# GameMaker: Studio Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Is GameMaker: Studio the right Game Development solution for you? Explore 96 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/158594/GameMaker-Studio/reviews --- GameMaker: Studio 4.4 (96) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/158594/GameMaker-Studio/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated January 10th, 2026 # Reviews of GameMaker: Studio Ease of use 4.4 Customer Service 4.4 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews AJ Alin J ManagerComputer Software, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: Less than 6 months. “With this programming I am the opportunity to explore a dozens of game templates, use my own characters, publish my games in a few seconds and allows players to submit their scores.“ July 20, 2024 AE Adnaan E Game DirectorComputer Games, 201 - 500 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Additionally, the lack of certain features, such as networking, can be a hindrance for more complex projects.“ February 20, 2023 AS Alvaro S Software EngineerComputer Games, Self-employedUsed the software for: Less than 6 months. “its a good and intuitive for a beginer engine is really good , but it lacks other features that other engines already provide.“ May 28, 2024 AE Adnaan E Game DirectorComputer Games, 201 - 500 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “However, its steep learning curve and lack of certain features can be a challenge for newcomers and experienced developers alike.“ February 20, 2023 AJ Alin J ManagerComputer Software, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: Less than 6 months. “This system is easy for a novice to learn than other programming.“ July 20, 2024 mohamed g video editorGraphic Design, 501 - 1,000 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “The price is not good for some people and the interface of the program looks difficult.“ December 11, 2022 JH Julian H UX ConsultantDesign, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Those with more experience can quickly learn the programming language and throw together fully-functional prototypes in a matter of hours rather than the days or weeks it would take with other software.“ January 3, 2023 AT Abhishek T LeaderComputer Games, Self-employedUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “The thing which makes me furious is that one has to pay for different platforms ( different payment for mobile platform and different payment for desktop platform) And going ahead their own developed language-GML is not something which I really approve.“ June 11, 2020 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 96 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use mohamed G. video editor Graphic Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "my experience in GameMaker studio" December 11, 2022 4.0 In my general view, it is a solid program, and it contains many powerful tools for making and using games in more than one programming language. There are ready-made projects that you can practice with or use as a game and modify. Pros From his point of view, GameMaker Studio is a wonderful program in the game industry because it contains a large amount of tools that greatly help in creating games for the Internet or for mobile, and it also contains more than one programming language that helps game makers choose the appropriate programming language for them, and the She has ready-made game projects. Use and modify them to make it easier for novice game makers. Cons The price is not good for some people and the interface of the program looks difficult. Switched from [Unity](https://www.capterra.com/p/158591/Unity/) I switched to see what was the best and easiest among the software and tested for creating games Review Source AE Adnaan E. Game Director Computer Games Used the software for: 2+ years ### "A Comprehensive Review of GameMaker: Studio" February 20, 2023 5.0 GameMaker: Studio is a powerful and feature-rich game development engine that is easy to learn and use. With its drag-and-drop interface, it’s easy to quickly get up and running. However, its steep learning curve and lack of certain features can be a challenge for newcomers and experienced developers alike. Pros GameMaker: Studio is an incredibly powerful and feature-rich game development engine that allows developers to rapidly create and deploy games for multiple platforms. Its drag-and-drop interface is easy to learn and use, allowing beginners and experts alike to quickly create engaging, visually stunning games. Cons Despite its powerful features, GameMaker: Studio has a steep learning curve and can be difficult to get the hang of for newcomers. Additionally, the lack of certain features, such as networking, can be a hindrance for more complex projects. Switched from [Unreal Engine](https://www.capterra.com/p/158599/Unreal-Engine/)[P4](https://www.capterra.com/p/174325/Helix-Core/) Studio Over Its Alternatives: GameMaker: Studio stands out from its competitors thanks to its powerful features and ease of use. Its drag-and-drop interface makes it incredibly easy to get up and running. Review Source AP Anil P. Editor Design Used the software for: I used a free trial ### "Creative Alliance Review" August 14, 2024 3.0 We have been using the software for testing 2D games specifically for mobiles and while we still