization. It is very portable and runs on Microsoft Windows, Linux, UNIX, and Mac OS X. It is also free software, licensed under GNU Lesser General Public License, and was SourceForge.net's Project of the Month for February 2003.
Crystal Tools
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Crystal Tools is a proprietary engine built for Square Enix's seventh-generation games, supporting the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, and Microsoft Windows platforms. Crystal Tools entered development in August 2005 under the code name White Engine.
CTG (Core Technology Group)
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The engine was first used in 2005 with the release of the video game The Punisher. A major reworked version of the game was released in 2017 with Agents of Mayhem. Volition owns another in-house engine, called Geo-Mod, that was used specifically for the Red Faction (series) (2001-2011).
CXD9615GB Emotion Engine
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The Emotion Engine is the CPU for Sony's PlayStation 2, developed in a Sony - Toshiba cooperation and introduced in 1999.
Daedalus
Initial release:
Simis' 1999 game engine. Created from scratch drawing on the studio's long experience of flight simulation graphics.
Dæmon
Dæmon can trace its lineage all the way back to Quake 3, integrating the various features and improvements from quite a few engines before it.
Dark Engine
Initial release:
DarkPlaces engine
DarkPlaces engine was started because LordHavoc was unsatisfied with the other engines available soon after the quake source release (which did little more than add some flashy effects), and craved modding features for his DarkPlaces mod, and wanted some real enhancements to the online gaming experience as well.
Decima
Initial release:
An engine created by Guerrilla Games for Killzone, and later used for Horizon Zero Dawn, that was simply called "the engine" till Hideo Kojima choose to use it for the creation of Death Stranding.
The name Decima was quickly decided on as a reference to the ancient trade relationship between the Netherlands and Japan.Kojima Productions was given a copy of the engine's source code and is now collaborating with Guerilla Games on the future of its development.
DreamWorld
The DreamWorld graphics engine was developed by Funcom circa 2000. Other computer games powered by DreamWorld technology include Anarchy Online and its various expansion packs. When Funcom began developing Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, the company reviewed its existing technology base and decided to focus on the further evolution of their proprietary DreamWorld engine as opposed to licensing a third-party engine like many online RPG companies do. As such, Funcom began to retool their engine with the overall design, pipeline and implementation process was taken into account. In light of these changes, the DreamWorld engine has been rebuilt for Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures with new features, special effects and optimizations.
Dulst
A web based Card game maker.
EAGL
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EA Graphics Library or EAGL is a game engine which was created and developed by EA Canada.
Ebitengine
Initial release:
Ebitengine (Eh-Bee-Ten-Gin) (formerly known as Ebiten) is an open source game engine for the Go programming language. Ebitengine's simple API allows you to quickly and easily develop 2D games that can be deployed across multiple platforms.
Eclipse Engine
Initial release:
EDuke32
A free open-source remake of the Build Engine for Duke Nukem 3D.
Ego Engine
Initial release:
Ego is a modified version of the Neon game engine that was used in Colin McRae: Dirt and was developed by Codemasters and Sony Computer Entertainment using Sony Computer Entertainment's PhyreEngine cross-platform graphics engine. The Ego engine was developed to render more detailed damage and physics as well as render large-scale environments.
EngineBlack
Initial release:
EngineBlack is a cross platform technology, developed by StudioBlack Games, for building casual to mid-sized video games in 2D and 3D.
The Engine was made available to other developers in 2010 and was used into 2020, with releases on most platforms released during that time.
Euphoria Engine
Euphoria is a game animation engine.
E.V.I.L Engine
Initial release:
The proprietary engine used by Super Evil Megacorp for all their releases.
Named in 2012, the engine has been improved alongside their games and the platforms they are designed for.Evolution
Initial release:
Flickgame
Initial release:
Flickgame is a simple engine that lets users use their mouse or touchscreen to draw and share small games.
Fox Engine
Initial release:
The Fox Engine is a proprietary cross-platform, cross-generational game engine built by Kojima Productions for use in many Konami games. The engine's development began after the completion of 2008's Metal Gear Solid 4, with the goal of making the "best engine in the world." The engine makes it possible for Kojima Productions to develop multiplatform games with a significantly shortened development time and has been described as the first step for the developer to move away from development for a single platform. The engine is named after FOX, a fictional military unit from the Metal Gear series, wherein is also a reflection of Kojima Productions itself, which based its company logo on FOX's fox emblem.
Frostbite
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We provide powerful workflows, pipelines, and runtime solutions for our diverse stable of Frostbite games including shipped Frostbite titles like Battlefield and Need For Speed and upcoming Frostbite titles like Dragon Age and Mass Effect.
Frostbite 3
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Frostbite 3 is the third generation of Frostbite, which made its debut in Battlefield 4.
In the updated engine, the environments became much more dynamic upon the actions of the players and Destruction 4.0, which was known as Levolution in Battlefield 4. Need for Speed Rivals became the second game of its series to use the game engine and the first since the upgrade to Frostbite 3. On 14 July 2015, the game engine was introduced to the sports genre of video games, being put to use on Rory McIlroy PGA Tour. In November, Need for Speed and Star Wars Battlefront were both released under Frostbite 3.
Fusion Engine
Initial release:
Fusion Engine is a game engine enhanced by Hangar 13, based on Illusion Engine developed by 2K Czech for Mafia II.
FUZE4
FUZE4 Nintendo Switch is a coding application for Nintendo Switch. It has been designed and developed by a team of experienced gamers, programmers, artists and educators. Programming languages all have their pros and cons. FUZE4 takes as many pros as we could cram in from a mix of these languages (C, Python & BASIC to name a few) to create a language that is as easy as BASIC, powerful like C and versatile like Python. The end result is a language ideally suited to coding games and apps for absolute beginners and seasoned programmers alike.
Gamebryo
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GameMaker: Studio
Initial release:
"GameMaker: Studio caters to entry-level novices and seasoned game development professionals equally, allowing them to create cross-platform games in record time and at a fraction of the cost of conventional tools!
In addition to making game development 80 percent faster than coding for native languages, developers can create fully functional prototypes in just a few hours, and a full game in just a matter of weeks."
GameMaker Studio 2
Initial release:
"GameMaker Studio 2 (Studio 2, GMS2) is the latest and greatest iteration of GameMaker. It provides a powerful yet easy-to-use platform for all your game development needs."
Geo-Mod
Initial release:
Geo-mod ("Geometry Modification Technology") is the name of the engine developed by Volition for the Red Faction series (2001-2011) and also the name of a feature of that engine. The precise definition of Geo-Mod has varied between games.
Red Faction - v1.0
Red Faction 2 - v1.0
Red Faction Guerrilla - v2.0
Red Faction Armageddon - v2.5Glacier
In-house engine created by IO Interactive primarily for their Hitman series, but used in their other projects as well.
Glacier 2
Created by IO Interactive for Hitman: Absolution and future projects by the company.
Godot
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Godot is an advanced, feature-packed, multi-platform 2D and 3D open source game engine.
Godot provides a huge set of common tools, so you can just focus on making your game without reinventing the wheel.
Godot is completely free and open source under the very permissive MIT license. No strings attached, no royalties, nothing. Your game is yours, down to the last line of engine code.
