Best Game Development Games on Steam
Unlike generic lists, our strategy game recommendations use a rigorous analysis of Steam user reviews to identify and feature only the best, community-validated game development games. For those who prefer not to search, lists of the most played, top deals and best free game development games are available at the bottom of the page.
Filters & Lists
ACTION SANDBOX
A physics sandbox game for people who like to play with digital toys. Create, control toys and define your goals.
Game Dev Story
Work hard and you may reach the top of the video game industry!
Animaze by FaceRig
Livestream, chat, or create videos as world-class 2D and 3D avatars. Use one of the over 60 avatars provided or import your own 2D, 3D, VRM, or Ready Player Me model. Animaze is powering PuffPuff, one of the top real-time mocap virtual beings on TikTok with 4.7 million followers.
City Game Studio: Your Game Dev Adventure Begins
Manage a game studio from the dawn of the gaming industry in 1976. Your journey starts with small indie titles and grows into a gaming empire. Develop, design, and conquer the industry. From humble beginnings to gaming legend – it’s your story, your studio, your legacy!
Legend of Homebody
The simple game of a shut-in learning from home and earn money. (The game is purely fictional, do not try this out in reality. This is a somewhat serious and heavy game, so don't be fooled by appearances.)
Vertical Slice: A Game Dev Story
From nobody to famous game producer in 3 years: that’s the journey you will live! Experience the trials and tribulations of game development in this life simulation game: live through the process of founding a small team and learning how to work together to develop a successful game.
Crypto Mining Simulator
Realistic Mining simulator with custom builds mechanics! A lot of GPUs, CPUs, Motherboards, RAMs, SSDs, PSUs and more! Build your dream farm with 1000+ GPUs!
Press Any Button
This video game realized how boring it had been and now is trying its best to fix that.
THE CORRIDOR
THE CORRIDOR is a 20-30 minute experience about the relationship between player and game.
Need for Speed™ Hot Pursuit Remastered
Feel the thrill of the chase and the rush of escape behind the wheels of the world’s hottest high-performance cars in Need for Speed™ Hot Pursuit Remastered– a heart-pumping, socially competitive racing experience.
RPG Maker MZ
You want to create an RPG, but every game making tool you have found was either too complex or too limited? RPG Maker MZ empowers you with simple tools to create your RPG right out of the box, yet is customizable enough to make the exact RPG you want!
Crosshair X
Overlay custom crosshairs on every game you play. Choose from thousands of unique crosshairs created by the Crosshair X community or design your own using the designer.
VTuber Maker
VTuber Maker is the #1 free, simplistic, and 3D Tool for VTuber Content Production, just with a webcam.
RPG World - Action RPG Maker
RPG World – THE Action RPG Maker! Unleash your imagination with RPG World and create, share and play amazing 3D games with our growing community. Claim glory and treasure as you conquer magical worlds, alone or as a team. No coding required!
Bot Studio for Discord
The easiest way to make Discord bots. A drag and drop editor makes it simple to create the perfect bot for your servers, no coding required!
YoloMouse - Game Cursor Changer
Use YoloMouse to change those obscure game cursors. Never lose your cursor in a heated battle again!
MMORPG Tycoon 2
MMORPG Tycoon 2 is a single-player world-builder game about creating the greatest MMORPG of all time – yours.
Pixel Studio - pixel art editor
Best pixel art editor. Simple. Fast. Portable.
Pixel Game Maker MV
Use Pixel Game Maker MV to make your own 2D action games! The latest Maker title provides a simple, fun way to make games with zero coding! PGMMV: Powerful enough for pro developers, simple enough for beginners.
Yumeutsutsu Re:Master
Yumeutsutsu Re:Master is a girls-love adventure game set in a small game studio.
Wallpaper Engine
Use stunning live wallpapers on your desktop. Animate your own images to create new wallpapers or import videos/websites and share them on the Steam Workshop!
FPS Monitor – hardware in-game & desktop overlays
FPS Monitor tracks your PC's hardware state and displays this information as an overlay in-game or over desktop. Does not require configuration, it works immediately after installation.
KartKraft™
No seatbelts, no suspension, no downforce. This is pure head to head racing at 90mph...
CopperCube 6 Game Engine
CopperCube is a full-featured 3D game engine. No programming needed! Create 3D games and apps quickly. Includes terrain editor, low poly modelling tools, 3D models, precreated game AI, effects and more.
