Make games, not engines
What's your game engine of choice?
During events and speaking engagements, I’m often asked why I use Defold to create my games—and why not engine X or Y. So I decided to sit down and really reflect: why Defold?
Over the years, I’ve tried many game engines, including the most popular ones (not gonna mention names, sorry). In the end, my decision always comes down to three core priorities—three non-negotiables I look for when choosing a game engine.
1. It must be cross-platform
The more platforms, the better. Before I ventured into web games, I primarily developed for iOS and Android, so mobile remains a top priority. At the same time, being able to release on PC, Mac, and Linux has always been part of my long term strategy—these platforms are often my “Plan B.”
Console support is an even bigger advantage today, as it gives me more flexibility in how and where I release my games. Defold supports all of these platforms—including consoles—so priority number one is fully covered.
2. It should be affordable (or even better if FREE)
Let’s be honest—this is a challenging time for the game industry, and independent developers often operate on very limited budgets. Having a completely free engine is a huge advantage.
Defold is 100% free to use.
Download. Install. Start creating!
That said, I don’t believe in being a freeloader. Once I start generating revenue from my games, I make it a point to give back to the developers and the project. Anyone can still support and send monetary contributions to the Defold Foundation through GitHub Sponsors, Patreon, or PayPal.
3. It must have a simple and easy-to-use IDE
I occasionally switch between development environments, so having an easy-to-use IDE that runs on both Mac and Windows is essential to me.
Defold’s IDE is clean, straightforward, and beginner-friendly—while still being powerful enough for professional work. And yes, it supports both Mac and Windows seamlessly.
Beyond these three non-negotiables, I have a few additional considerations—especially now that I have pivoted to web games.
Lightweight and Efficient
Defold is incredibly efficient. It loads fast, builds quickly, and the simulator runs smoothly. Most importantly, the final builds are optimized and lightweight—an essential factor when deploying web games, where file size and performance matter greatly. My daily driver is a 4 year old Macbook Air with only 8GB of RAM btw!
Reliable Updates and Backward Compatibility
Defold is actively developed and receives multiple updates each year. One of my favorite things about it is its stability across versions. I can open an older project in a newer version of the engine, and it runs and builds without issues.
As a solo developer, this reliability is invaluable—especially as my game catalog continues to grow. Maintaining and updating older projects becomes far less stressful.
A Supportive Community
Defold has a helpful, responsive, and steadily growing developer community. The Defold Team themselves are approachable and easy to talk to (shoutout to @britzl and @pawel).
There’s an active Discord server with thousands of developers, as well as a classic forum where you can ask questions and discuss Defold-related topics. That kind of accessibility and openness makes a big difference.
Lua as a Scripting Language
Defold uses Lua, and I already had prior experience with it—so this is definitely a plus for me. At this stage in my career, the specific language matters less. As a senior developer, I can adapt to most technologies but being familiar with Lua certainly makes development smoother and more enjoyable.
At the end of the day, choosing a game engine is a personal decision. For me, Defold checks all the right boxes—technical, financial, and practical. It lets you focus more on your game rather than the technical and low level stuff. And that’s why I continue to build my games with it. 🚀
Oh, and this is not a paid post. 😊