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Godot Engine VS Pyxel

Compare Godot Engine VS Pyxel and see what are their differences

Godot Engine logo Godot Engine

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

Pyxel logo Pyxel

Retro game engine for Python inspired by fantasy consoles.
  • Godot Engine Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-23

The game engine you waited for... 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.

  • Pyxel Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-17

Godot Engine features and specs

  • Open Source
    Godot Engine is open source under the MIT license, which means it's free to use, modify, and distribute. This greatly reduces development costs and provides the freedom to tailor the engine to specific needs.
  • Platform Support
    Godot supports a wide range of platforms including Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and HTML5. This allows developers to target multiple platforms with a single codebase.
  • Scene System
    The engine's scene system, where everything is a scene or a node, allows for a highly modular workflow. This makes it easy to manage complex projects and reuse components.
  • GDScript
    GDScript is a Python-like scripting language that is easy to learn and designed specifically for the Godot engine, facilitating rapid development and iteration.
  • Active Community
    Godot has an active and growing community which means a wealth of tutorials, forums, and third-party resources are available, making it easier for newcomers to get started.
  • Lightweight and Efficient
    Godot is lightweight and efficient, which allows for faster load times and the ability to run on lower-end hardware without compromising performance.

Possible disadvantages of Godot Engine

  • Less Industry Adoption
    Compared to other engines like Unity or Unreal, Godot has less industry adoption, which might limit career opportunities and the availability of experienced developers.
  • Limited 3D Capabilities
    While Godot is powerful for 2D games, its 3D capabilities are still behind more established engines like Unity and Unreal, potentially limiting its use for high-end 3D game development.
  • Smaller Asset Marketplace
    Godot's asset marketplace is smaller compared to those of Unity or Unreal. This means fewer ready-made assets are available for purchase, which can slow down development.
  • Learning Curve for GDScript
    While GDScript is designed to be easy to use, developers already experienced with other scripting languages might face a learning curve when adapting to it.
  • Limited Official Documentation
    Though improving, the official documentation can sometimes be lacking in certain areas, which can make it challenging to find specific information or advanced techniques.
  • Experimental Features
    As a rapidly evolving engine, some of Godot's newer features may still be experimental and may not be fully stable, which can lead to potential issues during development.

Pyxel features and specs

  • Simple API
    Pyxel offers an uncomplicated and straightforward API, which makes it easy for beginners to start creating games without getting bogged down by complex configurations and setups.
  • Cross-Platform
    Pyxel is designed to be cross-platform, functioning seamlessly on Windows, macOS, and Linux, allowing developers to create and distribute games across multiple platforms with ease.
  • Lightweight
    With a focus on minimalism, Pyxel is lightweight which ensures that it runs efficiently on most hardware, making it suitable for projects where resource consumption is a concern.
  • Pixel Art Focus
    The library is tailored for creating pixel art games, offering features and tools that specifically cater to the needs of pixel art creation and manipulation.
  • No Installation Required
    As a self-contained application, Pyxel doesn't require installation, allowing developers to quickly run it directly after download and start working on their game projects without additional setup steps.

Possible disadvantages of Pyxel

  • Limited Advanced Features
    Pyxel's simplicity can be a downside for experienced developers looking for advanced game development features or functionalities, as it lacks the depth found in more complex game engines.
  • 2D Only
    As a library focused on 2D pixel art games, Pyxel does not support 3D game development, limiting developers who are interested in creating anything beyond the 2D space.
  • Performance Limitations
    Because of its lightweight nature and simplicity, Pyxel might struggle with performance when developing resource-intensive games compared to more robust game engines.
  • Limited Community and Resources
    Pyxel has a smaller user base and community compared to larger game engines, which results in fewer resources, tutorials, and third-party tools available for learning and problem-solving.

Analysis of Godot Engine

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Godot Engine is considered a good choice for many game developers, particularly those looking for an open-source and versatile tool. Its wide range of features and supportive community make it suitable for both beginners and experienced developers who want a customizable engine.

Why this product is good

  • Godot Engine is praised for its ease of use, lightweight nature, and flexibility. It is open-source and has a strong community that contributes to its development and offers support through forums and documentation. The engine supports both 2D and 3D game development and comes with a visual editor, making it accessible for beginners. Its scripting language, GDScript, is relatively easy to learn, especially for those familiar with Python. Godot also offers features like scene instancing and a node-based architecture, which help in organizing and managing game elements effectively.

Recommended for

  • Indie game developers who prefer an open-source engine.
  • Beginners looking for a user-friendly introduction to game development.
  • Developers interested in both 2D and 3D game creation.
  • Individuals or small teams seeking a lightweight and flexible engine.
  • Python programmers who want an engine with a similar scripting language.

Godot Engine videos

Let's Try: Godot Engine - Is it good?

