PICO-8 VS GDevelop

Compare PICO-8 VS GDevelop and see what are their differences

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PICO-8

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

GDevelop

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

Landing page //
2023-09-19

Landing page //
2023-10-23

PICO-8

Website: lexaloffle.com
$ Details: -

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GDevelop

Website: gdevelop.io
$ Details

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PICO-8 features and specs

Accessibility
PICO-8 provides a user-friendly and accessible platform for beginners and hobbyists to learn and create games with its simple and comprehensive interface.
Creativity
The constrained environment encourages creative problem-solving and innovative game design, sparking creativity among developers.
Community
A strong and supportive community exists around PICO-8, offering numerous resources, tutorials, and forums for collaboration and assistance.
Portability
Games developed in PICO-8 can be easily shared and exported to different platforms, including web browsers, increasing reach and accessibility.
Learning Opportunity
PICO-8 serves as an excellent educational tool for understanding the fundamentals of game design and programming.

Possible disadvantages of PICO-8

Limited Graphics
The intentionally limited resolution and color palette can be restrictive for developers looking for more sophisticated graphical capabilities.
Performance Constraints
The fixed memory and performance limitations might pose challenges for more complex game development, requiring careful optimization.
Single Language Support
PICO-8 primarily uses its own scripting language based on Lua, which can be a barrier for those who prefer other programming languages.
Closed Ecosystem
Being a proprietary platform, PICO-8's development environment and features are locked within its ecosystem, potentially limiting more advanced customizations.
Cost
PICO-8 is not free software, and the licensing cost, though relatively low, could deter some users, especially those just exploring game development casually.

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.

Analysis of GDevelop

Overall verdict

Yes, GDevelop is generally considered a good option for game development, especially for beginners.

Why this product is good

GDevelop is an open-source game development platform that provides an easy-to-use interface and a variety of features that allow for the creation of both 2D and 3D games without needing extensive programming knowledge. It offers a drag-and-drop interface, a robust set of pre-built behaviors, and extensive documentation and tutorials, making it accessible to new developers. Additionally, being free and supported by a community of developers, it constantly evolves with updates and new features.

Recommended for

Beginners who want to learn game development without extensive coding.
Independent developers looking for a free, open-source tool.
Educators teaching game development due to its user-friendly interface and ease of use.
Developers interested in rapid prototyping of game ideas.

PICO-8 videos

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Delightful Game Development with PICO-8

GDevelop videos

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GDevelop 5 -- Ultimate Beginner Game Engine?

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to PICO-8 and GDevelop)

GDevelop

Game Engine

13 13%

Game Engine

87% 87

Game Development

11 11%

Game Development

89% 89

Graph Databases

100 100%

Graph Databases

0% 0

3D Game Engine

0 0%

3D Game Engine

100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using PICO-8 and GDevelop. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare PICO-8 and GDevelop

PICO-8 Reviews

We have no reviews of PICO-8 yet.
Be the first one to post

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...

Source: www.justalternativeto.com

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.

Source: rigorousthemes.com

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.

Source: www.softwaretestinghelp.com

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 a lot more popular than PICO-8. While we know about 78 links to GDevelop, we've tracked only 3 mentions of PICO-8. 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.

PICO-8 mentions (3)

Asking ChatGPT some questions about GameStop
The particular game linked in the article is copyright 2014-2022 by Lexaloffle Games https://lexaloffle.com/pico-8.php and reading the FAQ page I see:. Source: over 2 years ago
The Piconomicon
Gander, if you dare, at the book that will teach you everything there is to know about the Pico-8. - Source: dev.to / over 3 years ago
Welcome to the iiviiGames Devlog!
I'm going to teach you a lot about GameMaker Studio, Pico-8, and Love2D. - Source: dev.to / over 3 years ago

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 / 28 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 / 9 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 / 9 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