Top 8 Game Creation Apps for Beginners

Building games with Nintendo's Game Builder Garage for the Nintendo Switch feels more like playing a game than using traditional development software. The app features a set of engaging tutorials that teach the basics of 2D and 3D game design, scripting, and more. Each tutorial is written in easy-to-understand language, and the game boasts the high production values you'd expect from Nintendo. It supports controllers, USB mice, and touch-screen inputs, too.

However, Game Builder Garage’s “Free Programming Mode,” which unlocks after the first tutorial, might frustrate users who want to dive straight into creation. While there are numerous pre-made models, sprites, sound effects, and music options, you cannot import custom assets. The built-in 2D sprite and texture editor works well for pixel art, but not much else. These limitations often result in projects that look quite similar.

Some users may also be disappointed by the lack of publishing features. While subscribers to Nintendo Switch Online can share their games directly with friends, there is no option to browse user-created games within the app. Fortunately, a third-party website has been created for sharing your games online outside of Game Builder Garage.

Despite these limitations, Game Builder Garage is an excellent way to learn game development concepts that can be applied to other game engines. It is available for $30 on the Nintendo Switch.

Dreams is an innovative game creation tool for PlayStation 4 (and PS5) that is both powerful and user-friendly. Similar to Game Builder Garage, it features interactive tutorials and even a full game, Art’s Dream, created using the engine by Media Molecule, the studio behind Dreams. The tutorials offer a great introduction for beginners, but experienced users can jump straight into their own creations.

The engine supports a wide range of game genres, from first-person shooters and RPGs to racing and action-adventure titles. It even includes VR content creation. Dreams comes with a vast collection of pre-made visuals, music, and sounds to kickstart your projects, but you can also craft your own assets. Animators can use it to create full 3D animated films as well.

Although Dreams is easier to learn than most game development software, it does have some limitations. First, the control scheme is restricted to the PS4 or PS5 controller (or PlayStation Move motion controllers), with no keyboard or mouse support. Additionally, the only way to share your games is through the in-game upload tools, as you can’t publish to external platforms or consoles. Fortunately, Dreams has a large, active online community, so if your game is engaging enough, you may still find an audience.

Roblox Studio is a free game development platform designed to create games and interactive experiences for the Roblox

Within Roblox Studio, you’ll have access to all the tools needed to create 3D games. Simple games can be made in just a few hours by following along with the many tutorials available online, but the platform requires more coding knowledge than most other options listed here. The more ambitious your game, the more programming expertise you’ll need. However, this doesn’t mean it’s unsuitable for beginners—many young developers start with Roblox—and the abundance of free assets and tutorials will help you learn the ropes if you’re dedicated. Roblox Studio is available on both Windows and Mac.

Twine is a straightforward desktop tool designed for creating interactive fiction. It features a user-friendly interface that combines the simplicity of a word processor with drag-and-drop editing, allowing users to easily build branching narratives. You can also add multimedia to each section of your project.

While Twine has specific uses, it’s ideal for crafting choose-your-own-adventure stories or text-based games, and it's a great entry point for beginner game developers to explore the intricacies of non-linear storytelling. Although you can only create and share projects on desktop (Windows, Mac, Linux, and the web), there is an enthusiastic Twine community to help you connect with others.

As the name suggests, RPG Maker is a powerful tool for creating traditional 2D role-playing games, reminiscent of titles like Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy. Although crafting such games might seem intimidating for newcomers, RPG Maker simplifies the process significantly.

The software strikes a balance between professional-grade game development tools and beginner-friendly platforms. It’s easy to use, with a wealth of assets to create a game even without any coding experience. You can manage all aspects of your project using intuitive menus, and if you're an experienced developer, you can import your own assets, write custom gameplay scripts, and extend the software's functionality through plugins, enabling the creation of 3D games and support for other genres beyond RPGs. Many successful indie games like To the Moon and Omori were built with RPG Maker, and the Itchio store has a dedicated “Made With RPG Maker” section where you can find inspiring projects.

Several versions of RPG Maker are available, but RPG Maker MV and MZ are the most popular, offering the latest features and a large community. Some versions of RPG Maker are available for consoles like PS4 and Nintendo Switch, but the desktop versions (Windows and Mac) are the most versatile, supporting plugins, custom assets, and script-based gameplay systems that give your games a unique look. The desktop versions also allow you to publish games on Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and the web, whereas the console versions have limited publishing capabilities. However, console versions are still a great way to get started in game design if that’s your only option.

Visual Novel Maker is a specialized game creation tool from the creators of RPG Maker and Pixel Game Maker (we’ll discuss that shortly). Unlike its siblings, Visual Novel Maker is more focused, which has both its advantages and drawbacks. The software comes with an extensive asset library, featuring character portraits, sound effects, interface elements, and more, though you can import your own assets as well. Its drag-and-drop interface is simpler to use than more flexible game engines, and it even supports javascript, allowing you to extend the gameplay possibilities. However, you can’t push the engine too far beyond its visual novel format, limiting your ability to create games of other genres as you might with RPG Maker.

Priced at $60, Visual Novel Maker is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux, and it lets you publish your visual novels on platforms such as Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, and the web.

As mentioned, Pixel Game Maker is developed by the same team behind RPG Maker and Visual Novel Maker, but it leans much closer to a professional-grade game engine than either of those. Though it’s designed specifically for sprite-based games, it’s powerful enough to create any type of 2D game, including side-scrolling platformers, top-down action-adventure titles, auto-scrolling arcade shooters, and more. The visual editor uses a drag-and-drop object-based scripting system, so you don’t need to rely on complex coding languages to program your games.

The latest version, Pixel Game Maker MV, costs $85 and is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. It includes a robust set of assets, with even more available as DLC, or you can create and import your own. The engine also supports third-party plugins to enhance its functionality. Publishing tools are included for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Nintendo Switch (via the Gotcha Gotcha Games store).

Game Maker Studio 2 is the most sophisticated software on our list and might be overwhelming for beginners. However, it’s also the easiest professional-grade game engine to grasp, and it’s been used by indie developers to create popular games like Hyper Light Drifter, Momodora, Katana Zero, and more.

The main appeal of Game Maker Studio 2 lies in its simplified, object-oriented scripting system. Rather than coding from the ground up, the in-built editor lets you program character actions and gameplay systems using easy drop-down menus based on Game Maker Studio’s own unique scripting language. There are plenty of tutorials to help you get started, along with sample projects and community-made assets that can kickstart your development if you’re not yet ready to create your own.

The downside is that the skills gained in Game Maker Studio 2 may not translate seamlessly to other game engines like Godot, Unity, or Unreal, which rely on common programming languages like C# that offer more flexibility. However, since Game Maker Studio 2 supports both 2D and 3D games, it could very well serve your needs for the long term if you prefer working within its ecosystem.

Game Maker Studio is free to download and use, but some features and publishing capabilities are locked behind paywalls. You can purchase a 1-year license for $39 to publish on Windows and Mac, or buy a permanent license for $99, which adds publishing support for iOS, Android, Amazon Fire devices, Ubuntu, HTML 5, and Universal Windows Programs. For console publishing, you’ll need a $700/year license for each platform (PS4/PS5, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One/Xbox Series X/S) or a $1,500/year bundle. While the cost is high, it’s in line with the licensing fees required for other professional-grade software for consoles.