Game engines
A game engine is the framework which is used to lay the groundwork for game developers by providing them with the systems and tools needed like rendering, audio management, level editing, input detection, etc.
In some cases you may find that one game shares the same engine as another. This usually happens due to a company licensing out their engine to be used by a development team or, in the case of an in-house engine, may not need to make a whole new engine for a game if the one they have works fine. This can lead to file formats being similar or even identical between games, which can be useful when it comes to ripping and modding.
Public Engines
Public engines are game engines that are availably licensed for third-party developers.
| Name | Developer | Active | Games | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adobe AIR | Adobe | Yes | ||
| Adobe Director | Macromedia / Adobe | No | ||
| Adobe Flash | Macromedia / Adobe | No | ||
| Adventure Game Studio | Chris Jones | Yes | ||
| Blazing Renderer | Argonaut Games | No | Games list | Also known as BRender |
| Box2D | Erin Catto | Yes | ||
| Build | Ken Silverman | No | ||
| Build 2 | Ken Silverman | No | ||
| Cocos2d | Ricardo Quesada and Lucio Torre | ? | ||
| Construct 2 | Scirra | No | ||
| Construct 3 | Scirra | Yes | ||
| Construct Classic | Scirra | No | ||
| CryEngine | Crytek | No | ||
| CryEngine 2 | Crytek | No | ||
| CryEngine 3 | Crytek | No | ||
| CryEngine 4 | Crytek | ? | ||
| CryEngine V | Crytek | Yes | ||
| Doom engine / id Tech 1 | id Software | No | ||
| FNA | Ethan Lee | Yes | ||
| Gamebryo | Gamebase | No | Formerly known as NetImmerse | |
| GameMaker | YoYo Games | Yes | Games list | Formerly known as Animo, Game Maker, GameMaker Studio, and GameMaker Studio 2 |
| GB Studio | Chris Maltby | Yes | ||
| Godot | Juan Linietsky & Ariel Manzur | Yes | ||
| GoldSrc | Valve | No | ||
| Havok Vision Game Engine | Trinigy / Havok | No | Known as Vision Engine before acquired by Havok | |
| id Tech 2 | id Software | No | ||
| id Tech 3 | id Software | No | ||
| id Tech 4 | id Software | No | ||
| Irrlicht Engine | Nikolaus Gebhardt et al. | Yes | ||
| LithTech | Monolith Productions | No | ||
| LithTech Jupiter | Monolith Productions | No | ||
| LithTech Jupiter EX | Monolith Productions | No | ||
| MonoGame | MonoGame Foundation | Yes | ||
| Open 3D Engine | Open 3D Foundation | Yes | ||
| Q | Qube Software | No | ||
| Quake engine | id Software | No | ||
| RenderWare | Criterion Software | No | ||
| RPG Maker | Degica | Yes | ||
| Serious Engine | Croteam | No | ||
| Source | Valve | No | Games list | |
| Torque 2D | GarageGames | Yes | ||
| Torque 3D | GarageGames | Yes | ||
| Torque Game Engine | GarageGames | No | ||
| Torque Game Engine Advanced | GarageGames | No | ||
| Torque X | GarageGames | No | ||
| Unity | Unity Technologies | Yes | Games list | |
| Unreal Engine 1 | Epic Games | No | Games list | |
| Unreal Engine 2 | Epic Games | No | Games list | |
| Unreal Engine 2.5 | Epic Games | No | Games list | |
| Unreal Engine 3 | Epic Games | No | Games list | |
| Unreal Engine 4 | Epic Games | No | Games list | |
| Unreal Engine 5 | Epic Games | Yes | Games list | |
| Unreal Engine 6 | Epic Games | Upcoming | ||
| Wolfenstein 3D engine | id Software | No | ||
| XNA | Microsoft | No |
Middleware Engines
| Name | Developer | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Acroarts | Sega / CRI Middleware | |
| Bink Video | RAD Game Tools | |
| CRIWARE | CRI Middleware | |
| FMOD | Firelight Technologies | |
| Granny 3D | RAD Game Tools | |
| Havok | Havok | |
| Simplygon | Simplygon Studios | |
| Smacker | RAD Game Tools | |
| Sysdolphin | HAL Laboratory | |
| Wwise | Audiokinetic | Acronym for Wave Works Interactive Sound Engine |
In-house Engines
| Name | Developer | Games | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| A.L.I.V.E. | Oddworld Inhabitants | ||
| ActionLibrary | Nintendo | Unofficial name | |
| Amazon Lumberyard | Amazon Game Studios | ||
| Anvil | Ubisoft Montreal | ||
| AnvilNext | Ubisoft Montreal | ||
| Apocalypse | Neversoft | ||
| Asura | Rebellion Developments | ||
| Atlas | Knowledge Adventure | ||
| Aurora Engine | BioWare | ||
| Autodesk Stingray | Autodesk | ||
| BANG! | Ensemble Studios | ||
| Buddha | Double Fine Productions | ||
| Carbon Engine | Limited Run Games | ||
| Creation Engine | Bethesda Game Studios | ||
| Creation Engine 2 | Bethesda Game Studios | ||
| Cobra | Frontier Developments | ||
| Crystal Engine | Crystal Dynamics | Also called Gex 3D and Foundation | |
| Crystal Tools | Square Enix | ||