Godot Engine
Initial release:
Godot provides a huge set of common tools, so you can just focus on making your game without reinventing the wheel.
Godot is completely free and open-source under the very permissive MIT license. No strings attached, no royalties, nothing. Your game is yours, down to the last line of engine code.
GoldSrc
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GoldSrc (also known as GoldSource, and formerly just the Half-Life Engine) is a 3D video game engine created by Valve in 1996. It was the driving force behind many famous games of the late 90s and early 00s, such as Half-Life, Team Fortress Classic, Counter-Strike, and Day of Defeat. GoldSrc is a heavily modified version of the Quake engine, and runs on C++ programming code. GoldSrc and its level editor, Valve Hammer Editor, were released by Valve for public use, making it the source of countless community-made modifications.
Goliath Engine
Initial release:
Goliath Engine was developed by Beenox initially for the unreleased game called The Vatz (2002)
Greenfoot
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Greenfoot is an integrated development environment using Java or Stride designed primarily for educational purposes at the high school and undergraduate level. It allows easy development of two-dimensional graphical applications, such as simulations and interactive games.
GrimE
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GZDoom
Initial release:
Havok
Havok provides a physics engine component and related functions to video games.
Heaps.io
Initial release:
Heaps.io is a mature cross platform graphics engine designed for high performance games.It is designed to leverage modern GPUs that are commonly available on both desktop and mobile devices.
HeroEngine
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HeroEngine - is a professional cloud game engine solution with cloud solution system developed and distributed by Idea Fabrik PLC, where scaled MMO games with high CCU can be developed. Idea Fabrik PLC is currently an official subsidiary of Laniatus LLC. HeroEngine is currently distributed and managed by Laniatus LLC. HeroEngine's official game is designated as Magic To Master. Laniatus LLC is currently using the game engine in-house and designing games in-house. It is not publicly available. For special solutions and needs, special contact with Laniatus is required.
Hexane Engine
Initial release:
Hexane Engine, was an engine developed by Slant Six Games (now defunct) for the game SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs: Tactical Strike (2007), SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs: Confrontation (2008), SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs: Fireteam Bravo 3 (2010) and Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City (2012)
id Tech 2
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id Tech 3
Initial release:
id Tech 4
Initial release:
id Tech 5
Initial release:
Ignite Engine
The EA SPORTS IGNITE game engine delivers a new level of innovation, further blurring the line between the real-world and the virtual. Developed by EA SPORTS™, games powered by the engine are alive: players think, move and behave like real athletes, with environments as dynamic and ever-changing as real-world stadiums.
With Human Intelligence, True Player Motion and Living Worlds, the way sports games are played has fundamentally changed. EA SPORTS IGNITE is designed to harness the potential of next-generation.
Ikemen Go
Initial release:
Ikemen Go is a remake of the Ikemen (open source fighting games engine that supports M.U.G.E.N resources) in Google’s Programming Language “Go”.
Illumix AR engine
Illumix's AR Engine empowers you to create experiences that will immerse your audience in the world of your brand.
iMUSE
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Infinity Engine
Initial release:
Infinity Engine is a game engine which allows the creation of isometric role-playing video games. It was originally developed by BioWare for a prototype RTS game codenamed Battleground Infinity, which was ultimately re-engineered to become the first installment of the Baldur's Gate series. BioWare used it again in the subsequent installments of the series, but also licensed the engine to Interplay's Black Isle Studios.
INSANE
Initial release:
Irrlicht
The Irrlicht Engine is an open source realtime 3D engine written in C++. It is cross-platform, using D3D, OpenGL and its own software renderers. OpenGL-ES2 and WebGL renderers are also in development. It is a stable library which has been worked on for nearly 2 decades.
J2ME
Initial release:
Java Platform, Micro Edition (Java ME) provides a robust, flexible environment for applications running on embedded and mobile devices in the Internet of Things: micro-controllers, sensors, gateways, mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), TV set-top boxes, printers and more. Java ME includes flexible user interfaces, robust security, built-in network protocols, and support for networked and offline applications that can be downloaded dynamically. Applications based on Java ME are portable across many devices, yet leverage each device's native capabilities.
Jade
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Jedi
Initial release:
JEng
JEng (James's Engine) is a C++ DirectX graphics engine which has been developed by J Roberts since 2000.
Version 5 currently integrates:
- DirectX11
- OpenVR
- Bullet Physics
- Ogg Vorbis
- VLCJo Engine
Initial release:
Jo Engine is an open source 2D and 3D game engine for the Sega Saturn written in C under MIT license.
Kaleido ADV Workshop
Kaleido ADV Workshop is a multi-platform visual novel game engine. It’s multi-use from a single source, making it possible to release your creation on multiple platforms simultaneously, including PCs, smartphones, and many different game consoles. It has full support of E-mote, so you can express an endless amount of character emotion.
Katana Engine
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Using our proprietary game engine, the Katana Engine, we efficiently develop games for multiple platforms, like PS5, Nintendo Switch, PC, and smartphone. In simulation games like Nobunaga's Ambition and Romance of the Three Kingdoms, we are using AI to create strategies and tactics and also to display officer personalities.
KEX
Initial release:
Nightdive Studio's proprietary FPS engine used for their enhanced and remastered game releases.
It is believed to be the third version of the engine. Making it an updated version the Kex engine developed by Samuel Villarreal, Senior Programmer at Nightdive, with the original version being his Doom64 EX engine.The engine was announced and offered to interested developers in May 2019, after the release of Blood: Fresh Supply.
Kinetica
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KT Engine
Initial release:
KT Engine is the engine planed and created by Kylotonn for the development of videogames on Steam/Windows, PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. This technology is the key tool for realizing the strategic vision of the studio.
Kylotonn has a strong technological expertise based on its in-house real-time 3D technology, the KT Engine. At the forefront of the video game industry, this engine is also used for R&D projects on autonomous vehicle in the automotive industry.
LEAD Engine
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LEAD Engine is a game engine created by Ubisoft for Splinter Cell: Conviction & Blacklist. It is an evolution of the game engine used in the previous Splinter Cell game, Chaos Theory (Unreal Engine 2.5)
Leadwerks
Initial release:
Leadwerks Game Engine is the easiest way to make 3D games. Learn everything you need with our comprehensive tutorials. Build games with the world's most intuitive game development system. Publish to Steam Workshop and show your game off to the world with Leadwerks Game Launcher (now available in early access).
LithTech
Originally the LithTech engine was supposed to be called DirectEngine, as Monolith was developing it for Microsoft to be included as a 3D engine for use with Microsoft's DirectX technology. After failing to secure the deal, Monolith continued development on their own and were able to license the engine, officially renamed to LithTech, to other companies.
LithTech Jupiter EX
As of 2005 the latest public iteration of the LithTech engine was Jupiter Extended (or Jupiter EX), which was featured in F.E.A.R. and Condemned: Criminal Origins, both developed by Monolith. Compared to its precursor Jupiter, the Extended version was driven by a new DirectX 9 renderer and other advancements, including the addition of Havok physics software for improved real-world physics simulation, dynamic per-pixel lighting, bump mapping, normal mapping, and specular highlighting. Along with Havok's character dynamics, Jupiter EX also includes the "Havok Vehicle Kit", which adds support for common vehicle behavior.Modified LithTech engine
The critically acclaimed Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, and Middle-earth: Shadow of War uses a Modified LithTech engine.LPMud
Initial release:
LPMud, abbreviated LP, is a family of MUD server software. Its first instance, the original LPMud game driver, was developed in 1989 by Lars Pensjö (hence the LP in LPMud).
