Game Dev Resources

This Game Dev Resources guide will be a living document and I will add to it as I find the time to do so, so subscribe for the latest updates!

Tools

Game Engines & Frameworks

• 001 Game Creator: 2D & 3D engine with visual scripting.
• Adventuron: Web-based text adventure engine in HTML
• Adventure Game Stuido: Free engine for making 2D point & click adventure games.
• Ultra Engine
• Allegro: Cross-platform library mainly aimed at video game and multimedia programming in C & C++.
• Azul3D: 3D engine in Go.
• bgfx: Cross-platform rendering library.
• Bitsy: Small, 2D engine for tinkering.
• Bladecoder: 2D engine for classic point & click adventure games.
• Box2D: 2D Physics Engine for Games.
• Build Box: 2D & 3D engine.
• Chipmunk2D: 2D game & physics engine.
• Clickteam Fusion: 2D engine.
• Cocos: 2D and 3D engine in C++.
• Core: Metaverse integrated engine.
• Construct: Web-based engine in visual scripting and JavaScript.
• CopperCube: Free 3D engine.
• Coquette: Micro framework for JavaScript games.
• CRYENGINE: 3D engine by Crytek in C++.
• Dash: Free & open 3D game engine in D.
• Defold: Free & open source 2D engine.
• Diligent Engine: 3D Graphics Library and Rendering Framework.
• Duality: Modular 2D engine in C#.
• EasyRPG: JRPG specific tool compatible with RPG Maker 2000/2003.
• ENGi: 2D game framework in Go.
• EnchantJS: JavaScript framework for games & apps.
• FlashPunk: Free ActionScript 3 engine for 2D Flash games.
• Flax Engine: Free, open-source 3D engine.
• Flixel: Open source engine in ActionScript3.
• Gamebryo: 3D game engine.
• GameMaker: Widely used 2D Engine.
• gameplay3d: Open source 2D & 3D engine in C++ & Lua.
• GameSalad: 2D engine using visual scripting.
• GB Studio: Engine for making classic gameboy games with visual scripting and built in MIDI.
• GDevelop: Free & open-source 2D engine in Visual Scripting
• Gideros: Free and open source engine in Lua.
• Glide Engine: 2D engine for SpriteKit & GameplayKit.
• Godot: 2D & 3D open-source engine rivaling Unity 3D.
• Gosu: 2D framework in Ruby and C++.
• Haxe: Open-source engine.
• HaxeFlixel: Free cross-platform engine.
• Hero Engine: 3D game engine specifically for making MMO-style games.
• Hex Engine: 2D HTML5 engine.
• Heaps: Free 2D & 3D engine.
• Horde3D: Open source 3D rendering engine.
• jMonkeyEngine 3: 3D open-source engine in Java.
• Irrlicht: Open source 3D engine in C++.
• JPCT: Free 3D engine for Java and Android
• Juno TypeScript: 2D engine written in TypeScript
• Kivent: 2D rendering framework for Kivy.
• libGDX: Open-Source cross-platform Java game development framework based on OpenGL (ES)
• LimeJS: HTML5 game framework.
• LÖVE: Open source 2D Game Engine in Lua.
• Lumberyard: Free game engine by Amazon deeply integrated with AWS.
• Lums: 2D & 3D framework in C++.
• Matter.js: 2D physics engine.
• MelonJS: Open source HTML5 game engine.
• microStudio: Free, web-based 2D engine.
• MonoGame: Open Source engine in C# and other .NET languages.
• môsi: Small engine for tinkering.
• NES Maker: Engine for making classic NES games in Assembly.
• NodeBox: Open source creative engine.
• O3DE: Open-source 2D & 3D engine.
• ODE: Open source rigid body simulation & physics engine.
• Ogre3D: Open-source 3D rendering engine in C++.
• OpenFL: Open Source Haxe Engine.
• OpenRA: Libre Real Time Strategy Game Engine.
• OpenXRay: Community-modified X-Ray engine used in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game series.
• Panda3D: Free & open-source engine for 3D games, simulations and more.
• Phaser: 2D engine for desktop and HTML5 games.
• PICO-8: Create, share and play tiny PIC0-8 style games.
• Piston: Modular open source game engine in Rust.
• PixiJS: HTML5 engine for creating interactive content.
• PlataGO!: 2D engine for making platformer games.
• PlayCanvas: Web-based engine for building HTML5 games.
• Polycode: Free, open source framework for building interactive applications in C++ and Lua.
• PuzzleScript: Open-source HTML5 puzzle engine.
• PyGame: 2D engine in Python.
• Quest: Text adventure & interactive fiction specific engine.
• Ren'Py: 2D engine for making visual novels.
• RPGMaker: 2D engine for making JRPG's.
• RPG Playground: Free, web-based engine for RPG's.
• Solarus: Free and open-source Action-RPG "Unlink" genre game engine.
• Solar 2D: 2D engine in Lua.
• SGDK: A free and open development kit for making Sega Genesis/Mega Drive games.
• Source: Valve's propitiatory engine.
• Spring: RTS-specific Game Engine.
• Starling: 2D Game Engine.
• Stencyl: No-code 2D engine with FSM.
• Stride 3D: Open-source C# Game Engine
• Superpowers: Free, open source 2D & 3D engine in HTML5.
• TADS: Text Adventure Development System.
• The Mirror: Complete development suite, build on Godot.
• Tilengine: free, open source 2D engine for creating classic/retro games.
• Turbulenz: Fully fully open source HTML5 game engine.
• Unity 3D: One of the 2 most commonly used game engines. Developed by Unity Technologies it supports 2D & 3D in C# and Visual Scripting (FSM).
• Unreal Engine: One of the 2 most commonly used game engines. Developed by Epic Games it supports 2D & 3D in C++ and Visual Scripting.
• Urho3D: Cross-platform 2D and 3D game engine.
• Evergine: 3D Game Engine in C#.
• WOLF RPG Editor: Free JRPG engine.
• WhiteStorm.js: 3D JavaScript framework.
• Wicked Engine: Experimental 3D engine.
• voxel.js: Web-based open source voxel game building toolkit.
• Yami RPG Editor: RPG-specific engine.
• ZDoom/GZ Doom: Open-sourced & upgraded tools for the original Doom/ID Tech 1.
• Dungeon Delver Engine

