Making and selling a game with GameMaker is about to get cheaper. The engine’s team announced that GMRT, its next-generation runtime, will be free for commercial use starting January 1, 2027. That means developers will be able to build and sell games for desktop, mobile, web and GX Games without buying a Professional license.
GameMaker is the 2D engine behind indie hits such as Spelunky, Deltarune and UFO 50, and it has long been free to download for non-commercial projects. Until now, anyone who wanted to sell a game needed a paid license.
What changes and what doesn’t
The new model builds on GameMaker’s decision earlier this year to open up GMRT’s source code. Every tier will now get source code access, so developers can dig into the engine, tailor it to their own projects and possibly contribute back.
People who already own a Professional license are not left out. They can keep commercially releasing games made with the current GMS2 runtime, and they will also get access to that runtime’s source code.
Consoles are still a separate matter. Regardless of which runtime a game uses, exporting to consoles will still require an Enterprise license and approved developer status. GameMaker says there will be no changes to the prices of its existing tiers.
“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.”
Why it matters
GMRT is still rolling out in beta, so most teams will not switch overnight. But removing the license cost from commercial releases makes the engine a much easier pick for students, hobbyists and small studios testing the waters. As PocketGamer.biz notes, GameMaker has been downloaded more than 12 million times, and it has been owned by browser maker Opera since January 2021.
Engine choices have been shifting across the industry lately, with studios like Ludeon moving RimWorld off Unity to its own engine. A free commercial path could keep more indie developers in GameMaker’s corner.
