Which engine should a solo developer choose?

If you already know an engine and it meets your game’s requirements, start there. Learning a new editor is work too. If you are starting from scratch, Godot is a reasonable first choice for a small 2D project, GameMaker is worth trying for a focused 2D workflow, and Unity is worth considering if you want to build on existing Unity or C# skills. These are starting recommendations, not a ranking of which engine will finish your game fastest.

Godot: consider it when control over the engine license matters. Godot uses the MIT license, permits commercial games and does not charge engine royalties. You still need to include the required engine copyright and license notice. Free engine software does not remove your other development or distribution costs. License details: https://godotengine.org/license/ 

Unity: consider it when you can reuse skills or project work. Unity Personal is available to eligible individuals and small organizations below $200,000 in revenue and funds raised over the last 12 months. Check the eligibility rules for your situation before choosing a plan. Unity also supports text-based scene serialization using a custom YAML subset; readable scene files are not exclusive to Godot. Sources: https://unity.com/products/unity-personal  and https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/FormatDescription.html 

GameMaker: try it for a 2D project before buying a commercial license. GameMaker is free for noncommercial use. Its commercial license is $99.99, while console exports require Enterprise. Check the current terms and included export targets before budgeting for release: https://gamemaker.io/en/get 

Treat console support as an early requirement. Godot does not have official console ports maintained by the Godot Foundation. Approved console developers can work with the platform SDKs or third-party porting providers, but that is a separate step to plan and budget for. Do not assume a desktop prototype settles your console release path. See https://godotengine.org/consoles/ 

For a 3D project, test a representative scene rather than choosing from screenshots of someone else’s game. Use the lighting, asset sizes and target hardware you actually need. If none of these three engines meets those requirements, expand the shortlist before committing.

Budget for more than programming

The hardest part of solo development is not any single discipline. It is doing all of them. Programming, art, audio, design, testing, marketing and business work all need space in the plan, even if you buy assets or hire help for some of them.

Before estimating a whole game, finish a small slice: one level or encounter with menus, sound and an exported build. Track the work you actually do, including fixes. Use that experience to revise the rest of your schedule instead of treating a generic development timeline as a deadline.

Keep a separate list of release tasks. A working scene in the editor is not the same thing as a build someone else can download, understand and play.

Keep the solo dev toolkit small

The best workflow is not the one with the most tools. Every tool you add is another thing to learn, maintain and debug. Start with what the project needs:

Engine: the one that passed your small-project test. Keep the editor version consistent while you finish that first slice. Evaluate upgrades separately from gameplay changes so you can tell what broke.

Version control: Git. Commit working changes and push to a remote. Learn how to restore a previous version before you need it. Keep large binary assets in mind when choosing your repository setup.

Art: placeholders before polish. Try Aseprite for pixel art or browse asset libraries such as Kenney. Check the license for each asset you use. Do not spend six months on art before you know if the game is fun. See https://www.aseprite.org/  and https://kenney.nl/ 

Audio: start with a small set of effects. Freesound is one place to look, but check each recording’s license and attribution requirements before putting it in a release. See https://freesound.org/ 

Project management: a text file can be enough. Trello, Notion and HacknPlan all work, but the simplest system that you actually use is the best one. A Markdown file in your repo with a checklist of remaining tasks keeps you honest about scope.

AI coding tools: review the changes, then run the game. Keep generated edits small enough to understand and undo. For the Godot tool landscape, see https://ziva.sh/blogs/best-ai-tools-for-godot-game-engine 

Give the first version a finish line

A practical scope test: describe the game in one sentence, then list what a player must be able to do for that sentence to be true. Put everything else on a separate list.

For a one-room arena game, that might mean moving, fighting one enemy type, losing and restarting. An equipment system, online leaderboard and extra arenas can wait until the basic loop is worth playing.

Cut features before cutting the time you need to test them. Keep the postponed list, but do not treat it as a promise. Add more only when the current version works and you have a reason to expand it.

Make a schedule you can keep

Solo development leaves you responsible for the code, assets, testing and business decisions. Plan around the hours you can actually give the project, not the hours you wish you had.

Separate living costs from the game budget. Do not make an unproven sales forecast responsible for next month’s rent. Decide how much time and money you can afford to spend before you start.

Set a schedule and stop. Leave time away from the project. If the plan only works when you skip rest, reduce the scope rather than treating exhaustion as a milestone.

Show work in progress when you have a question to answer. Ask players whether the controls make sense or the objective is clear. Feedback is more actionable when you know what you are testing.

Finish something small first. Use it to practice the whole release process. It does not need to fund a studio to teach you where your workflow breaks.

Start with a small finished game

If you choose Godot, the official first 2D game tutorial is a practical starting point: https://docs.godotengine.org/en/stable/getting_started/first_2d_game/index.html 

Then build a small game of your own. A game jam can give you a theme and a deadline; choose one whose rules and schedule fit your available time. Browse https://itch.io/jams 

Before expanding the idea, export a build and ask someone else to play it without you explaining the controls. Fix what stops them, then decide what belongs in the next version. If Steam is your target, plan the store and release work too: https://ziva.sh/blogs/publish-game-steam 

Pick a small game, pick a manageable deadline and build.

Published by the Ziva.sh team. https://ziva.sh