| CTG | Volition | ||
| Dagor Engine | Gaijin Entertainment | ||
| Dawn Engine | Eidos Interactive | ||
| Decima | Guerrilla Games | ||
| Disrupt | Ubisoft Montreal | ||
| Dragon Engine | Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio | ||
| DreamFactory | CyberFlix | ||
| Dunia | Ubisoft Montreal | ||
| EAGL | EA Canada | ||
| Eclipse | Arktos Entertainment | Nott to be confused with BioWare's game engine of the same name nor with Digital Eclipse's Eclipse Engine | |
| Eclipse | BioWare | Not to be confused with Arktos Entertainment's game engine of the same name nor with Digital Eclipse's Eclipse Engine | |
| Eclipse Engine | Digital Eclipse | Not to be confused with Arktos Entertainment's or BioWare's game engines | |
| EGO | Codemasters | ||
| EngineBlack | StudioBlack | ||
| EngineX | Eurocom Entertainment Software | ||
| EvilEngine | Heavy Iron Studios | ||
| Firebird Engine | Monolith Productions | ||
| Fox Engine | Kojima Productions | ||
| Frostbite | DICE | ||
| GbaEngine | Ubi Soft Montreal | ||
| Genie | Ensemble Studios | ||
| Geo-Mod | Volition | ||
| Geo-Mod 2.0 | Volition | ||
| GFD | Atlus | ||
| GIANTS Engine 1 | GIANTS Software | ||
| GIANTS Engine 3 | GIANTS Software | ||
| GIANTS Engine 4 | GIANTS Software | ||
| GIANTS Engine 5 | GIANTS Software | ||
| GIANTS Engine 6 | GIANTS Software | ||
| GIANTS Engine 7 | GIANTS Software | ||
| GIANTS Engine 8 | GIANTS Software | ||
| GIANTS Engine 9 | GIANTS Software | ||
| GIANTS Engine 10 | GIANTS Software | ||
| Glacier | IO Interactive | ||
| Goliath Engine | Beenox | ||
| GoodEngine | Heavy Iron Studios | ||
| GrimE | LucasArts | ||
| Halo Engine | Bungie | ||
| Hedgehog Engine | Sonic Team | ||
| Hedgehog Engine 2 | Sonic Team | ||
| Holistic | Keen Games | ||
| id Tech 5 | id Software | ||
| id Tech 6 | id Software | ||
| id Tech 7 | id Software | ||
| id Tech 8 | id Software | ||
| Infernal Engine | Terminal Reality | ||
| Infinity | BioWare | ||
| Insomniac Engine | Insomniac Games | ||
| IW Engine | Infinity Ward | ||
| Jade | Ubisoft | ||
| Jedi | LucasArts | ||
| JSystem | Nintendo | Unofficial name | |
| Katana Engine | Koei Tecmo | ||
| Kex Engine | Nightdive Studios | ||
| Kinetica | Santa Monica Studio | ||
| Luminous Engine | Luminous Productions | ||
| LunchPack | Nintendo | Unofficial name | |
| LunchPack 2 | Nintendo | Unofficial name | |
| Lux Engine | Luxoflux | ||
| LyN | Ubisoft | ||
| Mercury Engine | MercurySteam | ||
| Merkury | Krome Studios | ||
| ModuleSystem | Nintendo | Unofficial name | |
| Mohawk | Brøderbund | ||
| Mortar | Halfbrick Studios | ||
| Motor | MachineGames | Indiana Jones and the Great Circle | Custom fork of id Tech 7 |
| MT Framework | Capcom | ||
| Naughty Dog Game Engine | Naughty Dog | ||
| Neversoft Engine | Neversoft | ||
| Nintendo Web Framework | Nintendo | ||
| NintendoWare Bezel Engine | Nintendo | ||
| Nu2 | Traveller's Tales | ||
| Objectnaut | 5th Cell | ||
| Octane | Firebrand Games | ||
| Odyssey | BioWare | ||
| Onyx | Obsidian Entertainment | ||
| OpenSpace | Ubi Pictures | ||
| PhyreEngine | Sony Computer Entertainment | ||
| Platinum Engine | PlatinumGames | ||
| Playground SDK | PlayFirst | ||
| PopCap Games Framework | PopCap Games | ||
| Prism3D | SCS Software | ||
| Pure3D | Radical Entertainment | ||
| Quantum3 | High Voltage Software | ||
| RAGE | Rockstar San Diego | ||
| RE Engine | Capcom | ||
| REDengine | CD Projekt Red | ||
| Retro Engine | Christian Whitehead / Evening Star | ||
| Ronin | LucasArts | ||
| Saber3D Engine | Saber Interactive | ||
| Scimitar | Ubisoft Montreal | ||
| SCUMM | LucasArts | ||
| Sega NN Graphics Library | Sega | ||
| Sith | LucasArts | ||
| Slayer | The Collective | ||
| Slipspace Engine | 343 Industries | ||
| Snowdrop | Massive Entertainment / Ubisoft | Also known as Ubisoft Snowdrop | |
| SOL-AVES | Bandai-Namco | ||
| Source 2 | Valve | ||
| SoX | Sega | ||
| SPACKLE | Sucker Punch Productions | ||
| Sysdolphin | HAL Laboratory | ||
| Telltale Tool | Telltale Games | ||
| Tiger Engine | Bungie | ||
| Titanium | Radical Entertainment | ||
| Tommunism Engine | Team Meat | ||
| Treyarch NGL | Treyarch | ||
| TOSHI | Blue Tongue Entertainment | ||
| UbiArt Framework | Ubisoft Montpellier | ||
| Ubisoft Anvil | Ubisoft Montreal | ||
| Untitled Spike Chunsoft game engine | Spike Chunsoft | Unofficial name | |
| Vicarious Visions Alchemy | Intrinsic Graphics / Vicarious Visions | Originally known as Intrinsic Alchemy before Intrinsic Graphics was acquired by Vicarious Visions | |
| Vicious Engine | Vicious Cycle Software | ||
| WF Engine | WayForward Technologies | ||
| Zouna | Asobo Studio |