LPMud was innovative in its separation of the MUD infrastructure into a virtual machine (known as the driver) and a development framework written in the LPC programming language (known as the mudlib).
LSSDK
An engine developed by SIE London Studio for PlayStation VR.
LuaSTGExPlus
A danmaku game engine coded in c++ and using the lua language.
Luminous Studio
Initial release:
Luminous Studio, also referred to as Luminous Engine, is an internal development engine used by Square Enix for Direct X11 compatible platforms and has mostly been used in developing Final Fantasy titles.
LyN
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Maniaplanet
Initial release:
Maniaplanet, is an engine created by Nadeo (a subsidiary of Ubisoft since 2009), for TrackMania 2 (Stadium, Valley, Lagoon) & TrackMania (2020)
Mercury Engine
Initial release:
Mercury Engine was created by Brat Designs Ltd, for the game Breed (2004). The studio closed doors in 2005
Mercury Steam Engine
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Mercury Engine was developed by MercurySteam for American McGee Presents: Scrapland (2004), Clive Barker's Jericho (2007), Castlevania: Lords of Shadow (2013), Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 (2014), Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate HD (2014), Spacelords (2017) and Scrapland Remastered (2021)
Merkury Engine
Initial release:
Merkury Engine was developed by Krome Studios Pty Ltd initially for Championship Surfer (2000)
Microsoft PowerPoint
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Microsoft XNA
Initial release:
XNA Game Studio is a programming environment that allows you to use Visual Studio to create games for Windows Phone, Xbox 360, and Windows. XNA Game Studio includes the XNA Framework, a set of managed libraries designed for game development based on the Microsoft .NET Framework. This documentation collection contains technology overviews, tutorials, and reference material related to XNA Game Studio.
MonoGame
Initial release:
"MonoGame is an Open Source implementation of the Microsoft XNA 4 Framework. Our goal is to allow XNA developers on Xbox 360, Windows & Windows Phone to port their games to the iOS, Android, Mac OS X, Linux and Windows 8/10.As well as PlayStation Vita, Xbox One and PlayStation 4."
MT Framework
Initial release:
MT Framework is a game engine created by Capcom. "MT" stands for "Multi-Thread", "Meta Tools" and "Multi-Target". While initially MT Framework was intended to power 2006's Dead Rising and Lost Planet: Extreme Condition only, Capcom later decided for their internal development divisions to adopt it as their default engine.
M.U.G.E.N
M.U.G.E.N is a 2D fighting game engine that is enables you to create commercial-quality fighting games. Almost everything can be customized, from individual characters to stages, as well as the look and feel of the game.
Narrat
Narrat is a game engine for making interactive narrative RPGs.
NeoX engine [ by NetEase Games ]
Initial release:
NeoX is the NetEase Games’ proprietary graphics engine
Nitrous
Initial release:
Nitrous is a next-generation game engine designed to handle enormous amounts of visual and gameplay complexity, from 10,000+ simpler units to 1,000 highly complex units and environments.
Not So Simple Sonic Worlds
Initial release:
Simple Sonic Worlds is a modified version of Sonic Worlds Delta 1.5.1 to make it a lot more simple to new users. However, there are some new features and the physics should feel very different, this time, with the aim of making them feel more like the original classic sonic games, than to make them more accurate code-wise. but, there is a "Not So Simple" version, with a lot more features than the regular version, including a simple gamepad and xbox gamepad support, a boss example and multiple resolution multipliers
Octave Engine
Initial release:
OctaveEngine was developed by Prometech Software Inc. and led by Shin Hyojong (Leader Game Engine Group).
Odyssey
Initial release:
Offset Engine
The Offset Engine featured; Real-Time Ambient Occlusion, Real-Time Shadows, Cinematic Quality Motion Blur, Depth of Field, Specular Bloom, and Soft Particles, the Offset Engine had more special effects than most other engines currently on the market.
It's Self-Shadow Technique would later be used by Unreal Engine 3 and CryEngine 2.
The Offset Engine was licensed by Red 5 Studios in 2006 to create their MMOFPS game Firefall, but is most notable for its primary game code-named Project Offset, developed by the same creator of the Offset Engine, Offset Software.
OGRE
Initial release:
Omni3D
Initial release:
Open 3D Engine
Initial release:
The Open 3D Engine is a free and open source 3D game engine under the Apache 2.0/MIT license developed by the Linux Foundation's subsidiary Open 3D Foundation. The initial version of Open 3D Engine is an updated version of Amazon Lumberyard provided by Amazon Games.
Open Surge
Initial release:
Open Surge is two projects in one: a game and a game creation system (game engine). It is released as free and open source software.
Orx
Initial release:
Orx is a 2.5D data-driven game development engine. It is open source, ultra-fast, multi-platform and full-featured for C/C++ programmers: beginners and experts alike.
PathEngine
Initial release:
Phoenix Engine (Relic)
"Authored by Relic Entertainment and based on the Darksiders engine. Currently used only in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine."
PhyreEngine
Initial release:
PhyreEngine is a game engine from Sony Computer Entertainment compatible with PC, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4. It is free to registered developers and licensed for usage on any platform.
The engine was launched during GDC 2008. Version 3.0 was released in 2011.
PhysX
Without accurate physics simulation even the most beautiful game feels static and lifeless. PhysX taps into the power of NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX GPUs to create incredible effects and scenes filled with dynamic destruction, particle based fluids, and life-like animation.
Plasma
Initial release:
Plasma is a real-time 3D game engine originally called Headspin and developed by Headspin Technologies in 1997. It was acquired by Cyan Worlds and nicknamed DIRT (D'ni In Real Time) and MUDPIE (Multi-User DIRT Persistent Interactive Environment). It was later renamed Plasma and first released with realMyst in 2000. The engine underwent several iterations and was last used in Cosmic Osmo's Hex Isle in 2007.
Cyan Worlds transitioned to the Unity Engine for use in mobile versions of its games. The client version of "Plasma 2.0" and its associated 3DS Max plugin was open-sourced through OpenUru.org and has since been referred to as the CyanWorlds.com Engine (CWE).
In 2020, Cyan Worlds transitioned to Unreal Engine 4 with the remake of the original Myst.
versions:
* Plasma 1.0
- realMyst (2000)* Plasma 2.0 (aka CyanWorlds.com Engine)
- Uru: Ages Beyond Myst (2003)
- Uru: To D'ni (2004)
- Uru: The Path of the Shell (2004)
- Myst Online: Uru Live (2007)
- MagiQuest Online (2010)* Plasma 2.1
- Crowthistle Chronicles: The Well of Tears (interactive CD) (2005)
- Myst V: End of Ages (2005)* Plasma 3.0
- Cosmic Osmo's Hex Isle (2007)Platinum Engine
An in-house engine used by PlatinumGames.
