Best Game Engines for Blockchain Games: Unity, Unreal & More

What makes a blockchain game truly engaging? Is it the graphics, gameplay, or the engine that is powering it behind the closed curtains, powering each frame pixel by pixel? As the realm of blockchain gaming continues to burst, developers are in search of more options beyond the traditional engines to handle NFTs, smart contracts, and decentralized economies.

But with so many options available in the market to choose from, like Unity, Unreal Engine, and other emerging Web3-focused engines. With so many options out there, how do you know which one is best for your project?

In this blog post, we’ll look at the best game engines for making blockchain games, talking about their pros and cons and what makes them stand out in this fast-changing field.

But first, let’s see what a gaming engine actually is!

What is a Gaming Engine?

A gaming engine is a software framework that helps in creating and building a video game. It typically has multiple components that handle different parts of the building process, such as graphics, audio, materials, networking, physics, etc.

Game engines provide the framework for all things that are needed for video game creation, like providing developers with the freedom to divert all their attention to game content, rather than handling detailed technical intricacies. 

The Best Game Engines for Blockchain Games

The following are some of the most popular gaming engines that are used by beginners as well as developers to create different types of games:

Unity

Created by Unity Technologies Private Limited, Unity is one of the more popular gaming engines in the world, and it has been used to create countless games, which include some of the biggest titles in gaming, like Axie Infinity, The Sandbox, Gods Unchained, etc. 

It is not only suitable for building both 2D and 3D games but also for AR and VR games. This is made possible by the convenience of Software Development Kits (SDKs), which are developed by various firms for the engines. It offers a comprehensive suite of tools, which makes it ideal for both pros and novices.

Advantages:

1. It is free for those who are just beginning in the gaming industry.
2. It is particularly suitable for developing 2D and 3D gaming titles.
3. It has robust mobile game production support.
4. It supports the building of Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality SDKs.

Drawbacks:

1. The licensing cost is really pricey.
2. It requires you to have a good hardware machine to run it smoothly
3. Makers of the game drop frequent UI changes in updates and patches, which makes it difficult to find old tools.

Unreal Engine

Another popular gaming engine is Unreal, developed by Tim Sweeney and his company, Epic Games. This is a powerful engine offering stunning graphics and various features like dynamic lighting, physics-based particle effects, real-time global illumination, and advanced post-processing effects. 

The engine powers many notable AAA games. It is specially created to handle complicated tasks with ease and efficiency. The engine also offers visual blueprint systems that simplify the building process to such an extent that even non-programmers can build games using these tools. The Unreal Engine is also cross-platform compliant, supporting Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and various consoles.

Advantages:

1. It is especially well-suited for producing sophisticated and lifelike visuals and graphics. 
2. It has a more streamlined performance compared to some other gaming engines.
3. It is among the top choices for game developers who want to create virtual reality games.
4. It is a breeze to use, even for non-programmers, with the help of visual blueprinting.

Drawbacks:

1. It is really difficult to manage for developers who are building solo.
2. It requires extremely powerful hardware to run the Unreal Engine. 
3. It is more suitable for 3D games than 2D games.

If you are still wondering whether Unity is right for you or not, then we highly suggest you take a look at our comparison between Unity vs. Unreal: Which Engine is Right for You.

Godot

Godot is a freely available to download and open-source game engine that is designed specifically for developers who are new to the game field. It comes with an easy-to-use editor, powerful scripting capabilities, and a big community of users. 

The game engine supports both 2D and 3D game building. It is a notch apart from the rest of the game engines with its unique approach to node and scene architecture. In addition to this, Godot also has an extensive library of tools.

Advantages:

1. Godot is open-source, meaning anyone can use it without licensing fees or royalties.
2. It is ideal for rapid prototyping due to its small size and performance.
3. It is highly customizable, providing excellent support for both 2D and 3D games.
4. It has an active community who have built numerous plugins and resources for blockchain integration.

 Drawbacks:

1. The resources that are available for blockchain integration are not as extensive or as mature as those for Unity or Unreal Engine.
2. Its graphic capabilities are good, but it cannot rival those of Unreal Engine.
3. Because the blockchain tooling is community-driven, solutions can be fragmented.

CryEngine

CryEngine is a gaming engine that is from Crytek, a German gaming studio known for its Crysis series. This advanced yet user-friendly engine includes powerful graphical features like real-time lighting and shading, particle effects, and global illumination. It also includes extensive documentation and sample projects to help you get started quickly.

The game engine is particularly well-suited to creating large maps and environments in the game. It is a multiplatform game engine that receives frequent updates, making it one of the best available today.

Advantages:

1. The Flow Graph tool in CryEngine is used to keep track of the different events and game logic that happen in the game levels.
2. You can make changes in real time and avoid loading the game repeatedly by using CryEngine’s sandbox game editor.
3. The program comes with a collection of tools that are all-encompassing and make it simple to create environments, characters, and animations.
4. In addition to this, the game engine is able to generate games that are compatible with a variety of computing platforms.

Drawbacks:

1. There is a steep learning curve for using CryEngine.
2. It offers very limited official documentation and resources, which makes it difficult to navigate its tools.
3. If you want to launch your game commercially, then the licensing agreement must be done with Crytek, which can be costly.

GameMaker

The GameMaker engine is an offering from YoYo Games, and it is particularly useful for developers who are just beginning. This game engine requires no coding experience to use, all thanks to the platform’s unique drag-and-drop visual scripting language. As a result, regardless of their skill level, developers can easily create games with this engine.

The GameMaker engine is proprietary, making it an unsuitable choice for those looking for a low-cost option. Like Phaser, the engine is better suited to 2D games. This game engine can build various games for different platforms, including Nintendo Switch.

Advantages:

1. GameMaker is a top-of-the-line engine for 2D projects.
2. It is easy to use with a drag-and-drop building process.
3. The GameMaker Engine is compatible with a wide range of platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.
4. It is also beginner-friendly, with no prior coding knowledge essential for using it

Drawbacks:

1. There are many people in the GameMaker community, but only a small number work in blockchain.
2. It lacks native or official blockchain SDKs.
3. It has a very limited library for 3D games.

Conclusion

To conclude, we have seen the various game engines used to develop blockchain games, but selecting the ideal game engine is not just about picking the most popular one out there in the market; it is also about picking the right one based on your blockchain game type.

Each blockchain has its own set of unique advantages and drawbacks. Choosing the right game engine can be confusing and tiring due to the many options available in the market, so partnering with a tech firm can provide valuable assistance.

Technoloader can be your reliable partner in your game-building journey. We have deep expertise in making games and can help you in choosing the right gaming engine for your particular game with confidence.

Get in touch with us today!