The buying and usage of mobile phones will never have an end in this technologically-embedded world. Like how people pay more attention to download plenty of mobile apps for their personal needs, playing online games has also become a fashion. This indeed has changed the way people of all ages use mobile phones and enhanced the need for mobile game app development. Therefore it has created its own industry niche in the gaming market globally.
Mobile games development did not take much time when compared to the development of PC and console games. It evolved along with the introduction and successful implementation of certain mobile game engines, which are also called tools. We will be looking at some of the mobile game engines which are voted the best by experts among abundant tools available in the current gaming market. This blog will definitely be informative to gaming app developers to produce online games in an elegant manner.
1) Corona SDK
Corona SDK is a recently introduced software development kit that serves the gaming needs of both Windows and OS X operating systems. It uses Lua as a scripting language and allows developers to create mobile games for free. Mobile game engines usually carry multiple features where Corona SDK also carries few. Corona SDK turns out to be the best mobile game app development toolkit if you are looking for developing a cross-platform game.
- Uses a rendering engine named OpenGL
- Comes with scene management and transition library built-in
- The transition library allows altering and changing the graphical qualities of your game app
- Offers Corona Editor and Text plugin directly from the Corona lab source
- Helps easy understanding between objects with creating a graphical environment to design multiple levels
2) SpriteKit
There is no need to look for Android/Windows support by SpriteKit, as it is owned by Apple’s 2D game app development framework and works only on OS X and iOS. It uses both Swift and Objective-C languages for scripting code. Similar to Corona SDK, SpriteKit also offers some amazing features to developers and helps create user-friendly mobile app games. If you are a developer and pretty experienced in using Apple ecosystem, then you will not disappoint with SpriteKit.
- SpriteKit View offers easy scene management
- You can create motion in your game objects, similarly, rotate or scale by leveraging SKAction
- Supports in creating sounds and producing custom codes
- Contains screen editor that allows you excellent designing of levels
- Even developing particle systems becomes easy with simple and effective Particle Editor
- Uses Box2D for the physical engine and comes with a camera inbuilt through SKCameraNode class
3) Unity
Unity is a powerful mobile game engine that supports game app development with C# and UnityScript which is known to be the own language resource of Unity. Unity game Developers can use it for free and pay for professional editions as well. Here are some interesting features that Unity offers to mobile game developers. If you are looking to develop your game app for more than one device, Unity could be your best suit.
- Cross-platform tool and easily deployable to multiple platforms
- Allows editing images with an inbuilt editor and organizing animations through animator window
- Designing of a particle system in Unity editor
- Uses own physics engine and comes with camera built-in for navigation
- Provides a great interface system with unique components for the display of features
4) Cocos2D
It is an open-source framework that supports mobile game app development on OS X and iOS. It makes use of Swift and Objective-C for programming.
- Supports Android mobile app gaming development when coded using Objective-C through an Android plug-in called Spritebuilder.
- You can prototype and develop games with an amazing graphical design environment.
- Scene management through CCDirector and CCTransition glass.
- CCAction for motion graphics.
- CCParticle system and CCTiled Map class.
- Uses OpenGL as rendering engine.
5) Marmalade
Marmalade is a flexible mobile game engine that offers quite a good number of free suite tools for easy mobile game development and porting processes. You can create both 2D and 3D gaming with Marmalade as it offers great cross-platform features.
- Uses C++ for coding and Lua for scripting
- A web version of Marmalade supports hybrid app development using HTML5, JavaScript and CSS
- Supports easy porting of games developed in iOS to Android ecosystem
6) Amazon Lumberyard
Lumberyard is a great invention by Amazon based on the CryEngine architecture and is a free AAA game development engine as well. Developers get access to a plethora of free tools to develop high-quality games. It supports cross-platform functionality, and the best part with this mobile game engine is you need not surrender any share to Amazon since it owns the tool.
- Integrated with Twitch for live video game streaming potentialities
- Comes with more social gaming features
- You get Twitch ChatPlay, Twitch Meta stream and Twitch JoinIn
7) CryEngine
CryEngine is a successful mobile game development tool which supports you in creating 3D games for Windows and Console PC.
- Uses C++, Action script, Lua script and Visual Studio for game development
- Voxel-based global illumination
- Per-Object Shadow Maps
- Volumetric Fog Shadows
- Level designing
- Real-time dynamic water Caustics
- Motion Blur and Depth of field
- Flowgraph and multilayer navigation mesh
- Parametric Skeletal Animation and advanced AI system
8) NextPeer
NextPeer is a specialist for creating multiplayer games and acts as a one-stop solution for all issues that developers face during game app development. It supports both synchronous and asynchronous types of gameplay.
- Facilitates live ranking and real-time interactions
- Allows users to play the past sessions of other players
- Supports game development on native iOS and Android
- Also supports Unity and Cocos2D-X
9) Haxe
Haxe is an open-source mobile gaming development tool that supports programming languages of multi-platform. It enables associated coding for both Android and iOS and balances without creating any ambiguity. It provides an extensive learning curve to developers as it involves coding using very popular languages such as Java, C++, PHP or AS3 languages. You can rely on Haxe without a second thought if you have plans to design cross-platform games.
- Vast library with a good set of APIs and plenty of raw frameworks
- Cross-platform app development and multi-languages platform support
10) Gideros
Gideros is an open-source platform for game developers, which uses Lua as scripting language like how Corona uses it. Lua is not a class-based system but Gideros is and therefore, provides class-based API. This allows developers to use the tool features with ease and write perfect and reusable codes.
- Supports developing and importing of games between iOS, Android, Windows Phone, OS X, Windows and Windows RT
- Comes with scene manager, MovieClip class and GTween library
- Box2D for physics engine and contains texture packers, a font creator
- Quick game testing over Wi-Fi from your mobile
11) Titanium
Titanium uses JavaScript as a programming language to develop flexible gaming applications. It is a free framework and provides access to great tools for developers. Game development is free with Titanium but for making your app public, you require paid licensing. Titanium may not be an ideal mobile game engine but can let you develop games with simple features and less fancy objects in movement.
- Easily change and animate views and images with native controls provided by Android and iOS
- Download custom modules from the marketplace of Titanium such as Box2D plugin
Conclusion
Mobile game engines help you with accessing and applying enhanced gaming modules across multiple platforms they support. Most of the mobile game app development involves dynamic features, which can be handled effectively by any of these toolkits, vigorously. Developers should have an ideal goal towards the development of gaming and choose the right one according to their need. Unlike gaming tools for web app framework, mobile gaming app frameworks are flexible and easy-to-pick-up sort of types.
Thinking of developing a game app using one of the above game engines? Contact our experienced game development team, who have already developed 100+ mobile games using above listed game engines. We are also available to listen to your mobile game app development idea, schedule a free 30-minutes consultation call now.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How much time will it take for mobile game app development in Android?
If your idea is simple, it will not take much time to create a mobile game app on Android. You should jot down your requirements and which mobile game engines can support you in development and choose the ideal one for your app.
2. Can I import my gaming from Android to iOS?
Of course, importing is possible in gaming from Android to iOS and vice versa as well. But not all mobile game engines suffice your demand. Only a few of them help you with easy, quick and multiple platforms importing.
3. Will I have to invest more for mobile game app development?
Not necessarily. If you are a developer, you can try to release one in the market and see how it goes into the public. After which you can hire two or three more to work with you and then work on promoting those apps. Again, promotions might cost you a bit high.
4. How to choose the best mobile game engine?
First, understand your need thoroughly and see which tool fits into your bucket according to features, availability, flexibility, durability and quality. This should help you finalise it.
