There used to be a very high entry hurdle to the field of game creation, basic game design software. It takes a large investment of time, money, and specialized programming abilities to break into the market and produce your own game. Since AAA game studio behemoths tightly controlled the resources needed to make video games, it was practically hard to succeed on your own.
Thankfully, the environment for making video games has significantly improved recently. Due to the easier availability of fundamental game creation software, users now have the ability even if they have no prior programming experience. Now that so many of these resources are free, anyone with a gaming idea can enter the market.
In this post, reviewtechz.com will cover the best most basic game design software to help you choose the best tools for your forthcoming game project.
What is basic game design software?
All the tools you would need to create a video game are included in basic game design software. It’s crucial to keep in mind that making a game requires the integration of concepts from a wide range of academic disciplines, including but not limited to computer science, creative writing, and graphic design. There isn’t a single game design tool that can handle all of your needs, and depending on the specifics of your project, you might need an entirely other set of tools.
The most popular game design tools are as follows:
- Documentation, worldbuilding, and planning tool
- 2D game design software for beginners
- No-code 2D & 3D game design tool
Although I won’t be able to cover every game design software choice available, this post should still provide you with a thorough overview of the most popular options.
Best basic game design software
Depending on your level of game design expertise, a different method might be more appropriate. It used to be hard to envision making a game from scratch without having a solid command of at least one programming language. By selecting a no-code tool, you may now make a playable game without writing a single line of code.
We made sure to provide both simple solutions for beginners and advanced tools for seasoned game developers. Browse the list below to choose the game design software that best suits your project and ability level.
1. Nuclino — documentation, worldbuilding, and planning tool – Best basic game design software
- Pricing: Free, advanced features starting from $5/user/month
- Level: Beginner to Expert
Nuclino is a centralized workspace for worldbuilding, project management, and basic game design software documentation. It might be a great resource for managing all aspects of the game design process and asset management.
With Nuclino, you may create lengthy documents in real time and arrange them however you like. Use the nested list view to organize and collaborate on your game design documents. Sprint planning is quite effective when using the Kanban board view. The table view allows for easy sorting and filtering of lengthy lists of game design components. The graph lets you see the relationships between numerous subjects and resources, just as in a wiki.
Real-time collaboration on all content is possible with Nuclino, and each update is automatically saved to the version history. By using comments and mentions to share feedback and communicate asynchronously, the context of each decision may be maintained. The ability to instantly integrate media assets as live interactive previews makes it easy to maintain uniformity throughout all of the content.
The Nuclino tool Sidekick, an AI-powered assistant, may help game creators with a variety of writing-related tasks. You may quickly generate dialogue and descriptions with Sidekick, as well as ideas for characters and other components of the story. Additionally, you can get advice on how to use better or more captivating language.
2. Construct 3 — 2D game design software for beginners – Best basic game design software
- Pricing: Free, advanced features starting from $99/year
- Level: Beginner
Construct 3 is a basic game design software that allows you to make simple 2D games. Its main benefit is that it is very easy to use, which makes it one of the greatest tools for building 2D games in their simplest form.
Construct 3 does not require any programming knowledge or skills, yet if you want to get more technical, you can code in JavaScript. Due to the fact that it runs directly in your browser, the software may be used offline and doesn’t require installation. It also offers a wide range of lessons and resources to support learning and growth.
Construct 3 makes it easy and quick to construct a playable version of your idea, making it a great tool for rapid prototyping. However, you can also use it to create fully realized games that are as complex and drawn-out as you wish. The finished game may be quickly deployed and exported to a variety of operating systems, including PC, Android, iOS, and more.
3. GameMaker Studio 2 — no-code 2D & 3D game design tool – Best basic game design software
- Pricing: Starting from $39/year
- Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Both inexperienced and seasoned game producers can utilize GameMaker Studio 2, which is a basic game design program. Its quick prototyping speed can be appreciated even by seasoned game designers. It’s fantastic software for budding game developers. One of the best systems for creating 2D games is GameMaker, which is also a dependable platform for 3D games. It offers tools for coding, sound, logic, level design, and compilation, giving users a full stack approach to game design.
The straightforward visual scripting interface in GameMaker will appeal to those who find learning computer languages intimidating. To create whatever kind of game you want, just pick actions and events from their enormous built-in library. If you have any programming experience, it will be advantageous for you to be able to make additional adjustments. While the paid versions of GameMaker give complete export to Windows, Mac, HTML5, iOS, Android, and other platforms, the free edition only lets you publish your game to Windows with a watermark.