Pokémon SDK
Pokémon SDK is a Starter Kit allowing to create Pokémon-like games using various tools like RPG Maker XP and custom data base editors.
Pulp
Web-based game editor for Playdate. Pixel art, chiptune music, and simple scripting built right in. It's fun!
Pure3D
Initial release:
Pure3D was an engine developed by Radical Entertainment between 2001 and 2005, used in Hulk, The Simpsons: Hit & Run, The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction.
PuzzleScript
Initial release:
PuzzleScript is an open-source HTML5 puzzle game engine originally created by Stephen Lavelle.
RAGE
Initial release:
Rockstar Advanced Game Engine or RAGE in short, is a game engine developed by the RAGE Technology Group at Rockstar San Diego. RAGE initially evolved from the Angel Game Engine, which was Rockstar San Diego's previous game engine from before they got bought by Rockstar Games.
RapidFire Engine
Initial release:
RapidFire Engine is Empty Clip Studios proprietary multi-platform engine supporting over 20 platforms since its creation and has been used for most of their releases since the company was founded in 2007.
Rapture
The entire principle of the Rapture suite is to provide a framework in which a multi-user virtual environment can be easily created while maintaining the utmost in performance. The Rapture language provides all the normal functionality of a programming language while also including many constructs and abstractions for mechanisms which are normally not (such as a networking server and database access). By abstracting and providing a clear interface to some of the more complex back-end systems, development time and effort can be concentrated on the actual mechanics and logic of the environment being created.
Historically, Rapture has evolved from a few previous languages each providing some more functionality to the overall design, however, the main emphasis has always been on speed and stability. To this end, many ‘features’ of modern programming and scripting languages are not present. Rapture is not object-oriented nor is it (currently) runtime mutable and extensible through libraries and plugins. Rapture is built for speed and stability.
Traditionally, Rapture has been used to create large scale multi-user games (MUDs) in which text is the primary interface. However, the structure of Rapture is general enough to allow development of various different projects. For instance, an interactive chat system was developed in conjunction with a United Nations affiliated organization. It is obvious that the applications of Rapture are vastly farther reaching than the goals in the initial design. It is merely a tool, use it as your will and imagination let you.
Real Virtuality 4
Initial release:
As the next evolution of the Arma series' backbone, the Real Virtuality™ 4 engine brings with it a host of changes and improvements that bring Arma 3 into the new generation. with significant improvements to animations and sounds, combined with the introduction of Directx 11 and Physx™, the battlefields of Arma have never felt more real.
DIRECTX 11
Arma 3 moves full steam ahead into the next generation of gaming with the inclusion of DirectX 11, allowing for a host of visual improvements that complement the beautiful Mediterranean landscapes of The Republic of Altis and Stratis, above and below the sea. But alongside visual improvements comes performance improvements, allowing for vastly improved rendering techniques that allow for largest battlefields ever seen in the Arma series.PHYSX™
Powered by PhysX, Arma 3 represents a significant leap forward in the simulation of physics in the Arma series. Bringing improvements ranging from the behavior of vehicles, land, sea and air, to the behavior of a thrown grenade, PhysX allows for an even more authentic experience.ANIMATIONS
Arma 3 has focused intensely on improvements to the handling of animations. The introduction of Combat Pace, a special movement pace designed for faster responses in close quarter combat, and Adjusted Stances, which allow you to get behind and peer over cover better than ever, combined with various other improvements, has created the smoothest and most intuitive control experience the Arma series has seen.SOUND ENGINE
One of the most critical parts of creating a believable world is sound, and Arma 3 is no exception. Representing a significant step forward in the simulation of sound, with a single rifle shot consisting of various different sounds, the proper simulation of the speed of sound, different sounds when inside and outside of vehicles, and more, Arma 3 puts you right in the middle of a living, breathing environment.SILVADOR
Using algorithmic approach, the 'Silvador Tree Generator' program is employed to handle the creation of plants in Arma 3. Licensed from Bohemia Interactive Simulations, this software helps to create a vast array of realistic plant life - adding even more diversity and detail to the Arma 3's atmospheric Altis and Stratis environments.REDengine
Initial release:
Red Ring
Red Ring engine is a modified Unreal Engine 3 with a custom real-time lighting and shadow renderer (to capture the feel of Aliens), build specifically for the game Aliens: Colonial Marines by Gearbox Software.
RE Engine
Initial release:
The Reach for the Moon Engine, abbreviated as RE Engine and commonly nicknamed as the "Resident Evil Engine" by fans was created in 2014, during the beginning of the development of Resident Evil 7. The engine is a successor to MT Framework, Capcom's previous engine. Unlike its predecessor the RE Engine includes a variety of new graphical and rendering techniques such as Subsurface Scattering (a shader method used to produce highly realistic human skin), Dynamic shadows, FXAA + TAA, Shadow cache, moreover, rendering techniques include the ability to output 4K Resolution, HDR, a VR specific mode.
Refractor Engine
Initial release:
RENA
The RENA engine is developed by Runewaker Entertainment and is used in their games. It is technically based on a IBM development platform but got heavily re-tooled. Aside from "Real Time Editing" The RENA engine is optimized for developing video games and made its first appearance in Runewaker's "Runes Of Magic" (Also known as R.O.M)
The RENA Engine also uses a "Odd" method of loading levels, if the loading screens are stripped away a person is able to see exactly how the engine is loading content, which it does layer by layer, Raw world data is pushed to clients before hand and everything is layered on top of that instead of just being one solid object. Runewaker opts to split things up into multiple chunks and loading it in at once, which does reduce client strain.
The RENA engine also uses LUA scripts to load in its own programming and uses FLASH for UI based elements.
Another "Feature" of the RENA engine is the fact that it accepts HTML formatting, and its heavily used into its own localization process where every kind of text uses HTML formatting (This includes the UI).Above that something that is notable is the fact that the Client side builds are "editable" which allows a user to technically modify the entire client, BUT this requires high level of knowledge about the engine itself.
RenderWare
Initial release:
RenJS
Initial release:
RenJS is a HTML5 Visual Novel creator made for writers. The stories are written in a script akin to a screenplay, without the need to do any programming. This script contains the scenes of the story, and each scene contains actions.
RENKEI Engine
RENKEI Engine is a powerful multipurpose game engine designed for rapid game development. It is developed by AtomicTorch Studio for their own projects to be a powerful tool for client-server game development geared towards multiplayer/massively multiplayer cross-platform games.
It is powered by .NET Core 3.1. The Client part of RENKEI Engine utilizes MonoGame framework for the easier development of 2D games.
The primary philosophy behind RENKEI Engine is to focus the development on implementing the actual gameplay and UI code with C# while minimizing any interruptions during the development process. Therefore the engine is designed to allow live/hot-reloading of any game code and assets (textures, models, audio, C# scripts, XAML UI markup, etc.) without recompilation or other interruptions.
The title of the engine is based on Japanese words 連携 renkei (cooperation, coordination, link) and 遠景 enkei (perspective, vista).
CryoFall is the first game made with RENKEI Engine.
