Defold is a free, cross-platform game engine for 2D and 3D games, with Lua scripting, a built-in editor and publishing to desktop, mobile, web and consoles.
Defold is a game engine for building 2D and 3D games that run on many platforms from one code base. It bundles an editor, runtime, build pipeline and deployment flow, so a project can move from idea to release without extra tooling. Gameplay logic is written in Lua, and native extensions allow custom native code where needed. The editor includes visual, code, scene, particle and tilemap tools, along with a built-in Lua debugger and hot reload for quick iteration. Live Update support lets a shipped game receive new content. The engine is small in size, and an asset portal offers extensions to add to projects. Integrations exist with tools such as Tiled, Spine, Rive, TexturePacker and VS Code. The editor is available in English, Russian, Chinese and Portuguese. Publishing targets include Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, HTML5, Steam, Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch. Defold is free, with no royalties or runtime fees, and its source is available under a developer-friendly licence. The engine is developed under the Defold Foundation, which is supported by donations and partners. Defold suits developers who want a lightweight engine with control over their build and runtime, including solo creators and small teams. Learning resources include tutorials, manuals, courses and a forum. Technical support contracts are available for teams that need them.
Visual, code, scene, particle and tilemap editors in one tool.
Write game logic in Lua with a built-in debugger.
Add custom native code to extend the engine.
See code changes take effect quickly during development.
Push updated content to games that are already shipped.
Add community extensions and assets from one catalogue.
Build one project for many platforms from a single code base.
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No. The company states there are no up-front costs, licensing fees, royalties or runtime fees.
Defold can publish to desktop, mobile, web and major consoles, including Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch.
No setup is needed. Download the editor and start a project, with no registration required.
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Defold is listed under Gaming. Defold is a free, cross-platform game engine for 2D and 3D games, with Lua scripting, a built-in editor and publishing to desktop, mobile, web and consoles.
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