GameMaker Studio 2 Desktop

GameMaker Studio 2 About the SoftwareGameMaker Studio 2 is the latest and greatest incarnation of GameMaker! It has everything you need to take your idea from concept to finished game. With a fresh user interface and many new exciting features including; Real-Time Animation Editing, a new innovative workflow and seamless path from Drag and Drop to actual code, developing top quality games has…

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

76%

Audience ScoreBased on 819 reviews

optimization3 positive mentions

graphics3 negative mentions

GameMaker Studio 2 is beginner-friendly, offering a drag-and-drop interface that simplifies game development for newcomers.
The software provides a robust set of features for 2D game development, including a powerful sprite editor and a well-structured coding language (GML) that is easy to learn.
The community support is strong, with numerous tutorials available online, making it easier for users to learn and troubleshoot issues.

The transition to a subscription model has frustrated many users, especially those who previously purchased a lifetime license, leading to concerns about access to features and updates.
The user interface can be confusing and cluttered, making it difficult to navigate and manage projects effectively, particularly for those accustomed to previous versions.
Frequent crashes and bugs have been reported, impacting the overall stability of the software and causing frustration among users during development.

graphics
12 mentions
8 % positive mentions
67 % neutral mentions
25 % negative mentions
Users praise the graphics capabilities of the software, particularly highlighting its support for pixel art and the tools available for graphic design, such as the built-in sprite editor and animation features. Many find it more stable and user-friendly for creating pixel art compared to alternatives like Unity. However, some users note a need for better support with vector graphics.
- “Gamemaker helps me a lot with graphics, since it gives you many tools for them and its coding language (GML) has a ton of useful functions that save you even more time.”
- “This product is really good but could do with some support with vector graphics.”
- “Gamemaker 2 has a big improvement on its IDE graphics and comfortability.”
- “In my opinion, this software is the best game development tool if you are focusing your game to be pixel art style and also I prefer 'Game Maker Studio 2' instead of using 'Unity' because to me it feels more stable when making your game pixel art styled.”
gameplay
10 mentions
20 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
30 % negative mentions
Gameplay in GameMaker Studio 2 (GMS2) is highly accessible for beginners, thanks to abundant tutorial resources, particularly on YouTube, which simplify the learning of mechanics and workflows. The engine excels in managing 2D assets with various tools, though it offers limited support for 3D models. Users can quickly prototype basic gameplay mechanics, making it suitable for developing proof-of-concept projects, but it requires coding and custom art for commercial games, distinguishing it from simpler software like RPG Maker.
- “There is a plethora of tutorials for GMS2 on YouTube, so learning certain mechanics, development concepts, and the workflow of the software was a breeze for me. As a beginner, documentation was intimidating, but videos are my comfort zone, which Godot lacked in comparison.”
- “You can have a basic platformer or top-down shooter with a basic gameplay loop up and running in just under an hour.”
- “Gamemaker gives you lots of tools for managing 2D assets, but not very much in the way of tooling for managing 3D models. The GML language has lists, arrays, key-value collections, structs, classes (which they call objects), and objects (which they call instances) and a few other data structures built in for use in designing AI and game mechanics alongside the base game engine.”
- “For complete beginners: please know that this is a proper professional game engine, being a huge step above software such as RPG Maker or Visual Novel Maker. There are no pre-made assets or mechanics, so for a commercial game, you will have to code and make your own art.”
- “Granted it's not polished, but the core mechanics of the game are working.”
stability
8 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The stability of the program is widely criticized, with users reporting frequent crashes, startup issues, and random freezes. Many have experienced frustrating bugs, particularly when creating scripts or objects, leading to game launch failures. Overall, the engine is described as lacking polish and requiring significant improvements to enhance user experience.
- “I get constant crashes, problems with starting the program, random freezes, and the most annoying in my opinion is sometimes when you create a script or object it refuses to launch your game (whether or not anything in the game refers to said script or the object is even in the game) and exits with a non-zero status.”
