Awesome Gamedev
A curated collection of free software, free culture assets, and learning resources for game development.
What is Awesome Gamedev?
Awesome Gamedev is a curated directory of free and open-source resources for game development. It provides developers with a comprehensive collection of game engines, graphics and audio tools, asset libraries, programming frameworks, and educational materials that are all libre/free software or free cultural works. The project solves the problem of finding high-quality, ethically-sourced tools and assets that respect user freedoms.
Game developers, hobbyists, students, and educators who want to create games using exclusively free/open-source software and assets. It's particularly valuable for those who prioritize software freedom, open culture, or need resources with permissive licensing for their projects.
Developers choose Awesome Gamedev because it offers a meticulously curated, one-stop directory of ethically-sourced game development resources. Unlike scattered searches or lists that mix proprietary and free resources, it guarantees all entries respect the four essential freedoms and free culture principles, saving time and ensuring licensing compliance.
Overview
A collection of free software and free culture resources for making amazing games. (mirror)
Use Cases
Best For
- Finding free and open-source game engines like Godot or Ren'Py
- Locating Creative Commons licensed art, music, and sound effects for games
- Learning game development through free tutorials and documentation
- Discovering complete open-source games to study and modify
- Identifying libre graphics tools like Blender, GIMP, and Krita
- Connecting with free software game development communities
Not Ideal For
- Developers requiring proprietary engines like Unity or Unreal for specific workflows or asset stores
- Teams needing commercial support, warranties, or enterprise-grade tooling for production games
- Projects with tight budgets that rely on non-free, pre-made assets for rapid prototyping
Pros & Cons
Pros
Exclusively lists FSF-approved free software and free cultural works, with a dedicated 'Wall of Shame' to explain exclusions, ensuring all resources respect user freedoms as highlighted in the philosophy section.
Features detailed categories from game engines and graphics tools to audio editors and learning materials, as evidenced by the extensive table of contents with sub-sections for specific needs like HTML5 engines or voxel editors.
Includes complete open-source games across languages like C, Python, and JavaScript, with clear licensing for code and assets, providing practical study material for developers, as seen in the 'Games' section.
Links to developer communities, forums, and tutorials for all skill levels, such as the 'Learning Resources' section with beginner and intermediate programming guides, fostering open collaboration.
Cons
As a GitHub-based list, it relies on manual updates and may not promptly reflect new tools or changes, requiring users to verify resource availability and currentness independently.
Deliberately omits popular proprietary tools and assets, which can be a barrier for developers who need or prefer using non-free resources for compatibility or feature reasons, as admitted in the 'Wall of Shame'.
Provides only links without integrated tutorials or support, leaving users to navigate and integrate resources on their own, which can be challenging for beginners despite the educational listings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Projects
Game Development:video_game: :pencil: A list of Game Development resources to make magic happen.
GameDev-Resources:video_game: :game_die: A wonderful list of Game Development resources.
GameDev.netGame dev forums, tutorials, blogs, projects, portfolios, and news
Game DeveloperIndustry blogs, events, jobs, updates and more. Formerly Gamasutra
Found a gem we're missing?
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