Ren'Py Visual Novel Engine
Ren'Py is a visual novel engine – used by thousands of creators from around the world – that helps you use words, images, and sounds to tell interactive stories that run on computers and mobile devices. These can be both visual novels and life simulation games. The easy to learn script language allows anyone to efficiently write large visual novels, while its Python scripting is enough for complex simulation games.
Ren'Py is open source and free for commercial use.
ROM
Initial release:
ROM is a MUD codebase derived from Merc, which is based on DikuMUD. Russ Taylor (Alander) released Rom 2.3 in 1993. In 1994 he formed The Rom Consortium with his then-wife Gabrielle Taylor (Satin/Antoinette) and their close friend Brian Moore (Zump). Brian Moore passed away on January 5th, 2011 from congestive heart failure. He will be missed.
Aardwolf, one of the most popular MUDs in the late 1990s, used ROM 2.4.[1]
The most current publicly available version of Rom is 2.4b6,[2] which was released in May 1998. ROMolc is an unofficial port of the popular online creation add-on, and is distributed with the package and as an add-on.
Ronin
To make The Force Unleashed as realistic as possible, LucasArts created a new engine code-named Ronin. But while the majority of its technology is proprietary, LucasArts had no hesitation about licensing third-party technology. It acquired Havok's physics engines; NaturalMotion's Euphoria for realistic, AI-driven character animations and Pixelux's Digital Molecular Matter (DMM), for spectacularly destructible environments.
Roomber Engine
Initial release:
Roomber Engine - Game 2D engine. The engine can work with most popular platforms. Both mobile and desktop. We give everything for you to better create your games, and your dream! Comprehensive tools, many plugins, more variety on REngine.
RPG Maker Fes
Initial release:
RPG Maker MV
Initial release:
POWERFUL enough for a developer SIMPLE enough for a child VERSATILE enough for any platform! RPG MAKER MV allows you to make the RPG of your dreams! This latest version includes a host of new features and export options for MacOSX, Android, and iPhone!
RPG Maker MZ
Initial release:
You want to create an RPG, but every game making tool you have found was either too complex or too limited? RPG Maker MZ empowers you with simple tools to create your RPG right out of the box, yet is customizable enough to make the exact RPG you want!
RPG Maker VX
Initial release:
RPG Maker VX (RPGツクールVX, RPG Tsukūru VX) is a version of PC program RPG Maker series. It has been superseded by RPG Maker VX Ace, which is an improved and enhanced version of RPG Maker VX. Both RPG Maker VX and RPG Maker VX Ace are developed by Enterbrain, following its predecessor, RPG Maker XP. RPG Maker VX follows the naming pattern present in previous RPG Maker releases by having a suffix based on the Windows versions the software was designed for (in this case, Windows Vista and Windows XP).
RPG Maker VX Ace
RPG Maker VX Ace improves every aspect of RPG creation, making it not only the latest, but also the greatest engine in the RPG Maker Series. With multiple tileset support, full autoshadow control, and a flexible features system, Ace gives you the most powerful RPG making tools ever.
Ace provides all the tools you will need to make the game you've always dreamed of. Make your game, your way with all the following features:
An enhanced map editor to build your world.
A Character/Enemy/Skill/Equipment Database with a new powerful, flexible Features system.
New event options, including playing Ogg Theora video.
Expanded default resources, including a built in Character Generator to form your own custom sprites and faces.Lite is yours to use at no cost for as long as you need it. You can take your time learning the ins and outs of the program, as well as take your time planning out that amazing game. Lite is perfect for people with busy lives and even busier schedules. Need more features? Simply upgrade to RPG Maker VX Ace, and have even more power with your game creation. Including: unlimited events per map, a scripting system and more.
RPG Maker XP
Initial release:
RPG Maker XP is an incredible game development software that empowers creative minds to bring their RPG ideas to life. It offers an intuitive interface and a vast array of customization options, making game creation a breeze. With its pre-built assets and the option to import your own resources, you can create a truly unique game world that reflects your vision and style.
What sets RPG Maker XP apart is its powerful event system, allowing you to craft interactive quests, puzzles, and engaging storylines. The visual scripting language enables you to define the behavior of characters and NPCs, creating dynamic and immersive gameplay experiences. The map editor provides a versatile platform to design intricate environments, while the database allows you to customize attributes, abilities, and skills to shape your game mechanics.
Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned developer, RPG Maker XP provides a user-friendly yet powerful toolkit to unleash your creativity and create captivating RPGs. With its extensive customization options and easy-to-use interface, you'll be able to design and share your own gaming adventures with the world.
RPG Paper Maker
Initial release:
RPG Paper Maker is a game making engine, free for non commercial use, allowing you to create a 3D game with 2D sprites and 3D objects with a very simple interface.
RUDE
Initial release:
RUDE (Retro Universal Design Engine) was originally created by Retro Studios for Metroid Prime (2002), and was the first game to run on their proprietary engine. Ever since that day, Retro has been using that same engine for their projects, albeit with major updates every step of the way (Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption). Metroid Prime Remastered (2023) is using the latest version of RUDE.
rUGP
rUGP, short for relic Universal Game Platform, is a game engine designed for visual novels. The relic in the name comes from âge's former name. The engine is considerably more advanced compared to a lot of other game engines designed for visual novels. The engine is also infamous for being extremely crash-happy and causes nightmares to any developers who attempt to reverse engineer it.
Scimitar
Initial release:
The first version of Ubisoft Montreal's internal development engine.
The engine was created for Assassin's Creed, releassed in 2007, and was later used for Shawn White Snowboarding and Prince of Persia, both released in 2008.With multiple improvements/additions to the engine, its name was changed to Anvil in 2009 while being used for the development of Assassin's Creed II,
SCUMM
Initial release:
Sega NAOMI
Initial release:
NAOMI stands for New Arcade Operation Machine Idea. Released in 1998 at one-third the price of the Model 3. Shared architecture with Dreamcast, but with additional main, graphics and sound memory (32, 16 and 8 megabytes respectively). Utilizes PowerVR graphics, uses ROM boards, with optional CD-ROM drive.
The name NAOMI was reportedly selected by Sega R&D head Hisashi Suzuki in honor of the British model Naomi Campbell.
SGE Game Engine
The SGE Game Engine ("SGE", pronounced like "Sage") is a general-purpose 2-D game engine. It takes care of several details for you so you can focus on the game itself. This makes more rapid game development possible, and it also makes the SGE easy to learn.
SHMUP Creator
Initial release:
SHMUP Creator allows you to make the Shoot 'em up of your dreams! As fun as a game, it is very simple but powerful enough to make professional Shmups. Place your enemies with the mouse, create your bullet patterns, press a button to play, then share your games with your friends!
Shooting Game Builder
Initial release:
Shooting Game Builder is a tool for creating and distributing shoot 'em up with no programming required!
You can create your own graphics, sounds, and ideas.Siglus
Siglus Engine is a visual novel engine developed by Visual Art's to replace their former Real Live engine.
Silk Engine
Initial release:
The Silk Engine is the in-house engine used by the developer Spiders. It is a modified version of Sony's PhyreEngine with its own unique features. All of Spiders productions and complete developments have used the Silk Engine.
