Game engine
Defold
Defold is a small 2D engine with an editor, Lua, and exports to desktop, mobile, and web. The runtime is the point: it stays small.
Developer: Defold Foundation
Overview
Defold came out of mobile games and still behaves like it. You get a component editor, a message-passing model, and a runtime that does not drag a general-purpose 3D editor behind it. Lua is the scripting language. There is no C# and no GDScript.
The official tutorials — platformer, side-scroller, asteroids — are the curriculum. They are complete projects, not snippets. Use those before you design a camera.
Choose Defold when the game is 2D and the download size of the engine matters. Choose Godot when you want 3D in the same tool or an MIT license specifically.
Technical specifications
Specs checked 2026-10-05. Version lines move; the download link is the source of truth.
- Developer
- Defold Foundation
- Version line
- Current stable
- License
- Source-available
- Business model
- Free to use for commercial games. The engine source is public under the Defold license, which is not MIT. Read that license; do not describe it as MIT.
- Releases
- Editor releases are frequent. Take the current stable from the download page rather than a pinned number on this page.
- Editor platforms
- Windows, macOS, Linux
- Export targets
- Windows, macOS, Linux, Web, Android, iOS
- Languages
- Lua
- 2D / 3D
- 2D
- VR
- No. Defold is a 2D engine.
- AR
- No.
- Visual scripting
- No. Gameplay is Lua.
- Beginners
- Yes for a 2D game if Lua is acceptable. The editor is smaller than Unity’s.
- Learning curve
- Low to medium. Lua and the component model are the whole API.
- Graphics
- 2D sprites, tilemaps, and a small runtime. 3D exists and is not the reason to choose it.
- Team size
- One person or a small studio.
- GitHub stars
- 5,000 · defold/defold
- Documentation
- https://defold.com/manuals/introduction/
- Community
- https://forum.defold.com/
- Assets and examples
- https://defold.com/assets/
- Download
- https://defold.com/download/
Where it fits
- Small editor and a small player, with mobile and web export.
- Lua is enough for gameplay. The manuals match the editor.
- Free for commercial 2D games.
Where it does not
- The engine license is Defold’s, not MIT.
- 3D and visual scripting are not the product.
- The asset catalog is smaller than Unity’s.
Matching source
All examples
Platformer tutorial
Stepwise 2D platformer from the Defold tutorials.
Side scroller tutorial
Horizontal movement, jump, and hazards.
Astronaut tutorial
Short character-control tutorial.
Roids sample
Asteroids-style sample in Lua.
Geometry Wars demo
Twin-stick arena shooter demo.
Climberz
Small climbing game shipped as a Defold project.
How does it compare?
MIT, 2D and 3D, GDScript.
2D in the browser without an editor.
A fantasy console if even Defold is too much tool.
Guides
- Best game engine for beginners in 2026
How to pick a first engine from the game you want to make: Godot, Phaser, Defold, or TIC-80, plus a six-question shortlist.
Questions
Is Defold open source?
The source is public. The license is the Defold license, not MIT or Apache. Read it before you fork the engine.
What language does Defold use?
Lua.
Defold or Godot?
Defold for a small 2D mobile or web game in Lua. Godot when you may need 3D, C#, or an MIT codebase.
Where are the official samples?
defold.com/download for the editor, and the tutorial repositories linked from this site’s Defold source list.