Most played game development games on Steam
Take a look at the top game development games that are currently attracting the largest player bases on the Steam platform, as of June 15th 2025.
1. Blender
Blender is the free and open source 3D creation suite. Free to use for everyone, for any purpose. Blender is a animation & modeling, software and design & illustration game developed and published by Blender Foundation. Released on April 24th 2015 has received 72,881 reviews of which 70,186 were positive and 2,695 were negative resulting in an impressive rating of 9.5 out of 10. The game has hit the top spot as the #1 most played game development game, thanks to its 7,110 peak concurrent players over the last day.
9.5
70,186
2,695
7,110
players
2. Aseprite
Aseprite is a pixel-art tool to create 2D animations, sprites, and any kind of graphics for games. Aseprite is a pixel graphics, design & illustration and animation & modeling game developed and published by Igara Studio. Released on February 22nd 2016 has received 21,818 reviews of which 21,620 were positive and 198 were negative resulting in an impressive rating of 9.7 out of 10. While seeing 4,685 players online at once in the last 24 hours, this game is currently ranked #2 among game development games based on player count.
9.7
21,620
198
4,685
players
3. Godot Engine
Godot Engine is a feature-packed, cross-platform game engine to create 2D and 3D games from a unified interface. It provides a comprehensive set of common tools, so that you can focus on making games without having to reinvent the wheel. Godot Engine is a game development, utilities and software game developed and published by Godot Engine. Released on February 23rd 2016 has received 7,806 reviews of which 6,696 were positive and 1,110 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.3 out of 10. While seeing 1,060 players online at once in the last 24 hours, this game is currently ranked #3 among game development games based on player count.
8.3
6,696
1,110
1,060
players
4. RPG Maker MZ
You want to create an RPG, but every game making tool you have found was either too complex or too limited? RPG Maker MZ empowers you with simple tools to create your RPG right out of the box, yet is customizable enough to make the exact RPG you want! RPG Maker MZ is a rpg, game development and rpgmaker game developed by Gotcha Gotcha Games, KADOKAWA and Yoji Ojima and published by Gotcha Gotcha Games. Released on August 27th 2020 has received 1,882 reviews of which 1,600 were positive and 282 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.1 out of 10. With 810 concurrent players in the last 24 hours, the game currently holds the #4 spot among the most played game development games.
8.1
1,600
282
810
players
5. RPG Maker MV
POWERFUL enough for a developer SIMPLE enough for a child VERSATILE enough for any platform!RPG MAKER MV allows you to make the RPG of your dreams! This latest version includes a host of new featuresand export options for MacOSX, Android, and iPhone! RPG Maker MV is a rpg, rpgmaker and game development game developed by Gotcha Gotcha Games, KADOKAWA and Yoji Ojima and published by Gotcha Gotcha Games. Released on October 23rd 2015 has received 8,290 reviews of which 7,542 were positive and 748 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.8 out of 10. With 780 concurrent players in the last 24 hours, the game currently holds the #5 spot among the most played game development games.
8.8
7,542
748
780
players
6. GameMaker
GameMaker has everything you need to take your idea from concept to finished game. With no barriers to entry and powerful functionality, GameMaker is the ultimate 2D development environment! GameMaker is a game development, utilities and design & illustration game developed and published by YoYo Games Ltd.. Released on May 03rd 2022 has received 2,182 reviews of which 1,930 were positive and 252 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.5 out of 10. With 354 concurrent players in the last 24 hours, the game currently holds the #6 spot among the most played game development games.
8.5
1,930
252
354
players
7. RPG Maker VX Ace
RPG Maker VX Ace improves on every aspect of creating your very own epic adventure. An extremely powerful editor, Ace supports multiple tilesets, offers full control over autoshadow and has a very flexible features system. RPG Maker VX Ace is a game development, rpg and rpgmaker game developed by Gotcha Gotcha Games, KADOKAWA and Yoji Ojima and published by Gotcha Gotcha Games. Released on December 10th 2012 has received 4,869 reviews of which 4,568 were positive and 301 were negative resulting in an impressive rating of 9.0 out of 10. With 294 concurrent players in the last 24 hours, the game currently holds the #7 spot among the most played game development games.
