The Best Free Unreal Engine AlternativesTop Game Development Tools and other similar apps like Unreal Engine

The best free alternative to Unreal Engine is Godot Engine, which is also Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Unreal Engine and loads of them is free so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting free alternatives to Unreal Engine are Unity, GDevelop, Redot Engine and CRYENGINE.

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Unreal Engine alternatives are mainly Game Development Tools, but if you're looking for Role-playing Games or 3D Modelers you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Free, Raspberry Pi, Open Source and Android. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Unreal Engine.
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Alternatives list

  1. Godot Engine icon

    Godot Engine

     592 likes

    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.

    178 Godot Engine alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • Epic Games Store
    • Flathub
    • F-Droid
    • Haiku
    • Steam
    • FreeBSD
    • Flatpak
    • itch.io
    • Meta Quest
    Godot Engine screenshot 1
     
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    5
    Comments about Godot Engine as an Alternative to Unreal Engine
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    13

    Open source, powerful, same render tech in 3.0, and did i mentioned open source and easy and open source?

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Mino Developer
    Positive
    0

    Not the best in 3d graphics, but definitely an awesome engine for beguiners and those who don't have a very good PC.

    Sebastian Skinnari
    Positive
    1

    Best FOSS Game Engine right now, both 2D and 3D capable.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 5 comments
    Godot Engine icon
    Godot Engine icon
    • Godot Engine is Free and Open SourceUnreal Engine is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Godot Engine is LightweightUnreal Engine is not according to our users
  2. Unity icon

    Unity

     357 likes

    Unity's real-time 3D engine fosters collaboration among artists, designers, and developers, offering tools for immersive, interactive experiences. Unity 6 enhances rendering, lighting, and AI, supports AR, VR, mobile, desktop, and includes detailed multiplayer workflows.

    135 Unity alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Unity screenshot 1
     
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    4
    Comments about Unity as an Alternative to Unreal Engine
    Mino Developer
    Negative
    1

    Unity don't have the best graphics, is more expensive (You need to pay them if you earn 100000$ while you only need to pay Unreal Engine if you earn 1 million). However, Unity is better for beguiners.

    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Minimum system requirement. Rich in features which are equivalent to Unreal Engine.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Positive
    -1

    Popular. And a very large community around it. And the documentation. And the extensive platform support. It's the only thing that rivals UE4.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 4 comments
    Unity icon
    Unity icon
    • Unity is Freemium and ProprietaryUnreal Engine is also Freemium and Proprietary
  4. GDevelop icon

    GDevelop

     193 likes

    GDevelop is an open-source game making software designed to be used by everyone. Any kind of 2D games can be created with it and no programming skills are required to get started. Logic of games are made using visual events.

    121 GDevelop alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Flathub
    The new editor interface, which now supports 3D editing.
     
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    2
    Comments about GDevelop as an Alternative to Unreal Engine
    Michael
    Negative
    3

    Allows for creating 2D games only.

    Guest
    Positive
    0

    simple visual code despite the fact that it is only 2D

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    GDevelop icon
    GDevelop icon
    • GDevelop is Freemium and Open SourceUnreal Engine is Freemium and Proprietary
    • GDevelop is LightweightUnreal Engine is not according to our users
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  6. Redot Engine icon

    Redot Engine

     18 likes

    Redot Engine is a feature-packed, cross-platform fork of the Godot 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.

    64 Redot Engine alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Redot Engine screenshot 1
     
  7. CRYENGINE icon

    CRYENGINE

     64 likes

    The most powerful game development platform is now available to everyone. Full engine source code. All features. No royalties. No obligations. No license fee.

    Cost / License

    • Free Personal
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    CRYENGINE screenshot 1
     
  8. Defold Engine icon

    Defold Engine

     38 likes

    The completely free and source-available game engine Defold solves the technical issues we all have in common when making games. That way, you can focus on being creative and building a great game.

    65 Defold Engine alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Defold Engine screenshot 1
     
  10. Armory 3D icon

    Armory 3D

     33 likes

    Armory is an open-source 3D game engine with full Blender integration, turning it into a complete game development tool. The result is a unified workflow from start to finish, making you work faster. No more jumping between different applications.

    46 Armory 3D alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (Zlib)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Blender
    Armory 3D screenshot 1
     
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    2
    Comments about Armory 3D as an Alternative to Unreal Engine
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    it looks and feel very similar

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    It is great, BUT it is not designed to be realistic. If you want to make a semi-realistic 3D game it is GREAT!

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Armory 3D icon
    Armory 3D icon
    • Armory 3D is Free and Open SourceUnreal Engine is Freemium and Proprietary
  12. Stride Game Engine icon

    Stride Game Engine

     34 likes

    Stride (formerly Xenko) is an open-source C# game engine designed for the future of gaming. It comes with a full toolchain and is especially well suited to create realistic games but allows you much more!.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Overview
     
  14. Open 3D Engine icon

    Open 3D Engine

     23 likes

    Open 3D Engine (O3DE) is an Apache 2.0-licensed multi-platform 3D engine that enables developers and content creators to build AAA games, cinema-quality 3D worlds, and high-fidelity simulations without any fees or commercial obligations.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    Open 3D Engine screenshot 1
     
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    3
    Comments about Open 3D Engine as an Alternative to Unreal Engine
    Mino Developer
    Positive
    0

    You may need a beautiful PC to run it smoothely.

    Guest
    Positive
    1

    You can make AAA quality games in it.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Lester Covax
    Positive
    0

    Based on CryEngine, and loaded with integrations to AWS/web services, this is a great option for those looking to create an online multiplayer game with the nuts and bolts already handled.

    Open 3D Engine icon
    Open 3D Engine icon
    • Open 3D Engine is Free and Open SourceUnreal Engine is Freemium and Proprietary
  15. PlayCanvas icon

    PlayCanvas

     14 likes

    PlayCanvas is the world’s easiest to use WebGL Game Engine. It’s free, it’s open source and it’s backed by amazing developer tools.

    43 PlayCanvas alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Self-Hosted
    PlayCanvas screenshot 1
     
12 of 98 Unreal Engine alternatives