"The Silk engine features the latest technologies in graphics (Physical Based Rendering, global illumination, ambient occlusion, multiple shadow casters, advanced image post processing, versatile particles systems…), and runs on PC and on the new generation platforms: PS4 and Xbox One.
A suite of tools and editors has also been developed in order to quickly power high-quality games for these platforms:
-Fully featured level builder (object editing, terrain system, decals, mesh painting, material editing) with layer system, node based editing and real time gameplay tuning
-Face editor with facial animation and multiple blend animation system
-3D sound system and smart dynamic music
-GUI system and international support
-Advanced dialog system and fully featured cutscene editor
-Multi-processor task scheduling
-Streaming and resource management"Sith
Initial release:
Slayer
Initial release:
Slayer engine was created by The Collective, Inc. (now Double Helix Games / Amazon Games Orange County) for Buffy the Vampire Slayer (2002), Wrath Unleashed (2002), Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2002), Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb (2003), Marc Eckō's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure (2004), The Da Vinci Code (2006), Silent Hill: Homecoming (2008), Battleship (2012), Killer Instinct (2013), Strider (2014) and Killer Instinct (2016).
Slipspace Engine
Leading edge technologies convey moving emotional performances with truly organic, believable fidelity. Intuitive and powerful tools let fresh creators and industry veterans focus on bringing worlds vividly to life.
SLUDGE
SLUDGE (standing for Scripting Language for Unhindered Development of a Gaming Environment) is a system by which anyone (within reason) can make an adventure game. It runs in any recent version of Windows and now also on Mac OS X and Linux. It's high-res (any resolution you want) and uses 32-bit colour.
Snowdrop
Initial release:
The Snowdrop Engine is a game engine developed by Massive Entertainment for Tom Clancy's The Division. The engine focuses on dynamic global illumination, stunning procedural destruction and a great amount of detail and visual effects.
Solar2D / Corona SDK
Initial release:
Solar2D (formerly Corona SDK) is a free and open-source, cross-platform software development kit originally developed by Corona Labs Inc. and now maintained by Vlad Shcherban.
Solarus
Initial release:
Solarus is a multi-platform, free and open-source 2D game engine, written in C++. It is primarily dedicated to Action-RPGs, also called Zelda-likes, but can actually do much more.
Source
Initial release:
Source combines leading-edge character animation, advanced AI, real-world physics, shader-based rendering, and a highly extensible development environment to produce some of the most popular computer and console games. These games deliver the most intense, visually-stunning gameplay experiences on modern hardware, while scaling smoothly on older systems, enabling developers to reach a diverse range of gamers.
Source 2
Initial release:
Source 2 is a 3D video game engine in development by Valve as a successor to Source. It is used in Dota 2, SteamVR Home, Half-Life: Alyx, S&box, Counter-Strike 2, and more.
Source 2 was first made public with the Dota 2 Workshop Tools Alpha in August 6th 2014 and formally announced by Valve in March of 2015 at the Game Developers Conference. It was then implemented into Dota 2 on June 17th 2015. Valve has announced that Source 2 will be released to the public for free, and it will only take money should it be used for commercial products.
The engine is capable of rendering highly complex and well detailed scenes with minimal framerate drops, thanks to its new 64-bit support alongside Vulkan, allowing for better multi-core rendering and more efficient 3D rendering.
Spark
Initial release:
Spark (Formerly Evolution), was an engine developed by Unknown Worlds Entertainment (now part of Krafton studios) for the game Natural Selection 2 (2012).
Spark Casual Engine
Initial release:
The Spark Casual Engine is a video game engine developed by Artifex Mundi. The engine is designed to streamline the process of making games that are often called hidden object or puzzle adventure games. The engine is supposed to make it easier for the developers to port their game to other platforms more quickly.
- Spark Casual Engine
Spark Casual Engine™ is a sophisticated toolset dedicated to developement of the HOPA games. Thanks to modular construction, it enables the development of other kinds of casual games like Match3 or Mahjong. Bringing the best practises from console and mobile development, Spark CE offers great quality, stability and outstnading performance. Thanks to the simplifing approach, game developement may require no programming at all! Just use features and gameset delivered with SDK and see how it works for you.- Platforms
Spark CE supports all of the platforms most important for the casual gamers: Android OS, iDevs, Windows PC, MacOS. Thanks to the solutions used, development for all these platforms may be streamlined and simplified allowing for great savings of both money and time.- WYSIWYG
The basic philosophy of Spark Casual Engine™ is to make designing a game as easy as possible. This is why the haert of the Spark SDK is a WYSIWIG editor (from: What You See Is What You Get). It is a perfect tool to declare active and passive areas of the scene, add black bar comments, put in particles, prepare animations for the use of items and so on.- Cinematics
One of the most popular forms of animation. Thanks to the use of the easily compressible Theora video compression forma, the cinematics in Spark CE look good while not consuming too many resources.- In-scene movie
A more sophisticated use of standard movie files. It is easy to create a movie, which is a part of the scene. It may be an animal, character or machine animation. It can be whatever you want.- Particles
A build-in editor allows to create both simple and complex particle effects. In both cases the effect is efficient and effective.- Other features
Hint system, voiceover and localization support, multiversioningSpeedTree
SpeedTree is the premier 3D vegetation modeling and animation software for the gaming, cinema, broadcast, and architectural markets.
Spenefett
Spenefett is a multi-language / polyglot engine that uses C++ and Java. C++ is used for rendering, physics and network while Java is used for all the game logic. Spenefett does not use a separate scripting language like lua. All the game logic is done in Java.
It is known for being the engine used by the Darkfall MMORPG's
Sprint
Sprint is an engine by Presto Studios which was used in several of their games, including Myst III: Exile.
Starbreeze Engine
Initial release:
Starbreeze Engine was developed by Starbreeze Studios as their in-house engine and used on Enclave (2003); Knights of the Temple: Infernal Crusade (2004); The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay (2004); The Darkness (2007); The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena (2009) and Syndicate (2012).
StarEngine
Initial release:
StarEngine is the unofficial/internal name of Star Citizen's game engine, originally based on CryEngine 3 (from Crytek) in 2011 and then switched in 2016 to the Lumberyard (a fork of CryEngine 3.8.1) which was licensed in 2015 to Amazon for $70 million. The change was needed in order to utilize the integrated Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Cloud-Computing features "to support next-generation online gaming". The reason that devs dubbed the engine was because they said at a point that the engine was so reworked beyond its core design.
Star Engine
Star Engine is a new HD 3D game engine, inspired by Evening Star's original design philosophies. Star Engine is designed to allow low friction experimentation with non-photorealistic rendering techniques and contains a robust set of APIs and authoring tools suited for creating stylistic 3D games, eschewing many of the heavier elements demanded of workflows focused on realism, and leveraging automation where possible to allow our team to punch above our weight.
Stencyl
Initial release:
Stencyl is a video game development tool that allows users to create 2D video games for computers, mobile devices, and the web.
StoryNexus
Initial release:
Created by Failbetter Games for Echo Bazaar/Fallen London. Effectively in maintenance mode for several years, with only Fallen London itself still being actively developed.
