Godot Engine
Free open source game engine. The Linux build is one of the official downloads and needs no installing.
Our verdict
Godot is about as painless as a move gets. The Linux build sits next to the Windows one on the download page, same version, same editor, and your project folder opens with nothing to convert.
There is nothing to install. You download the file, extract it and run it, because the editor is self-contained. If you prefer the Linux app store there is a Flathub listing, but it is put together by volunteers rather than by the Godot team.
Watch the build you pick. If your game uses C#, take the .NET version from godotengine.org. The copies on Steam and the other stores leave C# support out, which catches people who assume every download is the same.
What's good
- Linux is a first-class download on Godot's own site, in the same versions as Windows
- Free and open source with no account, no licence fee and no royalties
- Self-contained, so you extract one file and run it
- Your existing projects open as they are, with the same editor layout
What to know first
- The Flathub package is community made rather than official
- C# and .NET projects need the separate .NET build, which the Steam and Epic versions do not include
- Smaller pool of tutorials and paid assets than the big commercial engines
The details
- Cost
- Free
- Open source
- Yes (MIT)
- How you install it
- App store (Flatpak)
Windows apps it can replace
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