are in testing phase, the capabilities of this software for 2D games is very impressive. Pros Great software for 2D game development and most importantly this platform enables to make games for mobile as well which is a huge plus. We have been testing it and have mostly positives about Gamemaker Studio. Cons It has some limitations for 3D game development but we don't use it to make 3D. It might be a little intimidating at the beginning to use this software. Other than that, it is a pretty useful software. Switched from [Construct 3](https://www.capterra.com/p/201543/Construct-3/) Gamemaker Studio has a lot more features than Construct. Review Source JV Janet V. Game Developer Computer Games Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great engine for light 2D projects" September 20, 2022 4.0 Overall positive experience, it's great and lightweight if you know you're mostly going to be focused on smaller 2D projects, so it's great for indies and fast projects for game jams. Pros GMS is great for an indie developer. You have the choice of a more visual approach to coding if that's not your stronger side, but GML is also quite intuitive to learn. Cons Moving to a subscription instead of a one-time purchase might turn off people that considered GM as an alternative to something like Construct. Switched from [Construct 3](https://www.capterra.com/p/201543/Construct-3/) Price of Construct was high compared to what GM:S2 was providing me for a one-time purchase that was very reasonably priced (that was before being acquired by Opera) Review Source Andrew P. Camera Operator | Gaffer Media Production Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "GameMaker has its niche and does that very well!" July 25, 2019 5.0 Overall, GameMaker is the easiest for simple games and it lets anyone who has a computer able to make a game! Pros If you are trying to make a simple game like an 8-bit or platformer, this is the video game engine for you. It is simple and to the point making it easy to use this software for absolute beginners in the industry. You don't need a lot of schooling or experience to make a game. I really like how much of this can be sprite based as well. Anyone can edit images and make characters, items, etc based on sprites. Cons With any niche software, there are some downsides. GameMaker is very limited on what you can do. It is a place to start making games, but once you want to move onto other ideas, it makes the transition to other engines hard. I also wish GameMaker had a common coding language instead of using its own. This helps prepare for the transition to other engines. Alternatives considered [Unity](https://www.capterra.com/p/158591/Unity/)[Unreal Engine](https://www.capterra.com/p/158599/Unreal-Engine/) Reason for choosing GameMaker: Studio The game I wanted to make was very simple, and using these other engines would be harder to learn. Review Source DK David K. Developer Computer Games Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Once the gold standard for 2D, though no longer a clear a leader" May 26, 2020 4.0 It's fine as an introductory software for game development, but it's no longer the best choice even for that. Pros Cross-platform functionality works quite well. Though somewhat counter-intuitive, development paradigm can work well for a limited set of game genres. The YoYo compilers are good. Cons It's too expensive for the best features, and the switch between GameMaker Studio and GameMaker Studio 2 was not handled smoothly by YoYo Games. Alternatives considered [Stencyl](https://www.capterra.com/p/158598/Stencyl/) Reason for choosing GameMaker: Studio Stencyl didn't have as wide a reputation, and therefore not as many people to ask for help or to provide extra tools. Review Source Jonathan G. Game developer Computer Games Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Game Maker is awesome" November 14, 2022 5.0 My experience with Game maker has been great, using it ever since I was 12 years old, stopped making games for some years and when I came back Game maker changed its landscape totally different, but for the better, with so much more cool features. Pros Game maker is one awesome engine to make games, has tons of support, very easy to use and just start making games but also, it has a very big community, they host a game jam each year, which is also one of the biggest, you'll see so many creative and amazing games that you'll just love using game maker. Cons Probably the only con would be the cost for exporting your game to other platforms, but it isn't really much of a con, basically its very affordable since it’s a onetime payment for life, which I love, you just have to be willing to make that initial investment. Review Source Denis D. Ph.D. student Research Used the software for: 2+ years ### "It boils down to your background" February 19, 2019 4.0 While it's true that GML is Turing Complete, and therefore it's technically possible to write any algorithm in it, the language gets rid of more "complicated" stuff from more low level-languages like C (e.g. pointers and structures) without proper replacements. It's factually easier to write many algorithms in C than in GML. Also, there is a reason why more higher-level, industry standard, languages provide more features than low-level languages. Despite that, a portion of GML community seem to think of such features as useless