9.0
4,568
301
294
players
8. RPG Maker XP
RPG MAKER lets you create an original role-playing game without any prior specialized knowledge or training. RPG MAKER XP is full of the functions you've been asking for, including game data encryption and a scripting feature that lets you change the very heart of the RPG MAKER engine. RPG Maker XP is a game development, rpg and rpgmaker game developed by Gotcha Gotcha Games, KADOKAWA and Yoji Ojima and published by Gotcha Gotcha Games. Released on December 13th 2013 has received 1,755 reviews of which 1,653 were positive and 102 were negative resulting in a rating of 9.0 out of 10. With 285 concurrent players in the last 24 hours, the game currently holds the #8 spot among the most played game development games.
9.0
1,653
102
285
players
9. Mad Games Tycoon 2
Start your own game development studio in 1976. Build your own offices, production facilities and server rooms. Develop the games of your dreams and produce the next next-gen console. Rise from a small garage company to a huge corporation. Mad Games Tycoon 2 is a management, economy and game development game developed and published by Eggcode. Released on May 31st 2023 has received 7,041 reviews of which 6,607 were positive and 434 were negative resulting in an impressive rating of 9.1 out of 10. With 206 concurrent players in the last 24 hours, the game currently holds the #9 spot among the most played game development games.
9.1
6,607
434
206
players
10. Beam Eye Tracker
Turn your webcam into an AI-powered head & eye tracker and ditch the bulky tracking hardware. Enable gaming extensions like OpenTrack for immersive eye and head tracking. Gain insights and improve your gameplay using the eye tracking overlay or enhance your live streams. Beam Eye Tracker is a simulation, utilities and video production game developed and published by Eyeware Tech SA. Released on August 02nd 2023 has received 363 reviews of which 322 were positive and 41 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.2 out of 10. With 161 concurrent players in the last 24 hours, the game currently holds the #10 spot among the most played game development games.
8.2
322
41
161
players
Best deals on game development games on Steam
Discover fantastic savings with the best discounts on a variety of game development games available on Steam right now, updated on June 15th 2025. Looking for even more deals? Use the search filters to explore a wider range of discounted game development games.
1. Game Character Hub
Game Character Hub is an art program that is focused on game asset creation, especially RPG Maker's. It provides a built-in generator for character and tileset creation. Game Character Hub is a design & illustration, utilities and rpgmaker game developed by Sebastien Bini and published by KOMODO. Released on May 23rd 2014 has received 328 reviews of which 226 were positive and 102 were negative resulting in a rating of 6.6 out of 10. Featuring a massive 97% discount, this game currently holds the #1 spot in the best deals for game development category.
6.6
226
102
-97%
14.79€
0.46€
2. RPG Maker VX Ace
RPG Maker VX Ace improves on every aspect of creating your very own epic adventure. An extremely powerful editor, Ace supports multiple tilesets, offers full control over autoshadow and has a very flexible features system. RPG Maker VX Ace is a game development, rpg and rpgmaker game developed by Gotcha Gotcha Games, KADOKAWA and Yoji Ojima and published by Gotcha Gotcha Games. Released on December 10th 2012 has received 4,869 reviews of which 4,568 were positive and 301 were negative resulting in an impressive rating of 9.0 out of 10. Thanks to its incredible 94% discount, this game is now the #2 best deal in game development games.
9.0
4,568
301
-94%
67.99€
4.20€
3. RPG Maker XP
RPG MAKER lets you create an original role-playing game without any prior specialized knowledge or training. RPG MAKER XP is full of the functions you've been asking for, including game data encryption and a scripting feature that lets you change the very heart of the RPG MAKER engine. RPG Maker XP is a game development, rpg and rpgmaker game developed by Gotcha Gotcha Games, KADOKAWA and Yoji Ojima and published by Gotcha Gotcha Games. Released on December 13th 2013 has received 1,755 reviews of which 1,653 were positive and 102 were negative resulting in a rating of 9.0 out of 10. Thanks to its incredible 90% discount, this game is now the #3 best deal in game development games.
9.0
1,653
102
-90%
24.50€
2.45€
4. RPG Maker 2003
For the first time ever, RPG Maker 2003 is officially available in English! This legendary game development engine is both highly affordable and easy to use, and it remains one of the most popular RPG Maker installments to date. RPG Maker 2003 is a game development, rpg and design & illustration game developed by Gotcha Gotcha Games, KADOKAWA and Yoji Ojima and published by Gotcha Gotcha Games. Released on April 24th 2015 has received 768 reviews of which 717 were positive and 51 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.8 out of 10. Currently offered at a significant 90% discount, this title has earned the #4 position in the best deals for game development games.