Sunny Engine
Initial release:
Sunny is a closed-source engine powering the Unreal-clone "Hired Team - Trial Gold" and made by defunct Russian Developer New Media Generation (NMG)
SWARM
Initial release:
SWARM was created by Strangelite Studios, for the game Starship Troopers (2005). This engine is not to be confused with Saber Interactive Swarm Engine used in World War Z (2019)
Telltale Tool
Initial release:
The Telltale Tool is a proprietary game engine developed by Telltale, built atop the Lua programming language.
Telltale moved to an improved version of their engine around early 2016, partially implemented first in The Walking Dead: Michonne and fully completed for the release of Batman: The Telltale Series. The new Telltale Tool provided more direct support for DirectX 11 features, including physics-based models, texture mapping and blending, and dynamic lighting and shadows
TheEngine
Initial release:
The Madness Engine
The Madness Engine is Slightly Mad Studios’ critically acclaimed next-gen, cross-platform game engine and development framework used to create Need For Speed SHIFT and SHIFT 2 Unleashed. SHIFT’s stunning graphics, highly evolved physics, and intense gameplay was made possible by the advanced technologies, tools, and support infrastructure of the Madness Engine...
The Reality Engine
Initial release:
Roblox Corporation's proprietary engine, designed to replace the open-source engine OGRE, announced as their new ROBLOX Rendering Engine in 2014 before an official title was decided.
"Our Reality Engine is the core of the Roblox virtual experience. It is a proprietary, high-performance, cross-platform, real-time simulation engine that dynamically scales fidelity to match device capabilities. The overall engine runs at 60 frames per second and can adaptively scale from an iPhone 4S to the latest gaming PC.""The Roblox Reality Engine is packaged into our Universal Game Client, a single code base that can be built for all the platforms we serve, from iOS and Android, to Mac, PC, Xbox One, Oculus Rift, and HTC Vive."
The engine is accessible to users through Roblox Studio which allows users to design content, game modes or purchasable content, that will run in Roblox.
"Roblox Studio is our development environment for real-time social experiences, allowing creators to directly manipulate 3D environments, create physics-based interactive models, design complex geometries, and script game mechanics."TIC-80
TIC-80 is a fantasy computer for making, playing and sharing tiny games.
Titanium
Initial release:
Titanium engine (an updated version of Pure3D) was an engine developed by Radical Entertainment between 2005 and 2012, used on Crash Tag Team Racing; Scarface: The World Is Yours; Crash of the Titans; Crash: Mind over Mutant and Prototype (series).
Titanium
Initial release:
Titanium engine (an updated version of Pure3D) was an engine developed by Radical Entertainment between 2005 and 2012, used on Crash Tag Team Racing; Scarface: The World Is Yours; Crash of the Titans; Crash: Mind over Mutant and Prototype (series).
TombEngine
Introducing TombEngine (TEN): The Ultimate Open-Source Engine for Custom Tomb Raider Levels
In 2000, Core Design delighted fans with the release of the Tomb Raider Level Editor, enabling players to create their own custom levels. Now, taking the editor to new heights, we proudly present TombEngine (TEN), an open-source engine that surpasses all previous limitations.
TEN, powered by the native scripting language Lua, not only supports all objects from the classic Tomb Raider series (1-5), but also introduces exciting gameplay features like diagonal shimmying and expanded crawlspace flexibility. With a larger 2D map, you can now construct massive levels, pushing the boundaries of your creativity.
Beyond cosmetic changes, TEN has undergone a complete overhaul, modernization, and improvement of its codebase. This ensures a more professional and maintainable foundation, eliminating previous workarounds.
Join the vibrant TEN community on our Discord server here, where you can share your contributions and ideas.
Unleash your imagination and create awe-inspiring Tomb Raider levels with TEN. Get started today!
Torque 3D
Initial release:
Torque 3D is the best full source, open source solution available. It is also our flagship engine built on the core strengths of our Front Line Award-winning Torque Game Engine Advanced. Torque 3D has been re-architected for maximum flexibility and performance across a wide-range of hardware. Torque 3D comes equipped with a full suite of tools to allow your team to excel and produce high-quality games and simulations. Torque 3D supports Windows and Browser-based web deployment out of the box.
Torque Game Engine
Initial release:
Treyarch NGL
Initial release:
Treyarch developed an in-house engine named Treyarch NGL based on the Id Tech 3. It has the particularity of having been used only for console games. The game was used from 2001-2016 after been replaced for IW Engine from Call of Duty (series)
TW Engine 1
Initial release:
TW Engine 1 is the first engine developed by The Creative Assembly for their Total War series.
TW Engine 2
Initial release:
TW Engine 2 is the second engine developed by The Creative Assembly for their Total War series.
TW Engine 3
Initial release:
TW Engine 3, is the third engine created and used by The Creative Assembly for the development of the Total War series.
The engine uses Warscape, a graphics engine developed by The Creative Assembly.
The 32-bit version of Warscape was used from Empire: Total War till Total War: Attila, and then later changed to 64-bit in the development of Total War: Warhammer and beyond.
Twine
Initial release:
Twine is a free and open-source tool for making interactive fiction in the form of web pages.
Ubisoft Anvil
Initial release:
Ubisoft Anvil (until 2009 known as Scimitar and until 2020 as AnvilNext) is a game engine created in 2007 by Ubisoft Montreal video game developers for use on Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PlayStation Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Stadia.
Unigine
Initial release:
UNIGINE SDK (Software Development Kit) is designed for development teams (C++/C# programmers, 3D artists) working on interactive 3D apps like a Games.
Unity
Initial release:
Unity is a game development ecosystem: a powerful rendering engine fully integrated with a complete set of intuitive tools and rapid workflows to create interactive 3D and 2D content; easy multiplatform publishing; thousands of quality, ready-made assets in the Asset Store and a knowledge-sharing community.
Unity 2017
Initial release:
The 6th version of the Unity engine released on July 10, 2017.
Unity Technologies changed their business model to a subscription system as well as their engine release cycle with this version, now a new version of the engine will be released each year. It will receive 3 updates over the year with the the final version being changed on the release of the next version of the engine, 2017.3.X changes to 2017.4 on release of 2018.0 in this case.
The engine will be supported for 1 year after this change as part of their Long Term Support for the engine, there will be no major updates during this support.2017.3 was released on December 19, 2017.
2017.3.1 was released on February 7, 2018. The last release before the LTS phase.
2017.4.1 was released on April 24, 2018.
2017.4.17 was released on December 9, 2018. The current LTS release.Unity 2018
Initial release:
The 7th version of the Unity engine released on May 2, 2018.
It will receive 3 updates over the year with a final change on the release of the next version of the engine,
The engine will be supported for 1 year after this change as part of their Long Term Support for the engine, there will be no major updates during this support.2018.3 was released on December 7, 2017.
Unity 4
Initial release:
The 4th version of the Unity engine released on November 13, 2012.
The final update for this version was 4.7 released on December 17, 2015.
The final patch was 4.7.2 released on May 31, 2016.Unity 5
Unity 5.0 is Unity Technologies biggest and boldest release so far. Powerful new features in Unity 5 include:
○ The Physically-based Standard Shader to make your materials look consistent in any lighting environment, cross platform.
○ Real-time Global Illumination, built on Geomerics Enlighten technology.
○ The Audio Mixer, to massively improve audio in your game.
