Top 10 Game Engines for Indie Mobile Developers in 2027
By Kory White · Updated Oct 2026 · 4 min read
Direct answer
Unity is the best game engine for indie mobile developers: it builds for iOS and Android, Unity Personal is free and Unity Pro starts at $2,310.00 per year. Godot is #2 and free under the MIT license, and Unreal Engine 5 is #3.
Java developers who want one code base across Android and iOS
Pick by what you want
Best overall
Unity
Best free engine
Godot Engine
Best for 3D visuals
Unreal Engine 5
Best one-time price
GameMaker
Best no-code
GDevelop
The ranking
1
Unity
Answrs VerdictThe default engine for indie mobile.
Price: Unity Personal is free; Unity Pro is from $2,310.00 per yearMobile: Builds games for iOS and AndroidWhen Pro is required: For businesses with more than $200,000 in funding or annual revenue ($200K)
Unity builds games for iOS and Android. Unity Personal is free, Unity Pro is from $2,310.00 per year, and Pro is required for businesses with more than $200K in funding or annual revenue.
Go ifIndie teams that want the widest mobile ecosystem and a free tier to start
Skip ifYour studio will pass $200K in revenue or funding and you want to avoid a paid plan
Why #1 over #2: Its free Personal tier and mobile focus beat Unreal Engine 5’s $1 million revenue threshold for small teams.
2
Godot Engine
Answrs VerdictThe best free pick for indie mobile.
Price: Free and open source under the MIT licenseMobile: Exports games to Android and iOSYour game: You are free to license your games however you see fit and will be their sole copyright owner
Godot Engine is free and open source under the MIT license, exports to Android and iOS, and leaves you the sole copyright owner of your games.
Go ifSolo developers who want a free, open-source engine with no strings attached
Skip ifYou need console export built in without extra work
Why #2 over #3: It has no revenue rules at all, unlike Unity’s $200K threshold.
3
Unreal Engine 5
Answrs VerdictThe top pick for 3D visual fidelity.
Price: Free for individuals and small businesses with less than $1,000,000 USD in annual gross revenue; royalties apply after $1MRoyalty: 5% of lifetime gross revenue above $1M; Epic Games Store sales are royalty-freeMobile: Epic documents developing for iOS and Android
Unreal Engine 5 is free under $1 million USD in gross revenue, then takes a 5% royalty; Epic Games Store sales are royalty-free. Epic documents developing for iOS and Android.
Go ifTeams building high-fidelity 3D mobile games
Skip ifYou make small 2D games, where a lighter engine fits better
Why #3 over #4: Its 3D tools suit high-fidelity games better than GameMaker’s 2D focus.
4
GameMaker
Answrs VerdictThe best one-time-price engine for 2D.
Price: Free for non-commercial use; a commercial license is $99.99Mobile: Mobile exports are listed on the Free and Professional tiersWatermark: No forced watermark or splash screen on any tierConsoles: Console export needs the Enterprise subscription
GameMaker is free for non-commercial use, and a commercial license is $99.99. It adds no forced watermark or splash screen, and console export needs the Enterprise subscription.
Go if2D mobile games with a one-time commercial price
Skip ifYou plan to ship on consoles without paying for Enterprise
Why #4 over #5: Its $99.99 one-time price is simpler than GDevelop’s monthly plans.
5
Defold
Answrs VerdictThe best lightweight free engine.
Price: Free, with no licensing cost, no royalties and no runtime feeRoyalty: 0% (no royalties)Mobile: Publishes to iOS and Android from one code baseScripting: Game logic is written in Lua
Defold is free with no licensing cost, no royalties and no runtime fee. It publishes to iOS and Android from one code base and uses Lua for game logic.
Go ifSmall, fast-loading 2D and 3D mobile games on a free engine
Skip ifYou do not want to write Lua
Why #5 over #6: It charges no royalty, unlike Flax’s 4%.
6
GDevelop
Answrs VerdictThe best no-code pick.
