Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

PICO-8 VS Godot Engine

Compare PICO-8 VS Godot Engine and see what are their differences

PICO-8 logo PICO-8

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

Godot Engine logo Godot Engine

Feature-packed 2D and 3D open source game engine.
  • PICO-8 Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-19
  • 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.

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.

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.

PICO-8 videos

Delightful Game Development with PICO-8

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

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to PICO-8 and Godot Engine)
Game Engine
6 6%
94% 94
Game Development
5 5%
95% 95
Graph Databases
100 100%
0% 0
3D Game Engine
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 PICO-8 and Godot Engine

PICO-8 Reviews

We have no reviews of PICO-8 yet.
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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.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Godot Engine seems to be a lot more popular than PICO-8. While we know about 460 links to Godot Engine, 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

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 / 4 days 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 / 4 days 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 / about 2 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 / 2 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 / 2 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing PICO-8 and Godot Engine, you can also consider the following products

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

Unity - The multiplatform game creation tools for everyone.

Pyxel - Retro game engine for Python inspired by fantasy consoles.

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

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

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