- “These are the biggest problems for me with the engine. It lacks a level of polish the old engines had. Hopefully, these issues will be fixed with time, but I recommend not paying the money for what is essentially a buggy program that can get very frustrating to use.”
- “The resource tree is still clunky (albeit not as clunky) and buggy to deal with, especially when using a custom view.”
optimization
6 mentions
50 % positive mentions
17 % neutral mentions
33 % negative mentions
Overall, users report that the optimization of the tool is surprisingly good for 2D game development, offering better performance than typical Unity projects and a notable 20% improvement in compiled game performance compared to GameMaker Studio. While some users express hope for future bug fixes and optimizations, the current performance is praised, especially with the availability of tutorials that help create smooth-running games.
- “You still have to be capable in assigning variables, creating sprites, etc. The price is definitely not the best part, but if you are serious about 2D game development, this is a surprisingly good and optimized tool.”
- “There are many tutorials, and all of them will give you an amazing 2D game that runs smoothly.”
- “Great performance improvement (based on user benchmark, the compiled game would gain about 20% performance over the GMS).”
- “I think it offers better performance than the typical Unity 2D project; however, Unity outshines GameMaker Studio 2 for the C# ecosystem.”
- “Anyways, I'm hopeful that bug fixes and optimizations will come, and I'm thankful for another generation of GameMaker.”
humor
4 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Users find the humor in the software's accessibility and ease of use, noting that it allows for the creation of funny games without financial barriers. Additionally, some users appreciate the lightheartedness of encountering bugs, which adds to the overall comedic experience of using the program.
- “Just a hilarious program that is really, really rookie-friendly.”
- “I can make funny games.”
- “But the funny thing is I found some bugs; I can still open the software, but don't worry (insyaallah) I bought this software again.”
story
4 mentions
75 % positive mentions
-50 % neutral mentions
75 % negative mentions
The game's story is minimal or non-existent, yet it is praised as a great sandbox experience. While the plot is considered decent, its impact on the indie game scene and its role in introducing programming and game design concepts to players are highlighted as significant contributions.
- “The plot is pretty good though.”
- “It arguably helped to spark the indie revolution (along with the release of Cave Story) and served as an introduction to programming and game design for many people.”
- “So... you want to hear a story, eh?”
- “The story feels disjointed and lacks a coherent narrative arc.”
- “Character development is shallow, making it hard to connect with anyone.”
- “The plot twists are predictable and fail to deliver any real surprises.”
monetization
2 mentions
50 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy has been criticized for being increasingly aggressive, overshadowing more essential features of the game, which has led to a negative perception among users in 2021.
- “It also offers great support for online play, in-game purchases, different input devices, and customizing each depending on the platform used.”
- “Increasingly aggressive monetization and neglect of more important features make it a really poor option in 2021.”
music
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally considered decent, providing a positive note amidst an otherwise disappointing experience. Users appreciate the inclusion of music, highlighting it as one of the few redeeming qualities.
- “The game sucks, but I guess the music is alright.”
grinding
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be time-consuming, often requiring significant effort akin to having a second life, and note that the interface can become tedious over time.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The interface can get a little tedious over time.”
emotional
1 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the reviews emphasizes the importance of understanding programming fundamentals before diving into game development, suggesting that a solid foundation can enhance the overall experience and emotional connection to the craft.
atmosphere
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Reviewers note that GameMaker 2 aims for a more professional atmosphere compared to its predecessor, GameMaker 1.4, by removing many beginner-friendly elements. This shift reflects a desire to be taken more seriously in the game development community.
- “I think the best way to sum up GameMaker 2 vs 1.4 is this: they're trying to be taken more seriously given the name 'GameMaker.' They've removed a lot of elements that made GameMaker the simple, beginner-friendly software it was, and it is now targeted towards something that can be used in a professional atmosphere.”