Choosing the Right Game Engine for You
Unity, Unreal, GameMaker — and what actually matters when picking a path
How to Choose the Right Game Engine: A Practical Guide from a Long-Time Builder
“The best tool is the one you’ll actually keep using.” — Someone honest, probably tired of reinstalling Unity for the 8th time.
Intro
This isn’t a hype piece. It’s not a fanboy post. It’s a practical breakdown of three major game engines — Unity, Unreal Engine, and GameMaker Studio 2 — based on actual use. I’m not a full-time developer by trade, but I’ve been building things in tech since DOS 6.22. I started with BASIC and Fortran, moved into HTML and PHP early on, and have been dabbling in game development for the last 3–5 years.
During that time, I’ve built several projects:
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Unity: 3–4 partial games (2 clones, 2 original)
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GameMaker Studio 2: SMB1 and TLOZ-style games (currently archived)
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Unreal Engine: One in-progress horror game (in alpha) — shown here
This guide is for developers who are trying to choose the right engine without wasting months hopping between all of them (like I did).
What Really Matters When Choosing an Engine
Before you even download an engine, ask yourself:
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What kind of game am I making? (2D vs 3D, mobile vs PC)
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Do I want visual scripting, real coding, or both?
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How much time am I realistically going to spend on this?
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Am I solo or working with a team?
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Do I care about shipping or just learning?
Different engines shine in different places. Don’t let YouTubers or Reddit threads make your decision for you — especially if you’re not in the same situation as them.
GameMaker Studio 2
My Experience:
Used it off and on for years — but never retained what I learned. That’s why I’m starting fresh now, with a version-controlled project and a documented learning path.
Pros:
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Excellent for 2D development — very fast to get something playable
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Visual scripting + GML (GameMaker Language) makes the transition to code smoother
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Less setup and boilerplate compared to Unity/Unreal
Cons:
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Not great for 3D
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License cost may be a turnoff (esp. export modules)
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Docs and tutorials are hit-or-miss, often fragmented
Summary:
If you want to make 2D games and see results fast, GameMaker is fantastic — just don’t expect AAA features.
Unity
My Experience:
Used off and on for years. Built multiple small projects — educational clones and original concepts.
Pros:
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C# is a solid language with lots of real-world crossover
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Massive asset store and community
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Great for 2D and 3D
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Tons of tutorials
Cons:
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Bloat is real — projects get heavy fast
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UI can feel clunky until you customize it
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Licensing drama and business moves (we all saw it)
Summary:
Unity is still a powerhouse — just know what you’re getting into. It’s solid for both beginners and advanced devs, but expect a bit of a learning curve.
Unreal Engine
My Experience:
Newer to me — I’ve got a horror game in active alpha development. Unreal is powerful but requires serious machine horsepower and patience.
Pros:
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Stunning visuals and rendering pipeline
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Blueprint system (visual scripting) is powerful
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Industry-grade tooling out of the box
Cons:
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Heavy. Needs a strong system to run smoothly
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Steepest learning curve of the three
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Often overkill for small projects
Summary:
If you’re going big, Unreal delivers. But if you’re solo-devving a pixel platformer? Probably not your first stop.
Brief Mentions (Other Engines)
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Godot: Open-source, gaining traction fast. Lightweight, great 2D tools, now solid 3D support. Worth looking into if you’re open to scripting in GDScript.
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RPG Maker: Extremely limited scope — but perfect if you’re building traditional JRPGs without coding.
I haven’t used these deeply enough to review them fairly, so I won’t pretend to know.
Final Thoughts
This post isn’t about promoting an engine — it’s about avoiding wasted time. I’ve bounced between all three engines too many times. The right engine is the one that matches your goals and that you’ll actually stick with.
If you’re just getting started, don’t overthink it:
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Want to make a 2D platformer fast? Try GameMaker.
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Want flexibility and a big community? Go with Unity.
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Want cinematic 3D and aren’t scared of complexity? Fire up Unreal.
Whatever you choose — stick with it long enough to finish something.
Written by Dennis (The Captain Dumbass). All opinions are based on personal experience. No AI, person, or resource was copied or reused without permission or credit.