Godot is a free, open-source game engine that’s commonly used for retro and indie game projects across all genres and platforms. Godot is considered an excellent choice for beginners, hobbyists, solo devs, and small teams because of its intuitive language and streamlined UI and workflow. The light weight and low system requirements of Godot further lower the barrier of entry for aspiring game makers.
Godot is capable of stylized and lower-poly 3D, but isn’t as suitable for the kind of high-end, photorealistic 3D environments that Unity and Unreal are known for. Godot’s asset store and third-party libraries are not as extensive as those for other, more premium engines, and the engine runs into problems when rendering large, detailed 3D environments. Read on to learn more about the pros, cons, and applications of the Godot game engine.
Is Godot a good game engine?
Yes, Godot is an excellent game engine for beginners, hobbyists, solo developers, small indie teams, and developers who want an open-source engine that supports custom tools and workflows. The Godot engine is ideally suited to 2D projects of all genres, but also capable of low-poly or stylized 3D games. Many mobile developers prefer Godot for its simple export pipeline to iOS and Android.
Godot works for beginners and hobbyists for several reasons. The engine’s GDScript is a Python-like language that’s considered intuitive and easy to learn for beginners. Godot’s simple workflow and intuitive architecture mean learners and solo devs are able to manage the production of an entire project without outside help. Smaller indie teams working with Godot, similarly, don’t require the same depth of expertise across different areas as teams working with Unreal or Unity to get polished results.
Godot has an excellent reputation for creating all kinds of 2D games because it was built from the ground up with a dedicated 2D renderer, physics system, and 2D specific tilemap and animation systems. Many engines (like Unreal and Unity) render a kind of fake 2D in what is, in reality, an unseen 3D environment. That said, Godot (and in particular Godot 4) is capable of low-poly or heavily stylized 3D games. It can’t compete with Unreal or Unity for creating the highest-fidelity 3D assets and environments with realistic lighting effects, but Godot’s flexibility makes it an excellent choice for indie, retro-inspired, and cel-shaded 3D projects.
What are the pros and cons of the Godot engine?
The pros of the Godot engine are its cost (free), customizability, 2D capabilities, extensive documentation, and simple UI and workflow. Godot’s cons are its limitations for large, graphically detailed 3D projects, smaller asset store, performance issues in some cases, limited console support, and lack of third-party libraries.
The pros and cons of Godot are listed more extensively below.
Pros of Godot
- Totally free and open source
- Creators retain ownership of games made
- Purpose-built 2D engine (other engines can do 2D but it’s an afterthought)
- Scene and node architecture is modular and logical
- GDScript is intuitive and easy to understand (similar to Python)
- Customizable tools and workflows
- Great community and documentation
- Cross-platform capability
- UI, tools, and animation suite are simple and effective
Cons of Godot
- Limited 3D capabilities (Godot 4 has improved, but still not the best choice)
- Smaller asset store and general ecosystem than Unity or Unreal
- Limited console support, officially (Godot can export to console but a third-party service is required)
- Performance issues for larger open worlds, complex shaders, or physics-heavy games
- GDScript is slower than C# or C++ and has fewer third-party libraries
- More devs know Unity and Unreal – staffing on Godot projects is challenging
- Fewer high-end tools
Is the Godot engine easy?
Yes, Godot is one of the easier game engines because of its intuitive language, clear, organized UI, built-in tutorials, excellent documentation and community, and quick testing and prototyping capabilities. Godot’s language, GDScript, is an uncluttered, readable language that’s similar to Python, making it a relatively easy script to learn. Its UI, editor, and general workflow are accessible to beginners and allow for quick prototyping, testing, and reloading and changing – valuable tools for learners. The engine’s stability, flexibility to deliver 2D or 3D, and relatively low system requirements make it an easy game engine to run on a range of systems.
What language does Godot engine use?
Godot engine uses the programming language GDScript, a Python-like language that’s intuitive and tightly integrated with the engine. Godot also supports C# via .NET and C++ via GDNative or GDExtension. C# is faster than GDScript for heavy logic and comes with typing and performance benefits. C++ allows developers to extend the functionality of Godot for maximum performance.
