Game engine
PlayCanvas
PlayCanvas is a WebGL engine plus a browser editor. The engine you can vendor is MIT. The editor your team clicks in is a service.
Developer: PlayCanvas Ltd
Overview
The split matters. You can use the engine as a library in your own repo. Most teams meet PlayCanvas through the editor at playcanvas.com, where scenes, scripts, and reviews live in a shared project. That editor is how non-engine programmers place a camera. It is also the part with a pricing page.
JavaScript scripts attach to entities. glTF and materials are first-class. The result is a web page, which is what you want for a product viewer, a playable ad, or a lightweight 3D game. It is the wrong tool for a console RPG.
Choose PlayCanvas when collaboration in the browser is the feature. Choose Babylon.js or Three.js when the repository should be the only source of truth.
Technical specifications
Specs checked 2026-10-05. Version lines move; the download link is the source of truth.
- Developer
- PlayCanvas Ltd
- Version line
- Engine 2.x
- License
- MIT
- Business model
- The engine source is MIT. The browser editor is a hosted product with a free tier and paid plans. Budget the editor if the team lives in it.
- Releases
- The engine publishes on GitHub and npm. Editor features ship on PlayCanvas’s own schedule.
- Editor platforms
- Browser
- Export targets
- Web
- Languages
- JavaScript
- 2D / 3D
- 3D
- VR
- Yes. WebXR projects are a known path.
- AR
- WebXR AR in supported browsers.
- Visual scripting
- No. Scripts are JavaScript.
- Beginners
- Yes for a 3D web scene, because the editor is the IDE. Less so if you wanted a local-only MIT toolchain.
- Learning curve
- Low to medium. JavaScript plus a scene hierarchy.
- Graphics
- Good browser 3D: glTF, PBR materials, and a collaborative editor.
- Team size
- Small teams that can share one cloud project.
- GitHub stars
- 10,000 · playcanvas/engine
- Documentation
- https://developer.playcanvas.com/
- Community
- https://forum.playcanvas.com/
- Assets and examples
- https://playcanvas.com/store
Where it fits
- Editor, engine, and preview in the browser.
- Engine source is MIT if you leave the hosted editor.
- JavaScript and glTF match web teams.
Where it does not
- The useful editor is hosted and has paid tiers.
- Not a native desktop or console pipeline.
- 2D games are not the focus.
Matching source
All examples
How does it compare?
Code-first web 3D with an inspector.
The lower-level library if you will not use the editor.
Questions
Is PlayCanvas free?
The engine is MIT. The editor has a free tier and paid plans. Decide which one you are adopting.
PlayCanvas or Babylon.js?
PlayCanvas if several people should edit one scene in the browser. Babylon.js if the project should live in git from the first day.
What language are scripts?
JavaScript.
Can I self-host the engine?
Yes. The engine repository is public. The editor product is separate.