More videos:

  • Review - Godot Engine Review
  • Tutorial - GDScript (And Programming!) for Beginners in Godot 3.2

Pyxel videos

Aseprite vs Pyxel Edit - Pixel Art Animation & Tile Tool Comparison

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Godot Engine and Pyxel)
Game Development
96 96%
4% 4
Game Engine
95 95%
5% 5
3D Game Engine
100 100%
0% 0
Graph Databases
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Godot Engine and Pyxel

Godot Engine Reviews

Godot Engine vs Unity: Which One Suits You Best in 2024
Choosing between Godot engine and Unity depends on your project needs and personal preferences. Godot engine is ideal for those looking for a free, open-source engine with a straightforward interface. If you’re wondering, is Godot easier than Unity? Yes, especially for beginners, thanks to its simplicity and GDScript.
Source: rocketbrush.com
Game Engines: A Comparative Analysis
Godot has gained traction for being an open-source game engine that offers a blend of simplicity and versatility. Supporting both 2D and 3D game development, Godot features a visual scripting system and encourages community collaboration. With no licensing fees and an active community, it has become an attractive choice for indie developers.
Source: medium.com
Best Game Engines for 2023 – Which Should You Use?
As for weaknesses, Godot does use its own personal language for scripting, called GDScript. While the language works fantastically and is reminiscent of Python (a favorite language for many developers), as it was specifically designed for Godot, experienced game developers may consider it tedious to adapt to yet another language. Additionally, as Godot is not as well known...
The Best Gaming Engines You Should Consider for 2023
Godot is free to use and it’s open-source through the MIT license. No royalties, no subscription fees, no hidden strings. The Godot engine is great for making both 2D and 3D games. The engine provides a huge set of common tools, so you can just focus on making your game without reinventing the wheel.
What Are the Best Game Engines?
Godot takes a unique approach with node and scene architecture to represent specific game functions, which some users find to be easier and more intuitive to use than some other game engines.

Pyxel Reviews

We have no reviews of Pyxel yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Godot Engine seems to be a lot more popular than Pyxel. While we know about 460 links to Godot Engine, we've tracked only 28 mentions of Pyxel. 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.

Godot Engine mentions (460)

  • Migrating Away from Rust
    > I failed to fairly evaluate my options at the start of the project. The more projects I do, the more time I find that I dedicate to just planning things up front. Sometimes it's fun to just open a game engine and start playing with it (I too have an unfair bias in this area, but towards Godot [https://godotengine.org/]), but if I ever want to build something to release, I start with a spreadsheet. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 month ago
  • Presentation Slides with Markdown
    It’s definitely niche, but one of the best presentations I’ve ever seen was done in godot [0] One of my coworkers copied our PowerPoint theme, built a super basic presentation mode with transitions and used the engine for interactive demos live in the slides running the code. [0] https://godotengine.org/. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 month ago
  • Leveraging Open Source: The Sandbox's Game-Changing Integration
    Historically, open-source software has played a critical role in democratizing the development process. Platforms like Blender for 3D modeling and Godot Engine for game creation have revolutionized the creative process, offering free and powerful alternatives to proprietary solutions. By integrating these tools, The Sandbox leverages the robustness of community-driven technology and innovative coding practices... - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • EdgeDB is now Gel and Postgres is the Future
    > Godot is a game engine. https://godotengine.org Yeah, I knew that, and precisely because of that I assumed it's a typo :) We have a native Python client. We can take a look if it works from Godot. Do you know if this is a popular use case? - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • EdgeDB is now Gel and Postgres is the Future
    Https://godotengine.org Supabase has unofficial support. https://github.com/supabase-community/godot-engine.supabase/... Thanks for responding! I'm about 60% done with my current project so I don't think I'll be up to migrate( again, originally I started with Firebase), but I still definitely consider Gel for future projects. Or if... - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
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Pyxel mentions (28)

  • A (not so) small library for terminal based game development
    If pygamelib interests you, you might also be interested in Pyxel: https://github.com/kitao/pyxel. - Source: Hacker News / 10 months ago
  • This Week In Python
    Pyxel – A retro game engine for Python – by @kitao. - Source: dev.to / 11 months ago
  • Show HN: Driftmania – an open source PICO-8 racing game
    Nice work, gives me very Micro Machines vibes for the NES. The only thing I don't like about PICO-8 is that its completely closed source. An open source alternative that seems very promising is Pyxel. It has similar retro / pixel art limitations, a built-in sprite editor, music tracker, etc. https://github.com/kitao/pyxel. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • is python good for making games?
    There's also game engines which are fun to use in python, like pyxel. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Web App Generation Feature Added to Pyxel, a Retro Game Engine for Python
    A function to automatically generate an application launch URL has been added to Pyxel, a retro game engine for Python (https://github.com/kitao/pyxel please add your star to this repository!). Source: over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Godot Engine and Pyxel, you can also consider the following products

Unity - The multiplatform game creation tools for everyone.

PICO-8 - Lua-based fantasy console for making and playing tiny, computer games and programs.

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

TIC-80 - TIC-80 is a fantasy computer where you can make, play and share tiny games.

GDevelop - GDevelop is an open-source game making software designed to be used by everyone.

LIKO-12 - Fantasy console built with the Love 2D game engine.