Animation

• DragonBones: 2D animation tool.
• Fusion Character Animator: 2D sprite animation.
• LWF - Lightweight SWF Animation engine for data converted from FLASH contents.
• ScreenToGif: .GIF creator.
• Spine: 2D animation tool.

Audio Tools

• Amped Studio: DAW.
• Ardour: DAW.
• AudioSauna: Web-based DAW.
• Audiotool: Free web-based DAW.
• Audacity: Cross-platform software for recording and editing sounds.
• Audiosauna: Web-based DAW.
• Audiotool: Web-based DAW.
• BandLab: Web-based DAW.
• BeepBox: Web-based tool for sketching and sharing chiptune melodies.
• Bfxr: SFX tool for games.
• Bosca Ceoil: Web-based DAW for simple, intuitive, retro-ish sounds.
• ChipTone: SFX generator.
• FamiTracker: Music creator for the NES/Famicom-systems.
• FamiStudio: DAW for NES/Famicom music.
• FL Studio: DAW.
• jfxr: JavaScript port of the Bfxr sound effect generator.
• Live: DAW.
• LoopLabs: DAW.
• LMMS: Open-source DAW.
• MadTracker: DAW.
• Musagi: DAW.
• Nanoloop: Music composition for gameboy style music.
• Pro Tools: OG DAW.
• PulseBoy: Web-based musical sequencer for 8bit sounds and samples.
• Rosegarden: Music composition and editing based on MIDI.
• Sekaiju: Open Source MIDI sequencer.
• Google Song Maker: Basic, visual music composition experiment.
  
• Sound Bridge: DAW.
• Soundation: Web-based music composition and sequencing.
• Soundtrap: Web-based, collaborative DAW.
• SunVox: Modular music synthesizer.
• WaveBots Editor: Music generator.

Design Tools

• articy:draft: Complete content design tool with support for branching storylines.
• Arc Weave: Complete, web-based nonlinear worldbuilding, content, narrative & quest design with real-time execution testing.
• Campfire: Complete, web-based worldbuilding and content design.
• Celtx: Narrative design.
• Chatmapper: Tool for writing and testing nonlinear dialogue and events.
• Dialogue Designer: Dialogue design.
• Drafft: General game design.
• Dundoc: Game Design Document (GDD) tool.
• Dungeon Fog: Map making & cartography design.
• RapidQuest: Branching Quest design.
• Ikarus: Worldbuilding and content design.
• Inform7: Content & narrative design.
• Inkarnate: Web-based map making & cartography design.
• Klynt: Narrative design.
• korsakow: Narrative design.
• Legend Keeper: web-based worldbuilding, content & narrative design.
• Liternauts: Narrative design.
• Machinations: Mechanics design tool, with logic execution.
• Manuskript: Narrative design.
  
