PICO-8 AlternativesOnly apps categorised as Game Development Tools

The best Game Development alternative to PICO-8 is Godot Engine, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 25 alternatives to PICO-8 and many of them are Game Development Tools so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Game Development Tool alternatives to PICO-8 are LÖVE, TIC-80, Pixel Vision 8 and quadplay.

filter to find the best alternatives

PICO-8 alternatives are mainly Game Development Tools but may also be IDEs. Filter by these or use the filter bar below if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of PICO-8.
PICO-8 iconPICO-8
  13
  • ...

PICO-8 is a Lua based fantasy console for programming, sharing and playing tiny games and other computer programs. The app boots to a shell prompt with easy access to scores of game building tools.

More about PICO-8
More about PICO-8
PICO-8 alternatives page was last updated Jan 8, 2025
Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard
Alternatives
  1. Godot Engine icon

    Godot Engine

     546 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Godot Engine is a feature-packed, cross-platform game engine to create 2D and 3D games from a unified interface. It provides a comprehensive set of common tools, so that users can focus on making games without having to reinvent the wheel.

    173 Godot Engine alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • AR flagArgentina

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • Epic Games Store
    • Flathub
    • F-Droid
    • Haiku
    • Steam
    • FreeBSD
    • Flatpak
    Godot Engine screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  3D Game Engine
    2.  2D Game Engine
    3.  Cross-Platform
    4.  GdScript
    5.  Portable
    6.  Simple installation
    7.  Built-in 3D model viewer
    8.  Intuitive Nodes
    9.  Multiple languages
    10.  Keyframe Animation
    11.  Works Offline
    12.  Community-based

    Godot Engine VS PICO-8

     

    • Godot Engine is the most popular Web-based, Windows, Android & Mac alternative to PICO-8.

    • Godot Engine is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to PICO-8.

    • Godot Engine is Free and Open SourcePICO-8 is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Godot Engine is LightweightPICO-8 is not according to our users
  2. LÖVE icon

    LÖVE

     91 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Hi there! LÖVE is an awesome framework you can use to make 2D games in Lua. It's free, open-source, and works on Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, Android and iOS.

    96 LÖVE alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • BSD
    • iPad
    • FreeBSD
    LÖVE screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Portable
    2.  Lua scripting
    3.  Collaborative Workspaces

    LÖVE VS PICO-8

     

    • LÖVE is the most popular iPhone & iPad alternative to PICO-8.

    • LÖVE is Free and Open SourcePICO-8 is Freemium and Proprietary
    • LÖVE is LightweightPICO-8 is not according to our users
  4. TIC-80 icon

    TIC-80

     16 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    TIC-80 is a fantasy computer where you can make, play and share tiny games. Comes with built-in tools for development: code, sprites, maps, sound editors and a command line.

    25 TIC-80 alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • UA flagUkraine

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    TIC-80 screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Portable
    2.  Works Offline

    TIC-80 VS PICO-8

     
  5. Pixel Vision 8 icon

    Pixel Vision 8

     7 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Pixel Vision 8 is a platform that standardizes 8-bit fantasy console limitations built on top of an open source C# SDK. Developers can customize these restrictions to match actual legacy hardware or create something new. It is ideal for game jams, prototyping ideas or having fun.

    22 Pixel Vision 8 alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Pixel Vision 8 screenshot 1
    Discontinued

    From the GitHub repository: "Due to a lack of free time over the past year, I've decided to pause the development of PV8 for the foreseeable future. The code is still open source and free for everyone to fork, modify, and use. I hope to return to this project when I can give it more of my attention and thank everyone for their support over the years."