8.8
717
51
-90%
19.50€
1.95€
5. RPG Maker MV
POWERFUL enough for a developer SIMPLE enough for a child VERSATILE enough for any platform!RPG MAKER MV allows you to make the RPG of your dreams! This latest version includes a host of new featuresand export options for MacOSX, Android, and iPhone! RPG Maker MV is a rpg, rpgmaker and game development game developed by Gotcha Gotcha Games, KADOKAWA and Yoji Ojima and published by Gotcha Gotcha Games. Released on October 23rd 2015 has received 8,290 reviews of which 7,542 were positive and 748 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.8 out of 10. Currently offered at a significant 85% discount, this title has earned the #5 position in the best deals for game development games.
8.8
7,542
748
-85%
77.99€
11.69€
6. Pixel Game Maker MV
Use Pixel Game Maker MV to make your own 2D action games! The latest Maker title provides a simple, fun way to make games with zero coding! PGMMV: Powerful enough for pro developers, simple enough for beginners. Pixel Game Maker MV is a action, casual and game development game developed by Gotcha Gotcha Games and KADOKAWA and published by Gotcha Gotcha Games. Released on September 19th 2019 has received 575 reviews of which 399 were positive and 176 were negative resulting in a rating of 6.7 out of 10. Currently offered at a significant 83% discount, this title has earned the #6 position in the best deals for game development games.
6.7
399
176
-83%
82.99€
14.10€
7. GameGuru Classic
GameGuru Classic is a non-technical and fun game-maker. It allows you to build your own game world, using creative and enjoyable tools. Populate your game by placing down characters, weapons and other game items, then press one button to build your game, ready to play and share. GameGuru Classic is a game development, software and design & illustration game developed and published by TheGameCreators. Released on May 19th 2015 has received 2,086 reviews of which 1,517 were positive and 569 were negative resulting in a rating of 7.0 out of 10. Currently offered at a significant 60% discount, this title has earned the #7 position in the best deals for game development games.
7.0
1,517
569
-60%
19.99€
7.99€
8. Mad Games Tycoon 2
Start your own game development studio in 1976. Build your own offices, production facilities and server rooms. Develop the games of your dreams and produce the next next-gen console. Rise from a small garage company to a huge corporation. Mad Games Tycoon 2 is a management, economy and game development game developed and published by Eggcode. Released on May 31st 2023 has received 7,041 reviews of which 6,607 were positive and 434 were negative resulting in an impressive rating of 9.1 out of 10. Currently offered at a significant 56% discount, this title has earned the #8 position in the best deals for game development games.
9.1
6,607
434
-56%
20.99€
9.29€
9. RPG Maker MZ
You want to create an RPG, but every game making tool you have found was either too complex or too limited? RPG Maker MZ empowers you with simple tools to create your RPG right out of the box, yet is customizable enough to make the exact RPG you want! RPG Maker MZ is a rpg, game development and rpgmaker game developed by Gotcha Gotcha Games, KADOKAWA and Yoji Ojima and published by Gotcha Gotcha Games. Released on August 27th 2020 has received 1,882 reviews of which 1,600 were positive and 282 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.1 out of 10. Currently offered at a 50% discount, this title has earned the #9 position in the best deals for game development games.
8.1
1,600
282
-50%
77.99€
38.99€
Free game development games on Steam
Check out this fantastic list of free-to-play game development games you can enjoy on Steam right now, updated on June 15th 2025. Looking for even more free titles? Use the search filters to explore a wider range of free to play game development games.
1. Blender
Blender is the free and open source 3D creation suite. Free to use for everyone, for any purpose. Blender is a animation & modeling, software and design & illustration game developed and published by Blender Foundation. Released on April 24th 2015 has received 72,881 reviews of which 70,186 were positive and 2,695 were negative resulting in an impressive rating of 9.5 out of 10. With 7,110 active players enjoying it for free, this strategy game has reached the #1 spot among the top free game development games on Steam.
