When building a game, developers need to decide what tools they will use. Will you use a game engine, or perhaps write everything from scratch?
There’s a common misconception that game development frameworks and game engines are the same: Just worded differently. That couldn’t be further from the truth. In reality, they have obvious distinctions. These include who benefits from them most and their specific functionalities and limitations.
But which is best for your game development needs? Let’s break it down piece by piece.
What are Game Development Frameworks?
Game development frameworks are collections of libraries that provide standard tasks to build a game. These include sound input and rendering graphics. Instead of building every component from scratch, game development frameworks give developers tools to fast-track development. That said, frameworks might not have everything you need to build games.
Popular game development frameworks include:
- LibGDX: Java-based, offers basic tools for 2D/3D game development (often for Android).
- Phaser: Fast, easy-to-use HTML5 framework for 2D web games.
- Cocos2d-x: Lightweight C++ framework for cross-platform 2D mobile game development.
- BabylonJS: JavaScript framework for developing 3D web games.
- PixiJS: 2D rendering framework for high-performance graphics.
- Panda3D: Open-source 3D game framework for physics and rendering.
- SDL: C/C++ framework for managing sound, input, and multimedia.
- Monogame: Used to develop cross-platform 2D/3D games.
Frameworks give developers both freedom and the responsibility to create a main game loop. This functionality keeps the game running and updating based on game logic, input, and frame rendering. Developers write the loop and its components, giving them more control. But this also means more work to keep the loop running smoothly.
What are Game Engines?
Game engines are essentially the evolution of game development frameworks. These platforms provide a wide range of tools to streamline game development.
They can manage all kinds of responsibilities, such as physics, 3D rendering, audio, and animation. They also come with editors (e.g. scene, material, and shader editors) that help non-programmers work more easily on games without requiring constant support from programmers.
Game engines typically handle the main game loop, allowing developers to focus on other areas of game development.
Popular game engines include:
- Unity: Versatile engine for 2D/3D cross-platform games. Suitable for artists, developers, and designers.
- Godot: Lightweight, open-source engine. Popular for developing 2D/3D indie games.
- Unreal Engine: Industry-standard engine with advanced 3D graphics for AAA games and simulations.
- GameMaker: Studio: Beginner-friendly engine with a drag-and-drop interface. Commonly used for 2D indie games.
- Solar2D: Open-source framework for cross-platform 2D mobile games.
- CryEngine: Powerful physics engine often used to develop AAA FPS games.
- RAGE (Rockstar Advanced Game Engine): In-house engine from Rockstar Games, used for creating open-world games like Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption.
- GDevelop: No-code framework designed for beginner-friendly 2D games.
- Frostbite: Proprietary engine from DICE, used to develop AAA games for EA.
- Torque3D: Open-source 3D engine with useful tools for indie game developers.
Game engine popularity
Game engine popularity is constantly shifting, but it’s important to consider that it’s measured in different ways. Data from Global Game Jam 2024 shows that Godot has overtaken Unreal Engine as the second most popular engine among developers, with a 2.62% rise from the previous year.
However, while thousands of indie developers may choose Godot, engines like Unity are still widely used in AAA studios with multi-million-dollar budgets. Despite a decrease in popularity, remains the top choice by a significant margin.
Game engine versatility
A key benefit of game engines is their ability to be segmented by responsibility. Here are some examples of how different roles use game engines:
- Programmers: Implement new gameplay code and develop custom tools within the engine to support unique game needs.
- Game and level designers: Build game worlds, behaviors, and characters in a visual interface.
- Sound engineers: Integrating audio, sound effects, and background music into the game engine.
- Artists: Can seamlessly integrate textures, models, and animations into the game by importing them onto the engine.
Game development frameworks vs engines: Key differences
Game development frameworks and engines can be distinguished in some fundamental ways. These include how much they prioritize convenience over freedom, who uses them, and their main functions.
Game development tool | Freedom vs Convenience | Who uses them? | Pre-built functionality |
Game development frameworks | More freedom, but requires building core components (main loop, rendering pipeline) from scratch. | Mostly programmers | Basic building blocks—requires custom code and additional libraries for complex features. |
Game engines | Allows instant creative work but can hinder freedom due to built-in limitations. | Diverse teams including programmers, sound engineers, artists, and designers. | Includes a wide range of features (lighting systems, physics engines). |
Many game studios build in-house engines to meet their game development requirements.
For example, French publisher Ubisoft built the following engines for specific games:
- Dunia for Far Cry
- Anvil for Assassin’s Creed
- Snowdrop for Tom Clancy’s The Division
- Disrupt for Watch Dogs.
Some developers transition from proprietary engines to more popular ones. CD Projekt Red successfully developed some installments from The Witcher series with their in-house RedEngine. However, they started using Unreal Engine after the challenges they faced developing Cyberpunk 2077.
Game development frameworks vs engines: Pros and cons
Both frameworks and game engines are valuable tools in game development. Your project’s needs will ultimately determine which tool is a better fit. Each tool has advantages and disadvantages.
Game development tool | Pros | Cons |
Game development frameworks | – You get more creative freedom. – You get full control of a game’s architecture. – You can customize your game in great detail. – Ideal for simpler projects. | – Can be time-consuming to build components from scratch. – Usually requires advanced programming skills – Limited tools for complex graphics and features. |
Game engines | – A preset suite of tools for various tasks. – Also suitable for non-programmers. – Useful for diverse teams and large projects. | – Can limit creative freedom. – Built-in limitations can make game development less flexible. – In-house game engines can be expensive and time-consuming to build. |
Game development frameworks vs engines: Which one’s for you?
Ultimately, game development frameworks are extremely useful for developers seeking some flexibility and control. On the other hand, game engines are best for diverse teams looking to streamline their game’s development.
Either way, there is no perfect tool, and developers must adapt to their tool’s limitations while still finding ways to bring their unique game to life.

20+ Expertise in game engine and game play programming, 3D/2D graphics, AI, network, performance optimizations, multi-platform systems, and all other aspects of game development.
Languages include C/C++, C#, LISP, Java, Python, x86 assembly, ARM assembly and a bit of everything else.