    Pixel Vision 8 VS PICO-8

     
    Comments about Pixel Vision 8 as an Alternative to PICO-8
    ichimitch
    Positive •Oct 22, 2023
    0

    Much like Pico-8 but fewer limitations

    PICO-8 Icon
    Pixel Vision 8 icon
    • Pixel Vision 8 is Free and Open SourcePICO-8 is Freemium and Proprietary
  6. quadplay icon

    quadplay

     5 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    The quadplay fantasy console bundles an emulator and advanced development tools including an adept IDE and tools for use with other IDEs like VS Code, Vim and Emacs.

    22 quadplay alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Self-Hosted
    quadplay screenshot 1

    quadplay VS PICO-8

     
  7. Bitsy icon

    Bitsy

     6 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Bitsy is a little editor for little games or worlds. The goal is to make it easy to make games where you can walk around and talk to people and be somewhere.

    22 Bitsy alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Online
    Bitsy screenshot 1

    Bitsy Features

    1.  Built-in Image editor

    Bitsy VS PICO-8

     
  9. Picotron icon

    Picotron

     1 like
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Picotron is a Fantasy Workstation: a self-contained creative environment built for imaginary hardware. Create cute Lua apps that can be run inside Picotron as windowed userland processes, shared as cartridge files, or exported to stand-alone HTML apps.

    25 Picotron alternatives

    License model

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • NZ flagNew Zealand

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Mac
    • Linux
    • Raspberry Pi
    Picotron screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Support for Themes
    2.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Built-in viewer
    2.  DRM Free
    3.  Portable
    4.  Works Offline
    5.  Ad-free
    6.  Music Sequencer
    7.  Export to HTML
    8.  Pixel Art
    9.  Built-in editor
    10.  Skinnable
    11.  Pixel graphics
    12.  2D Game Engine

    Picotron VS PICO-8

     

    • Picotron is the most popular commercial alternative to PICO-8.

    • Picotron is Paid and ProprietaryPICO-8 is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Picotron is LightweightPICO-8 is not according to our users
  10. WASM-4 icon

    WASM-4

     4 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    WASM-4 is a low-level fantasy game console for building small games with WebAssembly. Game cartridges (ROMs) are small, self-contained .wasm files that can be built with any programming language that compiles to WebAssembly.

    22 WASM-4 alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    WASM-4 screenshot 1

    WASM-4 VS PICO-8

     
  11. nano JAMMER icon

    nano JAMMER

     3 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    The nano JAMMER is a fantasy console for tiny games. It is perfect for hobby coding, a game programming course, and tweetjams.

    22 nano JAMMER alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Online
    nano JAMMER screenshot 1

    nano JAMMER VS PICO-8

     
  12. FUZE4 icon

    FUZE4

     1 like
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    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. The end result is a language ideally suited to coding games and apps for absolute beginners and seasoned...

    12 FUZE4 alternatives

    License model

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • GB flagUnited Kingdom

    Platforms

    • Nintendo Switch
    FUZE4 screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Educational

    Features

    1.  No registration required
    2.  Single player
    3.  Ad-free
    4.  Keyframe Animation
    5.  Works Offline
    6.  Dark Mode
    7.  Support for scripting
    8.  Built-in Level Editor
    9.  Lua scripting
    10.  2D Game Engine
    11.  3D Game Engine

    FUZE4 VS PICO-8

     
  13. LowRes NX icon

    LowRes NX

     3 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    LowRes NX is a simulated retro game console which can be programmed in the classic BASIC language. Make your own retro games on a virtual game console. Create sprites, tile maps, sound and music with the included tools.

    23 LowRes NX alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    LowRes NX screenshot 1
    LowRes NX screenshot 2
    LowRes NX screenshot 3

    LowRes NX VS PICO-8

     
  14. Zany80 icon

    Zany80

     2 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    ZANY80 is a fantasy console built around the Zilog Z80 processor (used in the classic Spectrum Z80 computer).

    22 Zany80 alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Self-Hosted
    Zany80 screenshot 1
    Discontinued

    The last update is from 2020, and the GitHub repository has been archived.

    Zany80 VS PICO-8

     
12 of 23 PICO-8 alternatives