The Best No-Code Game Engines

Claire Morwood

A self-taught game designer, programmer and artist, Claire Morwood encourages everyone to try no-code apps and start creating.
(Image credit: Claire Morwood)

Claire Morwood recommends

Bitsy An excellent beginner platform

Downpour Smartphone app for making collage games

Bipsi Phone and tablet app for simple games

Solo developer Claire Morwood – who used paper-craft dioramas and claymation to create the beautiful Asterism, as well as making the critically acclaimed Before I Forget with Chella Ramanan – says that one of the best no-code game maker tools for absolute beginners is Bitsy.

“It’s web-based, free, easy to use, and gives you creative constraints to work within, as well as providing you with a simple default game that you can begin editing straight away,” she says.

Claire has even written a tutorial for Bitsy, which can be used to make pixel art narrative games in a completely code-free environment, although it does have the option to add some traditional code for advanced purposes. “It’s got a great community of game creators on Itch (if you search for the Bitsy tag), and from my experience it can be picked up extremely quickly and by people who have never made games before,” Claire enthuses. “There’s also a Bitsy-inspired tool called Bipsi that works well on phones and tablets too.”

Alex Goodwin

Alex Goodwin suggests learning how Unreal Engine works, using Blueprints, as it will stand you in good stead for future projects.
(Image credit: Alex Goodwin Games)

Alex Goodwin is behind the recently released Selfloss, a game set in a world of Slavic and Icelandic folklore. Alex uses Unreal Engine, which has built-in visual scripting tool called Blueprints, but he warns that it might be off-putting for anyone who doesn’t have prior experience of programming.

“You have to understand that visual programming in a sense is not really that much easier than just programming with typing,” he warns. “All existing visual no-code tools still require very important things to know – core general concepts of programming.”

“In its essence, 99% of the task you are doing when programming and designing is creating a flowchart of commands that go one by one, a single step at a time.” Visual scripting simply allows you to actually see the flow charts that are buried within the semi-colons and brackets of the code.

Conclusion

No-code game engines and tools are becoming increasingly popular, enabling artists and anyone with a good idea to create video games without the need for typing thousands of lines of code. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned developer, there are plenty of options out there to suit your needs.

From the web-based Bitsy to the smartphone app Downpour, there’s a no-code game maker platform that can help you get started. Even experienced developers like Alex Goodwin recommend learning visual scripting tools like Blueprints in Unreal Engine, which can help you create complex games with ease.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is no-code game development?

A: No-code game development refers to the process of creating video games without writing any code. Instead, you use visual tools and interfaces to design and build your game.

Q: What are some popular no-code game development platforms?

A: Some popular no-code game development platforms include Bitsy, Downpour, and Bipsi. There are also visual scripting tools like Blueprints in Unreal Engine and Unity Visual Scripting.

Q: Do I need prior experience of programming to use no-code game development platforms?

A: While prior experience of programming can be helpful, it’s not necessarily required. Many no-code game development platforms are designed to be user-friendly and accessible to beginners.

Q: Can I create complex games with no-code game development platforms?

A: Yes, many no-code game development platforms are capable of creating complex games with ease. Visual scripting tools like Blueprints in Unreal Engine can help you create complex logic and interactions without writing any code.