○ HDR Reflection Probes to enhance visual fidelity.
○ PhysX 3.3 to bring massive performance improvements to 3D physics.
○ Major updates to the animation system.
○ WebGL preview.And of course, many more new features and updates. (Check website for full list of features.)
Unreal
Create without limits
With Unreal Engine, you can bring amazing real-time experiences to life using the world’s most advanced real-time 3D creation tool.
From first projects to the most demanding challenges, our free and accessible resources and inspirational community empower everyone to realize their ambitions.Unreal Engine
Initial release:
Unreal Engine 4 gives you all the features you need to make just about any game you can dream up! When you get UE4, you have all the rendering horsepower to make a cinematic experience like the Infiltrator demo, and you can also build really simple games like side-scrolling platformers and match-three apps. That call is totally yours to make!
Unreal Engine 3
Initial release:
Unreal Engine 3 (UE3) is a computer game engine developed by Epic Games. It is the third generation of the Unreal Engine, designed for DirectX 9-, 10-, and 11-capable PCs, the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3, and OpenGL-based OSes (Mac OS X, iOS). Its renderer supports many advanced techniques including HDRR, per-pixel lighting, and dynamic shadows, and builds upon the tools available in previous versions of the engine.
Unreal Engine 4
Initial release:
Unreal Engine 4 is a complete suite of game development tools made by game developers, for game developers. From 2D mobile games to console blockbusters, Unreal Engine 4 gives you everything you need to start, ship, grow and stand out from the crowd.
Revolutionary new workflow features and a deep toolset empower developers to quickly iterate on ideas and see immediate results, while complete C++ source code access brings the experience to a whole new level.
Unreal Engine technology powers hundreds of games as well as real-time 3D films, training simulations, visualizations and more. Over the past 15 years, thousands of individuals and teams and have built careers and companies around skills developed using the engine.
Vavoom
Vavoom is a source port based on sources of Doom, Heretic, Hexen and a little bit from Quake. Supported platforms are Windows and Linux.
Veloren Engine
A fully open-source voxel game engine written in Rust primarily for use in the Veloren game.
Vengeance Engine
Initial release:
The Vengeance Engine is a game engine based on Unreal Engine 2/2.5. It was created by Irrational Games to make Tribes: Vengeance.
Vicarious Visions Alchemy
Initial release:
Vicarious Visions Alchemy is the company's game engine. It was released in 2002. It was originally called Intrinsic Alchemy and developed by Intrinsic Graphics before being renamed after Vicarious Visions acquired Intrinsic Graphics in 2003.
Video Reality
Initial release:
Virtools Engine
Games using a version of the Virtools engine (original or modified) by Virtools SA. It contains a 3D rendering engine, a GUI and a behavioral engine library with preset scripts. It is mainly used for adventures, simulations, shoot-em-ups and massive multiplayer games. Virtools can be used to develop Windows, Macintosh and Xbox games, with cross-compatibility.
Vital Engine 2
Initial release:
Vital Engine 2, was developed by Deep Shadows (Sergey Zabaryansky and Roman Lut) for Boiling Point: Road to Hell (aka Xenus) (2005).
Vital Engine 3
Initial release:
Vital Engine 3, was developed by Deep Shadows (Sergey Zabaryansky and Roman Lut) for White Gold: War in Paradise (aka Xenus II: White Gold) (2008) and The Precursors (2009).
Void Engine
Initial release:
The engine was created by Arkane Studios, but is based on the core of id Tech 6 by id Software, Inc. The engine was first used in Dishonored 2 (2016). According to the game's Art Director Sébastien Mitton about 70% of the original engine was rewritten to become the new Void Engine.
WF Engine
Initial release:
WF Engine was created by WayForward Technologies for DuckTales: Remastered (2013), BloodRayne: Betrayal (2014), Goosebumps: The Game (2015), Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered (2019), BloodRayne Betrayal: Fresh Bites (2021)
Wintermute Engine
Initial release:
Wintermute Engine (WME) is a set of software tools and a runtime interpreter (game engine) primarily designed for creating and running graphical adventure games.
WOLF RPG Editor
Initial release:
WOLF RPG Editor is a game development tool created by SmokingWOLF, designed for creating complex role-playing games. The engine is free to use, and the public license allows its users to freely distribute and even sell their created games.
World Builder
Initial release:
World Builder is a game creation system for point-and-click adventure games on the classic Mac.
Xash3D
An open-source engine intended to be compatible with Valve's GoldSrc engine.
XIGNCODE3
XIGNCODE3 is the next generation of gaming security solution mainly for online gaming service, currently patented and registered as a “one-time executable code structure”, which allows levels of various security policies according to company management measurements.
XIGNCODE3 supports more than 2000 game environment clients, and operates under Linux or Windows game servers. We provide all interface codes that are easily applicable in various conditions, such as C/C++/JAVA/C#. In addition, the API is structured in simple fashion for convenient adjustment, allowing easy application and testing without any complicated studies.
X-ray Engine
Initial release:
The X-Ray Engine is the name of the 3D game engine created by Kiev-based computer game developer GSC Game World. Released on 20 March 2007, the engine is used in the first three S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games released by the company. An upgraded engine was planned for the cancelled game S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2.
X-Tend
Initial release:
X-Tend Engine was created by Burut Creative Team (aka Burut CT) (Russian) for games like Kreed: Kreed (2003), Battle for Savitar (2004), ÜberSoldier (2006) & ÜberSoldier II (2007).
Yamaneko Engine
Nihon Falcom's in-house engine used for various games over the years, improvements made to it between games, usually confirmed by dataminers going through game files after a release.
YETI
Initial release:
The engine was originally developed by Tiwak SAS (formerly Yeti Interactive), an engine based on a heavily modified Unreal Engine 2.5, and introduced in the 360 version of Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter.
ZenGin
Initial release:
Zero
Initial release:
Zero is a proprietary game engine created by Pandemic Studios. It was used first in the game Battlezone II: Combat Commander and later used in several Star Wars games including the popular Battlefront series. Battlezone II: Combat Commander and Dark Reign 2 both feature an in-engine editor accessible via commands.
The engine was revamped for Star Wars: The Clone Wars to accommodate consoles and third person gameplay.The engine was again retooled for Star Wars: Battlefront and the level editor was made a separate entity from the game engine. A set of modding tools including ZeroEdit, the new level creation tool, were released for use with Star Wars: Battlefront on December 23, 2004. An updated version of the tools were released on February 2, 2006 for Star Wars: Battlefront II. Pandemic used Zero as their primary engine for several of their games developed in their Los Angeles, California studio. A modified version of the Zero engine was also used in Pandemic's Mercenaries 2: World in Flames. Pandemic Studios was dissolved by EA in 2009.
Plasma Game engine is a branch/fork from Zero engine developed by Plasma Technology Limited (aka Joshuan).
- Website (https://plasmagameengine.com/)
- Github (https://github.com/PlasmaEngine)Zorn
Zorn is high speed, real time, graphics and game engine developed jointly by Codify and Verido. The Zorn Engine allows access to the full potential of the target device by working close to the target hardware and skipping slow intermediate APIs.
Zouna
Asobo in-house engine