addendum. Without community pressure, GML is today about the same as it was in the first version of GM Studio I've tried, many years ago (version 6, before GM belonged to yoyo games). As an experienced programmer, I grew very frustrated with GML. It would be more productive for me to write the core of the game in other languages and interface it for GameMaker through an extension. But at such a point, it would be easier, cheaper and even more productive to abandon GMS altogether. However, I think that a programmer can have fun with GameMaker if they see the software itself as a game and the limitations of the language as a challenge. After all, there are many fun games in the market about programming in Assembly. For artists, non-programmers and inexperienced programmers, I think GML would not be a no-go. Yet, these people would still benefit from the overall very focused and productive toolset GMS offers to successfully finish their projects. Pros GameMaker: Studio (GMS) is a very feature-complete suite and the included toolset (including the programming language, GML) pushes towards greater productivity. It's very easy to find and install extensions through its integrated marketplace, and extensions can be implemented in other languages instead of GML. Shaders can be written in GLSL ES, which is industry standard. It's possible to export the game to many different platforms. Cons Although GMS indeed pushes towards being more productive, it also promotes recklessness. In other words, the final product can have low maintainability. Each different export target has its own price. The final cost can stack pretty high depending on which platforms the game is planned to launch on. GameMaker's scripting language (GML) is very bare bones. Its standard library also lacks useful functions for geometry. For example, while it has a function to check whether two segments of line are intersecting, it does not has a function to efficiently cast a ray from a point towards a directions and check which objects the ray intersects. Review Source Joseph M. Artist and writer Computer Games Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Good entry-level game dev tool; also useful for any level of experience for prototyping" January 4, 2019 4.0 I've used GM:S to create game prototypes for a few clients, who used those prototypes to hire a programmer for a different engine. I've also worked on two simple mobile games with GM:S. Pros This is a review for the original Game Maker Studio, not GM:S2. Game Maker is fantastic for rapidly prototyping games, and this is what I feel is its greatest strength. The easy drag and drop interface allows you to get a simple mockup running in under an hour. It helps to learn GML, the software's programming language, but not necessary at all. It is, however, also a versatile tool for development overall. The ability to publish to so many different platforms without adjusting (much, if any) code is fantastic. It feels like a strong entry point for anyone wanting to get into game or app development (yes - apps too - you can use this to make things other than games for sure). One of the greatest pros for GM:S is also its availability of sample files from the community. You can use them like templates to jumpstart a mockup and get things rolling even faster. Cons Everything about the native editor is just lacking. Back in the day, when Game Maker was brand new, it was actually pretty good and comparable to other software of the era. Now it's just clunky and hard to use. That's probably one of the reasons GM:S2 exists! Also, games exported for HTML5 tend to be slow and buggy. I am told this is more an issue with HTML5 and some browsers, but an issue nonetheless. Review Source Georg C. L. Vice President Computer Games Used the software for: 2+ years ### "User Friendly & Rich Community" February 5, 2019 5.0 I got into GameMaker as a hobby, and find it very enjoyable, perhaps one day I'll upgrade to Unity or Unreal Engine, but for just learning and building for your own enjoyment, it's a great little software. There have been some super successful GM games released, so don't let it's limitations deter you. Pros For an absolute beginner, this is a great tool to learn game design and coding language. Although it's GameMaker own language, GML, it shares a lot of similarities with other more universal coding languages, and is a good introduction to programming. Even if you have no desire to program, you can use GameMaker's built in drag-drop code features, that let you make simple interactions between objects. Using GM1.4, I successfully created a simple "balloon pop" app for android, so my daughter could play. IT had a lot of polish and GM made it relatively easy to build, and launch on the Android Play Store. I've since upgraded to GM2, and am working on a more robust game, and find the whole process very enjoyable. Cons It is a very limited software, as it only handles 2D game applications, and the modules for launching on other platforms (iOS, android, etc...) are not cheap. There's also been some nvidia bugs, that cause it to crash occasionally, but GM2 has a decent auto-save system, and I've never lost any progress. Using repository services helps as well. Review Source TJ Tavaris J. Software Developer Computer Games Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Things to look for in game development software" November 25, 2022 5.0 