Top Mobile Game Development Tools

Despite the revenue-earning potential of mobile game apps, mobile game development is far from a smooth journey. Loads of game apps are launched daily, so a nail-biting competition goes around the mobile game development scene. A crucial aspect of such projects is choosing the right mobile game development tools from a top mobile game development company. The problem is that there are so many around us that selecting the right development tool can often take time and effort.

To make things easier for making a choice, we are going to shortlist here some of the most sought-after mobile game development tools.

1. Unity3D
2. Solar2D
3. Fusion
4. Buildbox
5. SpriteKit
6. Unreal Engine
7. Marmalade
8. CryEngine
9. Cocos2d-x
10. MonoGame

Unity3D game development engine hardly requires any introduction. Around 70% of the top mobile games are powered by Unity - the all-in-one game engine. Some key factors that make Unity so popular and irreplaceable include the following.

• Unity is a cross-platform engine allowing developers to develop and deploy the core codebase across multiple mobile platforms such as iOS and Android.
• Unity3D offers a robust built-in store to help game developers with a robust repository of ready-to-use game assets, which speeds up the development process.
• Unity from its asset store brings the learning curve down with readily usable 2D/3D rendering capabilities, comprehensive tutorials, many character models, and many more.
• The growing and robust developer community is another key strength of Unity.
• Multilingual Support allows for building games for a worldwide audience.
• Unity also supports high-quality graphics with the use of OpenGL API.
• Unity provides cost-effective design and development solution. (There is our in-depth guide on mobile game development cost in India).

Solar2D is a popular mobile game development tool widely used for developing high-quality 2D mobile games. This Lua-based engine is popular because of its easy iterative experience and various game use cases. The SDK is free and open-source and offers comprehensive development support for all OS platforms. Some key reasons to choose it for game projects include the following.

• Solar2D offers an active developer community allowing to use of 2D game design features and plugins.
• Solar2D Playground is an interactive web platform to help game developers build and run games online.
• This game tool supports iOS and Android mobile platforms and desktop platforms such as Windows, Linux, and macOS.
• It also supports smart TV apps for Apple TV, Android TV, and others.

Fusion is another emerging name among the top mobile game development tools that became popular for building high-quality 2D games at a quick pace. This game engine is also known for offering an incredible array of extension objects to create any mobile game app. Some of the key reasons to use this game engine include the following.

• Fusion comes with a visual editor to incorporate different elements of the game app, such as game characters, text, and many more.
• It offers cross-platform support for both iOS and Android.
• The free and basic plan is quite good for building various games.

Buildbox is a drag-and-drop mobile game development tool that allows the creation of a mobile game app without getting involved in coding. This tool is used mainly by game developers and development companies for building robust Proof of Concept (POC) or dynamic game prototypes. Some key reasons to choose this game development tool include the following.

• Buildbox is a cross-platform game development tool supporting all mobile platforms, such as ios and Android, and desktop platforms.
• The tool offers a rich asset library and editor tools to create a robust gaming experience.
• It is already used in several leading games such as 360 Maze, Spirit Line, Wall Switch, and others.

When you try to choose from mobile game development tools for the iOS platform, you must step on SpriteKit. This widely popular game engine created by none other than Apple offers many designs and development features that go best with the iOS gaming experience. Some key reasons to choose this game engine for your next game app project include the following.

• By using the SpriteKit framework, developers can draw images, incorporate text, make shapes, and create 2D videos for game projects.
• For developing graphic-intensive game apps, you can find this tool ideal.
• For developing iOS games for iPhone and iPad devices, SpriteKit offers the simple and most user-friendly interface.
• With this tool, you don’t need to download additional libraries or rely upon external sources.
• The tool is entirely free to use.

After Unity 3D, Unreal Engine is the second in any top mobile game development tools list. It is regarded as the most comprehensive one, with everything a game developer needs in an engine. Created by Epic Games, it is considered the way-to-go tool for AAA+ action games. Some key reasons to choose Unreal Engine for your game project include the following.

• Unreal Engine can offer the most immersive virtual gaming environment by adhering to real-world laws of physics.
• Rich graphics and animated motion development capabilities make Unreal the most advanced engine.
• With Unreal, developers can create the most realistic virtual characters in no time.
• The engine offers free-of-cost access to many learning resources and instant help from other expert developers.
• Unreal supports game projects across all major OS platforms.
• The best thing is, with so much on offer, Unreal Engine is still a free tool.

It is a widely popular mobile game development tool with a robust cross-platform approach. It uses C++ as a programming language for developing game apps. Thanks to the cross-platform approach, the code can be used anywhere through Marmalade SDK. Some key reasons to opt for this game development tool include the following.

• Faster development and release time across app stores is a key advantage of this tool.
• It offers robust graphics rendering either directly through OpenGL API or the respective layer of Marmalade SDK.
• Open architecture.
• It ensures the robust and glitch-free performance of the game app.
• It comes packed with a test simulator.

CryEngine is one of the most dependable mobile game development tools for building robust and engaging 3D game apps for various OS platforms, including mobile, Windows PC and Console. It is a versatile tool for developing action and other fun games. Developers often use CryEngine along with C++, Visual Studio, ActionScript, and Lua for developing high-quality games. Some key features and capabilities that make CryEngine so popular include the following.

• It offers several advanced game development features such as Voxel-Based Global Illumination, Depth of Field, Motion Bar, Shadow Maps for each object, Flowgraph, Level Design, etc.
• it is also equipped with advanced AI-based features for an intelligent gaming experience.
• High-quality animation and graphic capabilities hold the key to this game engine.

Cocos2d-x has been there for quite some time as one of the leading open-source game development tools. It is excellent to create cross-platform game apps with GUI-based interactions. Some of the key reasons behind the popularity of this game engine include the following.

• A small code footprint ensures faster loading speed and performance.
• It is not only a cross-platform development tool but also helps build games with a consistent user experience across all devices.
• Cocos2D has a star-studded list of customers, including Disney Mobile, Zynga, Glu, and many others.
• It comes as a completely free tool.

MonoGame is another popular open-source game development tool based upon Microsoft XNA 4 Framework. It focuses on building game apps for Windows, Xbox 360, Windows Phone, and all devices in the Microsoft ecosystem, besides allowing to develop for iOS and Android.

A robust tooling system, cross-platform support, robust community support, and staggering market presence across top games such as Fez, Bastion, Infinite Flight, Wizorb, and others give this tool some extra edge.  

Concluding Thoughts

Last but not least, remember that mobile game development tools play significant roles but won’t do everything for you. You need to ensure the discoverability of the game apps and the engagement of many players to go up the ladder of growth.

Design and development skills come from development experience, and the teams behind the project have a lot to deliver. On the other hand, robust marketing activities are non-negotiable if you want to see your game going viral or gradually going bigger in terms of player engagement.