• NovaScriber: Narrative design.
• Novel Factory: Narrative design.
• oStorybook: Narrative design.
• Pro Fantasy Suite: Map making & cartography design.
• Scrivener: Narrative design.
• Story Planner: Narrative design.
• Story Tools: Nonlinear narrative design.
• Super Notecard: Storyboarding tool.
• TalkerMaker Deluxe: Dialogue design.
• TalkMaster: Dialogue design.
• Tiny Game Design Tool: Small, portable booklet for game designers.
• Twine: Interactive narrative design tool for nonlinear stories.
• Wavemaker" Narrative design.
• World Anvil: Web-based worldbuilding and content design.
• World Maker: Worldbuilding, content & narrative design.
• Writes Cafe: Narrative design.
• Yarn Spinner: Tool for writing game dialogue.

IDE & Editors

• Atom
• Eclipse
• Notepad++
• Script Inspector 3: Direct, inline code editing within Unity 3d engine.
• Sublime Text
• Visual Studio Community Edition

Version Control & Git

• BitBucket
• GitHub
• Git LFS
• GitLab
• GitTea
• Plastic SCM
• Perforce
• Subversion

Modeling

• 3ds Max
• Amabilis
• Blender
• Clara.io
• Maya
• SketchUp
• Vectary
• ZBrush Mini

Pixel Editor

• Aseprite
• Hexels
• Pickle
• PiskelApp
• Pixa.Pics
• Pixi Paint
• Pixen
• PyxelEdit

Spritesheet Tools

• Cheetah-Texture-Packer
• GlueIT
• Leshy SpriteSheet Tool
• Libgdx Texture Packer
• ShoeBox
• SpriteUV2
• Stitches
• TexturePacker

Terrain Generators

• 3D Map Generator
• Canyon Terrain Editor
• EarthSculptor
• Fracplanet
• L3DT
• Terragen
• Virtual Terrain Project
• World Creator
• World Machine

Vector/Image Editor

• Affinity Designer
• Affinity Photo
• Gimp
• Krita
• Paint.NET
• Pixelmator

Mind-mapping & Flowcharts

• Bubbl
• C Map
• Cacoo
• Coggle
• Creatly
• Draw.io
• eDraw Max
• GitMind
• Gliffy
• Knowledgebase Builder
• Logseq
• Lucid Chart
• Markdown Diagrams
• Microsoft VIsio
• Mindz
• Mind Manager
• Mind Meister
• Mind UP
• Mindomo
• Minzel
• Simple Mind
• Smart Draw
• TextToGrafo
• The Brain
• Think Composer
• Whimsical
• X Mind

Project Management, GTD & PIM

• Air Table
• Anytype
• AppFlow
• Asana
• Bitrix24
• Campr
• Casual
• ClickUp
• Codecks
• Cosmic Everyday
• Favro
• Fibery
• Focalboard
• GitHub Projects
• Google Tables
• Guru
• HacknPlan
• I'm Done
• Kairn
• KanTree
• MasterPlan
• Microsoft Loop
• My Life Organized
• Nimbus
• Notion
• nTask
• Obsidian KanBan
• Productboard
• Rodeo
• Qatalog
• Quickbase
• Quire
• Spreadsheet.com
• Taiga
• Taskade
• Timestripe
• Tree Sheets
• Trello
• Workflowy
• ZenHub Boards
• ZenKit

Notes, Docs & Writing

• Ample Note
• Boost Noe
• Bundled Notes
• Cling
• Craft
• Dropbox Paper
• Evernote
• Foam
• Google Keep
• Hepta
• Inkdrop
• Libre Office
• Mem
• Microsoft Office
• Microsoft OneNote
• Milanote
• Notejoy
• Project Jupyter
• Remnote
• RNote
• Reflect
• Scrapbox
• Super Notes
• Standard Notes
• Trilium
• Turtl
• μPad
• Vikunja
• Walling
• Wavemaker
• Zoho Notebook

