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Defold Engine

Defold lets you quickly build high performing, cross-platform games together with your team.

Defold Engine

Defold Engine Reviews and Details

This page is designed to help you find out whether Defold Engine is good and if it is the right choice for you.

Screenshots and images

  • Defold Engine Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-19

Features & Specs

  1. Lightweight

    Defold is a highly lightweight engine, which makes it easy to download, install, and run on most systems without consuming significant resources.

  2. Cross-Platform Development

    Defold supports multiple platforms including Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, and HTML5, enabling developers to create games that work across a wide range of devices and operating systems.

  3. Performance

    The engine is optimized for high performance, which is crucial for creating responsive and smooth gaming experiences.

  4. Easy to Learn

    Defold offers a user-friendly interface and good documentation, making it accessible for beginners and professionals alike.

  5. Integrated Development Environment

    Defold comes with its own IDE, which includes features like a scene editor, code editor, and asset management, streamlining the development workflow.

  6. Community and Support

    The Defold community is active and supportive, with forums, tutorials, and official documentation available to help new and experienced developers.

  7. Lua Scripting

    Defold uses Lua, a lightweight scripting language, which is both powerful and relatively easy to learn, allowing for fast prototyping and development.

  8. Free License

    Defold is available for free, making it a cost-effective option for indie developers and small studios.

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Defold Engine Open Sourced!

Social recommendations and mentions

We have tracked the following product recommendations or mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you see what people think about Defold Engine and what they use it for.
  • Toyota Fluorite: "console-grade" Flutter game engine
    I wonder if a slightly broader search for existing solutions - for instance, https://defold.com - would have shown that quick-startup, 3d-capable, c-integrable, low-end-hardware performant game engines could have been grabbed off the shelf. That said, this is cool and I would have probably celebrated a similarly fun project in their shoes. Perhaps the real accomplishment here is getting Toyota to employ you to... - Source: Hacker News / 5 months ago
  • Building Game Prototypes with Lร–VE
    Defold is not as well-known as Lรถve, but it seems to fit your description: https://defold.com/. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year 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 / almost 2 years ago
  • Rawdrawandroid โ€“ Build Android apps without any Java, in C and Make
    Defold is another great open source Lua-based cross-platform game engine, and has a healthy ecosystem. https://defold.com/. - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • Alternatives to Unity, Unreal, and Godot for 3D games
    Https://defold.com might anyway be something that is interesting for you. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Which GUI toolkit that can be easily distributed to win/mac/linux?
    Or maybe defold can be forced to only render when UI changed '__'). Source: almost 3 years ago
  • I would say to Unity developers, don't use Godot.
    For 2D games check out the engine: Defold. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • Unity's Trap
    The answer is Defold https://defold.com/. - Source: Hacker News / almost 3 years ago
  • Unity's Trap
    [HaxeFlixel](https://haxeflixel.com/) and [Defold](https://defold.com/) come to mind as lighter 2D-focused frameworks with web export options and published games. - Source: Hacker News / almost 3 years ago
  • Ask HN: Favorite Game Engine?
    I recently made a small game with https://defold.com/, and it was very pleasant. Completely free and cross-platform out of the box (including Switch & PlayStation support!). - Source: Hacker News / almost 3 years ago
  • Looking for a starting point to build an engine.
    First I would consider whether existing engines really arenโ€™t suited to your needs. Godot is very lightweight. Defold is the engine that Candy Crush was made in. I would strongly consider one of these two before trying to make your own. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Making my first game, what engine should I use?
    However, Iโ€™m going to suggest two for you to look into to get you started, both are solid choices: Defold (started out as the engine that King used for Candy Crush and others, easy to use, cross platform, free, very capable) and Godot (popular open source engine thatโ€™s getting more popular by the day and is a very capable engine). Source: about 3 years ago
  • What is the easiest free game engine to use to build a simple game in a short time period?
    The DEFOLD Engine is really easy and nicely coupled for 2D game development. It's free & open source. Source: over 3 years ago
  • need help choosing a game engine in lua for a 3d desktop/vr game
    Https://defold.com/ Never used Defold for 3D before but it is capable of it and should fulfil your requirements. Source: over 3 years ago
  • It starts at 0 right?
    That's nice actually it can make you move into Defold. Source: over 3 years ago
  • If you are making a point & click game in 2023, what tools do you use?
    I would use the Defold game engine. Itโ€™s super underrated. Itโ€™s totally free and cross platform. I love it. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Is Clojure the only language you need?
    You can use Clojure + JavaFX like the guys from Defold. They wrote an editor for their game engine this way. - Source: dev.to / almost 4 years ago
  • Lua, a Misunderstood Language
    I would add Defold to that list, it's a pretty nice little engine if you're making casual games. I used it for my team's project for this year's TOJam. https://defold.com/. - Source: Hacker News / almost 4 years ago
  • Would Godot be the best option for a mobile match 3 style game? And...
    2D or 3D? If 2D, then you might wan to check out the Defold engine, the game engine King used for Candy Crush and other games. Itโ€™s completely free and fairly easy to use. Source: almost 4 years ago
  • I tried the Flash AS3 at school and it was nice
    Another try could be: - defoldDefold: a good engine base on lua - Cocos creator: base on typescript and you can make 2d and 3d games. Source: almost 4 years ago
  • ValueObject
    The Defold game engine IDE is written in Clojure, using cljfx, a React-like wrapper around JavaFX: https://defold.com/. - Source: Hacker News / almost 4 years ago