I really had no real big issues using the software. Anyone could pick it up and start prototyping their dreams Pros I love that you can do all of your development into one IDE. I can code and design at the same time with out me jumping back and forth between software's. Cons Setting up the particle system for your game can be very time consuming. There need to be a simple way of implementing a particle. For me I understand how to set it up because of my coding history but to someone that does not come from a coding background they might get discourage and not finish their work. Alternatives considered [GDevelop](https://www.capterra.com/p/158592/GDevelop/)[Clickteam Fusion](https://www.capterra.com/p/250587/Clickteam-Fusion/)[Cocos2d-x](https://www.capterra.com/p/234128/Cocos2d-x/) Reason for choosing GameMaker: Studio Simplicity Review Source JH Julian H. UX Consultant Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Easy to use for beginners and experts alike" January 3, 2023 5.0 Put together new prototypes in hours or days rather than weeks or months. Pros Drag and drop allows even novice programmers to get started. Those with more experience can quickly learn the programming language and throw together fully-functional prototypes in a matter of hours rather than the days or weeks it would take with other software.Easy deployment to multiple platforms including desktop, mobile, and more. Cons There are a few smaller issues with the IDE, and some quirks to get used to. Once you overcome these, GameMaker: Studio is a valuable tool. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Summer Intern Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Accessible, Full-Stack 2D Game Development" October 20, 2020 5.0 GameMaker Studio is great to learn basic 2D game design. Pros GameMaker is an easy to use, accessible 2D game engine. GameMaker provides a full-stack approach to game development, providing tools for programming, sound, logic, level design and management, and compilation. Given the price of the program, you get a lot of value for money. There are numerous tutorials, guides, and open-source projects to work off of, allowing for the rapid prototyping of games. GameMaker's drag and drop programming tool allows beginners access to powerful logic tools for their games. Cons If you're trying to make 3D games, other game engines such as Unity and Unreal Engine provide much more support for those kinds of games. Support for other platforms besides Windows require some costly additions to the program. Review Source JH Justin H. Animator/Editor/Instructor E-Learning Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "As an animator/instructor I've both used and review courses on Game Maker Studio" January 17, 2018 4.0 Pros Hands down, Game Maker Studio is one of the top development packages for making 2D games, and pretty good one for 3D games as well. In addition, as a beginner developer, you really cant beat the tools set offered in Game Maker Studio. Their visual scripting system couldn't be any easier and will allow you to piece together a game with little (or no) programming at all - a really awesome feature for those who are intimidated with learning a programming language. Fortunately, as expected, you can program within GMS as well, so the option is there if you need to go beyond what is offered with their visual node system. In addition, GMS is arguably the best bang for your buck when it comes to development engines. Hands down it beast the competition here, and this alone makes it stand out above any of its competitors. Cons Sure, some of the 3D gaming features aren't as robust as other engines, but everything you need is here. Also, as strong as the visual node-based script system is, there are times where it cant do everything - no necessarily a con given how powerful and amazing this system is, but it is worth mentioning. Overall this is a great engine and should be considered by any beginner or indie developer. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Videogame Designer Animation Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Quick tool" March 24, 2019 4.0 Pros Easy to use and fast development for 2D videogames, allows to quickly build playable prototypes. Cons Like any tool, it is limited by the expertise of those who use it, but it has a great learning community. Review Source MC Mariano C. Director Computer Games Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great experience, YoYo's GMS is perfect for smaller gamedev studios and individual devs alike" December 12, 2017 4.0 A full time job! And some scripting/game design skills! Pros Ease of use and how quick you can actually have a prototype going. I have been using it for years now, and I get paid to develop games with it! Cons Console support, 3D support (this is a 2D game engine), small little quirks like built-in variables being non-optional, etc. Review Source AF Andrew F. Lead Developer/Artist Computer Games Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Great tools for creating 2D games for multiple platforms" February 16, 2019 4.0 I've trialed using GameMaker: Studio in house when we were considering developing a 2D title. The toolset was quite impressive, and it was easy to get started with a simple game concept. We keep track of the software as it's developed, in case we look to use it for an upcoming project. Pros GameMaker Studio is a surprisingly fully featured game engine for creating feature and art-rich 2D games. The more recent integrations of new animation and image editing tools are very welcome, especially for the GameMaker price tag. Cons I haven't encountered any major cons with the software yet. For the time I've spent with it, it's met my expectations, though I haven't shipped a product with it. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Senior Web Developer Computer Games Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Horrible." September 10, 2018 1.0 The worst Game Maker software built so far. GM1.4 Was the best. They ruined that with Studio. This is a horrible piece of software. If you want projects to fail from opening, game compiling to stale when loading, random errors appearing around the IDE, then this is for you. Pros Functionality. The concept is nice. Design has potential. Cons The constant breaking. The failure to open project files. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Receptionist Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "The Best 2D Game Creation Software" January 23, 2018 5.0 Pros A great entry way into making games, with or without coding experience. If you devote enough time you can get some fantastic results. Cons I've had trouble hearing back from customer support at all in reference to emails I sent to them. Other than that, the overall software is great and even has a scaled down free option if you want to try before you buy. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Owner Publishing Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Great for beginners." August 19, 2018 5.0 Pros This product is an amazing beginner's tool and for experienced users can be implemented to create amazing games. Cons Graphics and user interfaces are very limited. Cannot do 3D games. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Financial Center Manager Banking Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Get in for free, perfect your skills. " February 16, 2018 5.0 Pros As a total beginner I wanted to pick up game maker to see what the buzz was about. What I found was the simplest program, of any type, there is. The basics are beyond intuitive, and the more complex stuff becomes intuitive. Great place to start learning the basics of game development. Cons The only negative I could possibly come up with is that you're largely limited to a 2D perspective. You can make things in a 3D form but this isn't really the program for that, as they won't look or act quite right. Or maybe I'm just not doing it quite right! Review Source Eduardo A. Game Programmer Computer Games Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "A simple game engine" October 29, 2019 4.0 I worked on a game developed with gamemaker and it was pretty nice, the team could focus more on the visuals and mechanics than being worried about the algorithms and code. Pros Is simple, and you can modify/customize the behaviors as much as you want/can. You can make a simple game way faster than any other engine without knowing being a programming guru. Cons The first time can be very expensive as they sell every build module separated. Is only for 2D, so it can get behind other engines that can create more powerful projects. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Analista de Investigación y Monitoreo de Medios Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Beginner game development app, easy to learn and easy to use." April 20, 2018 4.0 Pros You just need a bit graphic design or programming knowledge to create your own projects. It's easy to use and there is a variety of tutorials to learn how to properly use it. Cons You need to buy some formats to export your game to other platforms like HTML5, iOS and Android. For the ones that have more experience on programming languages, they will find some limits on the scripting language that the app uses. Review Source AS Alvaro S. Software Engineer Computer Games Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Gamemake maybe is a little better now but still lacks features" May 28, 2024 4.0 its a good and intuitive for a beginer engine is really good , but it lacks other features that other engines already provide. Pros \- The GML language is really easy to understand. - The UI is really intuitive - The pricing has improved since i last try it , now only requiring one payment of 99$ Cons \- When i tried the networking features i notice that you need a server with a GUI to use it correctly, now exists other solutions but at the time i dropped it mostly because of this issue. - No 3d is also an issue if you are going for something with that. - GML is exclusive to Gamemaker so you cant use it in other engines Review Source MS Michael S. Video Producer Motion Pictures and Film Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Easy Choice for developing 2d Games" August 4, 2020 4.0 I have been learning GameMaker: Studio as an alternative way to tell immersive stories through technology. Pros I like that it's easier to use and has the ability to accomplish professional level game design at the 2d level. Powerful and great tool. Cons You cannot make a 3d game in it. That isn't a problem because there are many options for that type of game. Review Source Similar Products Featured ## Related categories [Game Development](https://www.capterra.com/game-development-software/)