9.5
70,186
2,695
7,110
players
2. Godot Engine
Godot Engine is a feature-packed, cross-platform game engine to create 2D and 3D games from a unified interface. It provides a comprehensive set of common tools, so that you can focus on making games without having to reinvent the wheel. Godot Engine is a game development, utilities and software game developed and published by Godot Engine. Released on February 23rd 2016 has received 7,806 reviews of which 6,696 were positive and 1,110 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.3 out of 10. Thanks to its free to play tag and a daily player base of 1,060, this game development game has secured the #2 spot in the ranking of free game development games on Steam.
8.3
6,696
1,110
1,060
players
3. GameMaker
GameMaker has everything you need to take your idea from concept to finished game. With no barriers to entry and powerful functionality, GameMaker is the ultimate 2D development environment! GameMaker is a game development, utilities and design & illustration game developed and published by YoYo Games Ltd.. Released on May 03rd 2022 has received 2,182 reviews of which 1,930 were positive and 252 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.5 out of 10. Thanks to its free to play tag and a daily player base of 354, this game development game has secured the #3 spot in the ranking of free game development games on Steam.
8.5
1,930
252
354
players
4. VTuber Maker
VTuber Maker is the #1 free, simplistic, and 3D Tool for VTuber Content Production, just with a webcam. VTuber Maker is a animation & modeling, video production and design & illustration game developed and published by Live3D. Released on August 07th 2020 has received 885 reviews of which 711 were positive and 174 were negative resulting in a rating of 7.6 out of 10. The game currently holds the #4 spot among the most played free game development games on Steam.
7.6
711
174
32
players
5. Tabletopia
Tabletopia is a sandbox virtual table with high-quality board games and ready setups. Already 2,400+ games and counting! Play how you want with whom you want: guests don’t need accounts to play. Or make your own games, no programming skills required. Tabletopia is a sandbox, tabletop and free to play game developed and published by Tabletopia. Released on November 30th 2016 has received 1,590 reviews of which 998 were positive and 592 were negative resulting in a rating of 6.1 out of 10. The game currently holds the #5 spot among the most played free game development games on Steam.
6.1
998
592
11
players
6. Fuse
Fuse is a standalone 3D character creator that enables you to make unique characters to use in your game. Fuse comes with 70+ body parts, 150+ clothing meshes, 42 dynamic texturing substances, Unlimited free Auto-Rigs and Animations through the Mixamo service (activated Adobe ID required). Important notice for Fuse 1.3 customers! Fuse is a animation & modeling and character customization game developed and published by Mixamo. Released on March 28th 2014 has received 2,240 reviews of which 1,462 were positive and 778 were negative resulting in a rating of 6.4 out of 10. The game currently holds the #6 spot among the most played free game development games on Steam.
6.4
1,462
778
8
players
7. CopperCube 6 Game Engine
CopperCube is a full-featured 3D game engine. No programming needed! Create 3D games and apps quickly. Includes terrain editor, low poly modelling tools, 3D models, precreated game AI, effects and more. CopperCube 6 Game Engine is a animation & modeling, game development and design & illustration game developed and published by Ambiera e.U.. Released on July 13th 2018 has received 331 reviews of which 268 were positive and 63 were negative resulting in a rating of 7.6 out of 10. The game currently holds the #7 spot among the most played free game development games on Steam.
7.6
268
63
6
players
8. Clickteam Fusion 2.5 Free Edition
Game and software creation has never been easier or quicker than with Clickteam Fusion 2.5! Discover the tool used by so many multimedia professionals, game creators, and creative people from all walks of life. Clickteam Fusion 2.5 Free Edition is a animation & modeling, utilities and web publishing game developed and published by Clickteam. Released on June 16th 2016 has received 322 reviews of which 246 were positive and 76 were negative resulting in a rating of 7.2 out of 10. The game currently holds the #8 spot among the most played free game development games on Steam.
7.2
246
76
4
players
9. RPG World - Action RPG Maker
RPG World – THE Action RPG Maker! Unleash your imagination with RPG World and create, share and play amazing 3D games with our growing community. Claim glory and treasure as you conquer magical worlds, alone or as a team. No coding required! RPG World - Action RPG Maker is a adventure, rpg and action game developed and published by RaveyLarge. Released on July 17th 2020 has received 544 reviews of which 381 were positive and 163 were negative resulting in a rating of 6.7 out of 10. The game currently holds the #9 spot among the most played free game development games on Steam.
6.7
381
163
1
players