Price: Free plan; Silver is €4.99 and Gold is €9.99 per monthAndroid: The Free plan publishes to Android once per dayiOS: The Gold plan adds publishing on iOSRevenue rule: Companies with more than $50,000 USD in revenue per year must use the Pro membership
GDevelop is a no-code engine with a free plan; Silver is €4.99 and Gold is €9.99 per month. The Free plan publishes to Android once per day, and Gold adds iOS.
Go ifFirst-time makers who want a no-code engine
Skip ifYou need to publish to iOS on a free plan
Why #6 over #7: It needs no code, where Construct 3 relies on event sheets and a paid license.
7
Construct 3
Answrs VerdictThe best browser-based 2D editor.
Price: Personal license from $129.99 per year, billed annuallyRoyalty: 0% (zero royalties for anything created)Mobile: Offers Make Android Games and Make iOS Games tutorialsStartup plan: For businesses under $50,000 USD in annual revenue
Construct 3 has a Personal license from $129.99 per year, states zero royalties, and offers Android and iOS tutorials. Its Startup plan is for businesses under $50,000 USD in revenue.
Go if2D games built in the browser with visual event sheets
Skip ifYou want a free engine
Why #7 over #8: Its zero-royalty license is simpler than Flax’s 4% above $250,000 per quarter.
8
Flax Engine
Answrs VerdictThe best lower-royalty 3D alternative.
Price: Free; pay a 4% royalty on earnings above $250,000 per calendar quarterRoyalty: 4% above $250,000 per quarterMobile: Cross-platform support lists Android and iOSSource: Full source code is available on GitHub
Flax Engine is free; you pay a 4% royalty on earnings above $250,000 per calendar quarter. It lists Android and iOS among its platforms, and its full source code is on GitHub.
Go if3D mobile projects with C# and C++ and a royalty only after $250,000 a quarter
Skip ifYou want a large asset ecosystem
Why #8 over #9: Its royalty starts at $250,000 per quarter, where Unreal’s starts at $1M lifetime.
9
MonoGame
Answrs VerdictThe best code-first C# option.
Price: Completely free and open-source frameworkMobile: Supports Android, iOS and iPadOSLanguage: C# and other .NET languages
MonoGame is a completely free, open-source framework for C# that supports Android, iOS and iPadOS.
Go ifC# developers who want a code-first framework
Skip ifYou want a visual editor
Why #9 over #10: It uses C#, where libGDX uses Java.
10
libGDX
Answrs VerdictThe best Java framework.
Price: Free and open source under Apache 2.0Mobile: Publishes to Android and iOS, plus Windows, Linux, macOS and HTML5Language: A Java game development framework
libGDX is a free, open-source Java framework under Apache 2.0 that publishes to Android and iOS, plus Windows, Linux, macOS and HTML5.
Go ifJava developers who want one code base across Android and iOS
Skip ifYou want a visual editor
How we ranked these
We ranked each engine on iOS and Android export, then on what an indie team pays (listed price, royalties and revenue limits). Facts come from each maker’s own pages. Facts are taken from each maker's own published information; check the official site before you buy.
Questions people ask
What is the best game engine for indie mobile developers?
Unity: it builds for iOS and Android, Unity Personal is free and Unity Pro starts at $2,310.00 per year.
Which game engines charge royalties?
Unreal Engine charges 5% of lifetime gross revenue above $1M, and Flax charges 4% above $250,000 per calendar quarter. Defold and Construct 3 state no royalties.
Which engine is best for beginners with no code?
GDevelop is a no-code engine with a free plan; its Gold plan adds publishing on iOS.
Can I publish to both iOS and Android for free?
Godot exports to Android and iOS under the MIT license, and Defold is free with no royalties.
Annual revenue limit for entry terms (USD) at a glance
GDevelop50,000 USD
Construct 350,000 USD
Unity200,000 USD
Unreal Engine 51,000,000 USD
Annual revenue limit for entry terms (USD), as published by each maker. Picks without a published figure are left off.
