GDevelop alternative: other game editors, and a way to skip the editor
GDevelop is a free, open-source game engine with an editor on every platform, phones included. If you want to skip the editor, here is how it compares with Roam and others.
Quick answer
Good GDevelop alternatives are Castle and Max2D, game editors on a phone, and Roblox Studio on a computer. As of November 2026, GDevelop gives you a full no-code editor, with 40 free AI credits a month and iOS export on paid plans. Roam fits if you want no events to write: on iPhone, you describe the game and play it.
Updated . Roam is our app, and the Roam team wrote this comparison. Roam is free to download and play on iPhone, and making works without a subscription; optional Spark and Reality plans and credit packs add more creation. Android: pre-register on Google Play.
Side by side
| Roam | GDevelop | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | iPhone and iPad app (App Store); Android: pre-register on Google Play | Windows, Mac, Linux, web, iPhone, Android |
| How you make a game | Describe it in a sentence or start from a photo, then change it by talking | An editor with if/then events, behaviors, templates and an AI helper |
| Free to start | Free to download and play; making works without a subscription. Optional Spark and Reality plans and credit packs add more creation | Free plan: 40 AI credits a month and 3 cloud projects. Silver, Gold and Pro plans add more |
| Play with friends | Solo or with friends; friends can be in the game | Real-time multiplayer; the free plan has 1 lobby of up to 4 players |
| Where your game lives | In the Roam app on iPhone | gd.games, or exports: Android and desktop on every plan, App Store from Gold |
| Age rating | 13+ (App Store) | 9+ (App Store) |
GDevelop facts come from its pricing page, download page and App Store listing, checked Nov 4, 2026. Roam does not publish its free limits.
Which one to pick
Pick GDevelop if
You want to learn how games are built and own a real project. GDevelop has events, physics, 2D and 3D, real-time multiplayer and exports to stores and desktop. The engine is open source, and it runs on a computer as well as a phone.
Pick Roam if
You want the game without the editor. Type it in a sentence and play it. Your friends can be in the game with you. Roam games live in the Roam app on iPhone, so GDevelop fits better if you plan to ship to a store.
What GDevelop does well
GDevelop is a no-code game engine that is open source under the MIT license. You build logic with events: if a condition is true, run an action. Behaviors add ready-made movement, like a platformer character, and a library of objects, sounds and music gets you started.
It covers a lot of ground. Its App Store listing names pixel-art, 2D, 2.5D isometric and 3D games, 2D and 3D physics, leaderboards and real-time multiplayer. Games publish to gd.games, and you can export to Android, desktop and, on higher plans, the App Store.
Its AI helps you build step by step inside the editor. You still own the project and decide each change, which is great for learning and slower for a quick idea.
Is GDevelop free?
Yes, the free plan is real. It includes 40 AI credits a month, 3 cloud projects, unlimited publishing to gd.games, one Android export and one desktop export a day, and one multiplayer lobby of up to 4 players.
Paid plans add more. Silver gives 200 AI credits a week, Gold 1,000 and Pro 3,000. Exporting to the App Store starts on Gold. Check the prices on GDevelop's own pricing page before you subscribe.
Can you use GDevelop on iPhone?
Yes. GDevelop - Create & Play Games has been on the App Store since April 2023, from GDevelop France. The app lets you play community games and open the editor on your phone.
A full editor on a small screen takes patience, though. You place objects, write events and test, much like on a computer. If you want to make a game on your phone in a few minutes, an app where you describe the game is the shorter path.
No editor, no events, no project
Roam has no editor, events or project files. The input is a sentence or a photo of your friend, your dog or a meme screenshot. It comes back playable with a world, art, characters, sound and rules.
You change it by talking: "more enemies", "make it two-player". Then you play it solo, or with friends who can be in the game. Roam's terms say you keep ownership of what you make, and Roam gets a license to run, improve and showcase it.
Other GDevelop alternatives
- Castle iPhone and Android, with 10M+ installs on Google Play. A hand editor for art, physics, logic, music and sound, plus templates and remix. Its update notes mention parties and multiplayer.
- Max2D iPhone and Android. Describe a game for 2D or 3D, or build in a 2D editor with visual scripting. Its terms say you own your AI games.
- Roblox Studio Free on Windows and Mac, and the place to build full Roblox games. It has no phone version; Roblox's phone option is Build, rolling out by region.
- Rosebud AI A web editor where you chat with its AI and can read the code. The free plan is 10,000 credits a week, and free-plan games are for personal, non-commercial use.
Games people made on Roam
Skip the editor, keep the game
Say the level you would have built in GDevelop's editor in one sentence, and Roam makes it playable on your iPhone.
Try: "platformer on rooftops at night, double jump, collect 50 stars, my friend is the boss at the end"
Questions people ask
Is GDevelop free?
Yes. The free plan includes 40 AI credits a month, 3 cloud projects, unlimited publishing to gd.games and daily Android and desktop exports. Silver, Gold and Pro plans add more credits, projects and exports.
Is there a GDevelop app for iPhone?
Yes. GDevelop - Create & Play Games is on the App Store, rated 9+. You can play community games and use the editor on your phone.
Can GDevelop export to iOS for free?
No. GDevelop's pricing page puts App Store exports on the Gold and Pro plans. Android, desktop and gd.games publishing are on every plan, including Free.
Does GDevelop have AI?
Yes. Its AI helps you build step by step inside the editor, and it runs on AI credits: 40 a month on the free plan, more on paid plans.
What is easier than GDevelop?
An app where you describe the game instead of building it. Max2D has an AI mode next to its 2D editor, and on Roam you type a sentence and play the result. You give up the editor's control, and you get a playable game back.
Sources, checked Nov 4, 2026
- GDevelop pricing
- GDevelop download
- GDevelop on the App Store
- Castle on the App Store
- Castle on Google Play
- Max2D on the App Store
- Max2D Terms of Use
- Roblox Studio setup
- Roblox introduces Build
- Rosebud AI pricing
- Roam on the App Store
- Roam Terms
Product names belong to their owners. Roam is not affiliated with them. Facts change: check each product's own site before you choose.