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Cocos2d VS GDevelop

Compare Cocos2d VS GDevelop and see what are their differences

Cocos2d logo Cocos2d

Cocos2d

GDevelop logo GDevelop

GDevelop is an open-source game making software designed to be used by everyone.
  • Cocos2d Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-11-08
  • GDevelop Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-23

Cocos2d features and specs

  • Open Source
    Cocos2d is open-source, which means developers can use it for free and contribute to its development. This fosters a large community and a wealth of shared resources.
  • Cross-Platform Development
    Cocos2d supports multiple platforms including iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows, allowing developers to write code once and deploy it across different devices.
  • Ease of Use
    The framework offers an easy-to-learn API, which is beneficial for beginners as well as experienced developers who want to create games efficiently.
  • Rich Set of Features
    Cocos2d provides a comprehensive set of features such as physics engines, particle systems, and skeletal animation, which are essential for game development.
  • Community Support
    A large community of developers contributes to Cocos2d, providing tutorials, forums, and plugins that enhance the framework's capabilities.

Possible disadvantages of Cocos2d

  • Limited 3D Capabilities
    Cocos2d is primarily a 2D game engine, and while it has some 3D capabilities, it is not as robust as other dedicated 3D engines such as Unity or Unreal Engine.
  • Performance Limitations
    Games made with Cocos2d might face performance issues, particularly on older devices, when dealing with complex scenes or high-resolution graphics.
  • Learning Curve
    Though easier than some other engines, developers still need to invest time in learning Cocos2d's specific architecture and coding practices.
  • Less Polished Tools
    Compared to commercial game engines, Cocos2d's development tools might seem less polished or feature-rich.
  • Fragmentation
    The existence of multiple versions and forks (like Cocos2d-x, Cocos2d-ObjC) can sometimes lead to confusion and fragmentation, making it harder for developers to pick the right tool for their needs.

GDevelop features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    GDevelop provides a drag-and-drop interface, making it accessible for beginners who don't have prior coding experience.
  • Cross-Platform Export
    Games created with GDevelop can be exported to multiple platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and the web.
  • Free and Open Source
    GDevelop is completely free and its source code is open for anyone to modify and improve.
  • Extensive Documentation
    The platform provides a wide range of tutorials, examples, and thorough documentation, making it easier for developers to learn and utilize the tool.
  • Vibrant Community
    An active community forum and resources are available, providing support and opportunities for collaboration.
  • No-Code Solution
    GDevelop allows game creation without any coding, making it highly suitable for rapid prototyping and educational purposes.

Possible disadvantages of GDevelop

  • Performance Limitations
    The engine may struggle with performance issues for more complex games, especially those with high-end graphics and intensive computations.
  • Limited Advanced Features
    While suitable for 2D game development, GDevelop lacks advanced features found in other engines, potentially limiting more experienced developers.
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Usage
    Although easy for beginners, mastering the platform for more complex projects can have a steep learning curve.
  • Limited Integration
    Integration with third-party tools and services is not as extensive as in some other, more established game development engines.
  • Project Collaboration
    Collaborative features are relatively basic, potentially making it less ideal for larger, team-based projects.
  • 2D Only
    GDevelop focuses exclusively on 2D game development, which can be a downside for those looking to develop 3D games.

Cocos2d videos

Cocos2D-x 4.0 Released

More videos:

  • Review - Corona vs Cocos2d vs Unity

GDevelop videos

GDevelop 5 -- Ultimate Beginner Game Engine?

More videos:

  • Review - Clickteam Fusion 2.5 Vs GDevelop 5 - (Game Engine REVIEW 2019 )
  • Review - Clickteam Fusion 2.5 Vs GDevelop 5 - (Game Engine REVIEW 2020 )
  • Tutorial - Beginner Multiplayer Tutorial

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Cocos2d and GDevelop)
Game Development
15 15%
85% 85
Game Engine
16 16%
84% 84
3D Game Engine
22 22%
78% 78
Developer Tools
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Cocos2d and GDevelop