Other Useful Tools

• AirConsole: Add controller support using browser.
• Boardgamizer: Board Game Design Idea Generator.
• canvanizer: Business Model Canvas web app.
• Charas: A Character generator designed for RPG Maker.
• dnSpy: Debugger and .NET assembly editor.
• dotPeek: One of the best .NET decompilers on the market.
• ecs-lib: ECS (Entity Component System) library for game development
• goxel: Open source 3D voxel editor
• Ink: Narrative scripting language for games.
• JustDecompile: Decomplier for multiple assemblies.
• Kit: High performance programming language for game development.
• Material Maker: Procedural materials authoring and 3D model painting tool.
• Miro: Digital whiteboard.
• Mappy: Tilemap editor.
• Outline: Team knowledge & Wiki.
• OGMO Editor: 2D level editor.
• p2.js: A 2D physics engine for JavaScript
• Pixel Planet Generator: A tool for procedural generating pixel planets
• Pixel Space Background Generator: A tool for procedural generating pixel backgrounds
• PixPlant: Smart 3D texturing tool that create seamless textures from photos.
• Procedural City Generator: Tool for generating city maps.
• RPTools: Open-source application designed for TTRPG's.
• SimpleAI: AI behavior tree library.
• Tiled: Free, easy to use and flexible tilemap editor.
• Tree It: Tree generator.
• Video Game Name Generator: Randomized video games names.

Assets

Art Assets

• 3DModelsCC0: Free 3D models.
• Blender 3D models: Repository of assets for use in Blender.
• CubeBrush: Marketplace for 3D models.
• CGTrader: Marketplace for 3D models.
• CGTextures: Game texture repository.
• Game Textures: Game texture repository.
• GameartGuppy: 2D Assets.
• GameDev Market: Community-driven marketplace for game assets.
• Games-Icons Set: Free icons for games.
• Iconmonstr: Free icons for games.
• Kenny Assets: Royalty free assets.
• Matcaps: Library of matcap textures.
• OpenGameArt: Repository of free game art.
• OpenClipart: Collection of free clipart.
• Oryx Design Lab: Royalty free game assets.
• PlainTextures: Free high resolution textures, brushes and photos.
• Poly Pizza: Library of low poly 3D models.
• Reiner's Tilesets: Free 2D and 3D graphics & textures.
• SpriteLib: 2D Art
• Sketchfab: 3D models.
• Time Fantasy: Pixel art assets.
• Vecteezy: Free vector art, stock photos & videos.

Audio Assets

• GameSounds: Royalty free game sounds.
• FreePD: Public Domain Music.
• FreeSFX: Free sound effects.
• Freesound: Collaborative database of Creative Commons Licensed sounds.
• Kavex's GameSounds: Free sounds.
• Musopen: Royalty free music.
• Octave: Library of free UI sounds.
• PacDV: Royalty free sound collection.
• Sound Bible: Royalty free sound effects.

Game Source Code

• Arx Fatalis
• BrowserQuest
• Delver
• Diablo
• Doom
• Doom 3
• Duke Nukem 3D: Atomic Edition
• Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
• Prince of Persia
• Quake
• Quake 2
• Quake III Arena
• SimCity
• Wolfenstein 3D

Other Resources

News, Blogs & Web Sites

• Designer Notes
• Epic Games Store Developer Portal
• Gamasutra
• Game Developer Magazine
• Game Development on StackExchange
• GameDev
• GameDevs.org
• GameJolt
• GOG Indie Developer Portal
• HTML5 Game Devs Forum
• HobbyGameDev
• Html5 Game Development
• IndieDB
• Itch.io
• iforce2d
• indiegames
• Java Gaming
• Lost Garden
• ModDB
• Real-Time Rendering
• SDL
• SFML
• Steam Developer Portal
• Superlevel
• TIGSource
• Three.js
• WhatGamesAre

Deals

• Game Asset Deals: Unity asset store discount tracker
• Humble Bundle: Bundle site that will sometimes have development bundles
• Fanatical:

Learning & Tutorials

• Code Academy
• Khan Academy
• Lost Decade Games
• Processing
• Udacity
• YouTube

Student Resources

• GDC Conference Associate

Common Terms and Acrynoms

• DAW: Digital Audio Workstation is a full-fledged audio engineering suite of tools. This can be used for creating music, sound effects and other audio assets. They usually provide input for plugins, as well as physical instruments.
  
• FSM: Functions State Machine is another term for Visual Scripting. It uses a visual flowchart-like layout to execute programming logic.
• Libre (software): Software distributed under terms that allow users to freely run, study, change and distribute it and modified versions