Summary of the public mentions of Defold Engine

Defold Engine, a versatile and open-source game development platform, has garnered an evolving public opinion, especially in the context of its strong positioning for 2D game development. Originally developed by the creators of Candy Crush, Defold has established itself as a reliable choice for developers focused on mobile and web-based games. Key insights from recent product mentions and discourse around the engine provide a comprehensive look at its standing in the game development community.

Strengths and Appeal

Defold is widely appreciated for its ease of use, cross-platform capabilities, and strong 2D game development focus. The engine's Lua scripting environment is frequently lauded for being intuitive and approachable for both novice and experienced developers. Its ability to export games across various platforms, including mobile, desktop, and major gaming consoles like Nintendo Switch and PlayStation, presents a significant competitive advantage, especially for a freely available engine. The community often cites the engine's minimal runtime footprint as a significant technical advantage, facilitating the creation of lightweight games.

Comparative Positioning

In the crowded landscape of game development engines, Defold stands out against competitors such as Godot, Unity, and Unreal Engine by embracing a niche focus on efficient 2D game development. The engineโ€™s adoption in projects that prioritize cross-platform compatibility and casual game interfaces aligns with use cases seen in brands that leverage it for mobile match-three games and point-and-click adventures.

When compared to rivals like Godot and Unity, Defold's niche appeal is often highlighted in casual game development scenarios or in environments where swift prototyping and development of web and mobile games are prioritized. Although it shares scripting similarities with Godot, particularly in its Lua-based scripting, Defold tends to attract developers who prefer an engine that is lighter and targeted towards simpler, more straightforward game constructs.

Community and Ecosystem

Defold's open-source nature and supportive developer community further reinforce its appeal. The ecosystem around the engine is described as healthy, providing resources that aid both learning and development efficiency. The increasing number of game projects and independent developers utilizing Defold is illustrative of a growing grassroots adoption, indicative of an engine that supports innovation through a user-friendly yet powerful feature set.

Considerations and Limitations

While Defold is praised for its 2D capabilities, the engineโ€™s 3D functionalities, although present, are not emphasized in community discussions, suggesting limitations for those seeking advanced 3D development features. Additionally, some developers might find the Lua scripting language to be less familiar compared to more popular languages like Python or C#, which are often associated with other engines.

In conclusion, Defold Engine's public perception is that of a robust choice for developers aiming to create efficient 2D games across multiple platforms without incurring financial costs. The driver's appeal lies in its simplicity, effective cross-platform deployment, and an active development community, positioning it as a strong contender in the landscape of lightweight and agile game development engines.

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