Cocos2d Reviews

The Best Gaming Engines You Should Consider for 2023
All versions of Cocos2d work using the basic primitive known as a sprite. A sprite can be thought of as a simple 2D image, but can also be a container for other sprites. Sprites are arranged together to form a scene, like a game level or a menu. Sprites are then code-manipulated as per events, actions, or animations.
Top 10 Mobile Game Development Tools For Intellectual Games
Like Corona SDK, Cocos2D also has OpenGL as a rendering engine that allows it to interact with graphic processing units. Cocos2D uses C++ to build games along with support for Lua and JavaScript. It is open-source and used to build cross-platform GUI based interactive games.
Source: unaryteam.com

GDevelop Reviews

16 Scratch Alternatives
Beginners who don’t have any programming skills but still want to create some games can quickly access one of the best platforms based on the open source network to help them develop games named the GDevelop. This platform lets users release their creative skills to quickly build games, such as puzzles, shoot-em-ups, strategy, racing, adventure, and more. It can even permit...
20 Best Scratch Alternatives 2023
GDevelop is described as a “free and easy game-making app.” It’s similar to Scratch in that it’s a no-code platform; it doesn’t require using programming languages. GDevelop is also free and open source.
Trending 10 BEST Video Game Design & Development Software 2021
Open-source free software, GDevelop allows developers to make games without programming skills. It allows you to create objects for games such as sprites, text objects, video objects, and custom shapes.
Best Game Engines for Linux in 2021
Construct 3 is free with limits. After that, you have to sign up for a monthly subscription. If you can not afford to pay for it, you can use GDevelop, an alternative to Construct 3 for Linux.
Source: kerneltips.com
Trending 7 Best Game Development Software 2021
GDevelop is the best game making software for beginners & professionals. GDevelop provides you easy and simplistic interface, which most developers like in GDevelop.
Source: vilesolid.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, GDevelop seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 78 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Cocos2d mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Cocos2d yet. Tracking of Cocos2d recommendations started around Mar 2021.

GDevelop mentions (78)

  • No-Code Game Development: Using AI to Build Your First Game
    GDevelop combines open-source flexibility with powerful no-code features. Their recent AI plugins provide remarkable capabilities:. - Source: dev.to / 5 days ago
  • Ask HN: Platform for 11 year old to create video games?
    Humble Bundle has a Godot bundle is available for the next day or so. That might be a good one to look at if you're ok with leaning into code a bit (gdscript is very very similar to python). https://www.humblebundle.com/software/learn-godot-43-complete-course-bundle-software Also check out the RPG Maker bundle. That's pretty point-and-click. You can have something basic up and running in a couple minutes... - Source: Hacker News / 8 months ago
  • Exploring Raylib and Open Source
    I selected this library as I normally use much higher-level tools to develop games such as p5.js, or GDevelop. Both these tools are amazing in their own right; however, I want to learn how these processes operate on a much lower level. These tools take care of a lot of issues for you ranging from asset to memory management. Raylib is still cross-platform but does not handle these tasks for the programmer which I... - Source: dev.to / 8 months ago
  • Unity’s New Pricing: A Wake-Up Call on the Importance of Open Source in Gaming
    It's not as monolithic as you'd think. There are lots of engines out there but their communities aren't very vocal compared to Unity, Unreal, and especially Godot's community. Take a look at: https://itch.io/game-development/engines/most-projects And https://www.gamedeveloper.com/blogs/the-generous-space-of-alternative-game-engines-a-curation- If you look at both of these you'll see just how many engines there are... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Ask HN: Favorite Game Engine?
    I'm not really a game maker, but would like to give a shout out to the fabulous https://gdevelop.io/ It has everything you need, is free and its VISUAL PROGRAMMING is fab... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Cocos2d and GDevelop, you can also consider the following products

Unity - The multiplatform game creation tools for everyone.

Godot Engine - Feature-packed 2D and 3D open source game engine.

Blender - Blender is the open source, cross platform suite of tools for 3D creation.

Unreal Engine - Unreal Engine 4 is a suite of integrated tools for game developers to design and build games, simulations, and visualizations.

Amazon Lumberyard - Amazon Lumberyard is a free AAA game engine deeply integrated with AWS and Twitch – with full...

RPG Maker - Make your own PC game with RPG Maker. Our easy to use tools are simple enough for a child, and powerful enough for a developer. Try it free today!