GameMaker's New Runtime Will Become Free for Commercial Use

GameMaker, a popular 2D game engine, is making its new runtime, GMRT, free for commercial use and giving developers more options to modify and adapt the technology to their specific needs.

From January 1, 2027, studios will be able to build and release games on desktop, mobile, web, and GX Games without paying for the runtime. GameMaker says the change should make the engine more flexible and give developers a simpler commercial model for new projects. The community will also be able to explore the technology, adjust it to their projects, and possibly contribute to it.

"From the very beginning, GameMaker has been committed to making game development more accessible and flexible for every creator out there," said Russell Kay, Head of GameMaker. "As GMRT continues to roll out in beta across platforms, we are widening the scope of what we provide to developers. We are excited to see what the community comes up with as we embark on this fresh chapter for GameMaker."

With the new licensing model, developers can create and sell games with GMRT without a Professional license, and all tiers get access to the source code. Professional license holders can still publish commercial games on the GMS2 runtime and now get its source code too. Console export still requires an Enterprise license and approved-developer status on either runtime, and tier pricing stays the same.

The GameMaker engine allows developers to make games from a single codebase and publish them across a wide range of platforms, including Windows Desktop, macOS, Ubuntu, Android, iOS, Web, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch. The toolset, with over 12 million downloads, has been used to create award-winning indie games, including Spelunky, DELTARUNE, and UFO 50.