Game engines:Which are most popular?

Name: Game engines: Which are searched most?
Creator: Brandwave
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In October 2026, GameMaker was the most searched game engine worldwide, accounting for 21% of all searches among the 12 engines tracked by the Brandwave Brand Demand Index. When we checked with ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews, Godot and Unity showed up in every answer. Godot was recommended most often, coming first in four out of five responses.

Follow game engines and get free monthly updates on what changed

By continuing you'll get index updates and occasional product news from Brandwave. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy

Track your brand in this set →

Top game engines in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Godot and Unity appeared every time. Godot was recommended most often, coming first in four out of five answers. Unity was second, and Unreal Engine was third. LÖVE, which ranked eighth in searches, was not mentioned at all.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

How many AI answers named each brand
Brand	ChatGPT	Google	Answers that named it
Godot	Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 2 of 2 Google AI Overviews	5 of 5
Unity	Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 2 of 2 Google AI Overviews	5 of 5
GameMaker	Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 2 of 2 Google AI Overviews	4 of 5
Unreal Engine	Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 2 of 2 Google AI Overviews	4 of 5
GDevelop	Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	2 of 5
Construct	Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	2 of 5
Phaser	Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	2 of 5
RPG Maker	Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	1 of 5
Defold	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	1 of 5
LÖVE	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	0 of 5
CRYENGINE	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	0 of 5
Cocos	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	0 of 5

Godot5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Unity5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
GameMaker4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Unreal Engine4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
GDevelop2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Construct2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Phaser2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
RPG Maker1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Defold1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
LÖVE0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
CRYENGINE0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Cocos0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about game engines

5 answers

Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best game engine for beginners?”
1. 1Godot
2. 2Unity
3. 3Unreal Engine
4. 4GDevelop
Asked ChatGPT
“Which game engine should I use for a 2D game?”
1. 1Godot
2. 2Unity
3. 3GameMaker
4. 4Construct
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best game engines?”
1. 1Godot
2. 2Unreal Engine
3. 3Unity
4. 4GameMaker
5. 5Construct
6. 6Phaser
7. 7RPG Maker
Searched Google, AI Overview
“game engine”
1. 1Unity
2. 2Unreal Engine
3. 3Godot
4. 4GameMaker
Searched Google, AI Overview
“free game engine”
1. 1Godot
2. 2GDevelop
3. 3Phaser
4. 4Defold
5. 5Unity
6. 6Unreal Engine
7. 7GameMaker

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 27, 2026.

Which game engines do people search for most?

This chart shows how often people search Google for each game engine by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 12 game engines we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Share of searches among game engines worldwide, by month

Month	GameMaker	Unreal Engine	GDevelop	Godot	Construct	RPG Maker	Unity	LÖVE	CRYENGINE	Defold	Cocos	Phaser
Nov 2025	24.4%	18.2%	12.2%	9.1%	14.9%	6.7%	8.7%	1.3%	1.6%	0.73%	1.2%	0.87%
Dec 2025	26.4%	19.7%	10.8%	9.8%	10.8%	7.2%	9%	1.4%	1.8%	0.79%	1.2%	0.94%
Jan 2026	24.5%	22.4%	12.3%	9.1%	10%	8.2%	7.5%	1.3%	1.6%	0.9%	1.1%	1%
Feb 2026	24.9%	18.6%	12.5%	9.3%	12.5%	8.3%	8.5%	1.4%	1.4%	0.75%	1.2%	0.88%
Mar 2026	23.2%	17.3%	14.1%	9.5%	14.1%	7.7%	8.3%	1.3%	1.3%	0.85%	1.2%	0.98%
Apr 2026	24.7%	18.4%	15%	9.9%	12.3%	6.8%	7.2%	1.4%	1.4%	0.9%	1.2%	0.88%
May 2026	23.6%	17.6%	14.4%	11.1%	11.8%	7.9%	8.1%	1.3%	1.3%	1.1%	1%	0.86%
Jun 2026	20.4%	22.8%	12.5%	12%	10.2%	6.8%	10%	1.4%	1.1%	0.91%	1.1%	0.77%
Jul 2026	20.9%	19.1%	12.8%	13.8%	7%	7%	14.5%	1.1%	1.1%	0.77%	1%	0.79%
Aug 2026	20.3%	18.5%	15.1%	14.2%	8.3%	6.8%	11.8%	1.4%	1.1%	0.75%	0.96%	0.65%
Sep 2026	19.7%	18%	14.7%	12.9%	12%	6.6%	11.5%	1.1%	1.1%	1.1%	0.8%	0.63%
Oct 2026	21%	19.1%	15.6%	15%	12.8%	7%	4.9%	1.1%	0.94%	0.94%	0.85%	0.64%

Rank	Brand	Share of searches	Estimated monthly branded searches	vs prior month	Share change
1, held 1st	GameMaker	21%	270K	0%	+1.3 points
2, held 2nd	Unreal Engine Epic Games	19.1%	246K	0%	+1.2 points
3, held 3rd	GDevelop	15.6%	201K	0%	+0.9 points
4, held 4th	GodotGodot Foundation	15%	194K	+9.9%	+2.2 points
5, held 5th	ConstructScirra	12.8%	165K	0%	+0.8 points
6, moved from 7th to 6th	RPG Maker	7%	90.5K	0%	+0.4 pointsmoved from 7th to 6th
7, moved from 6th to 7th	UnityUnity Technologies	4.9%	62.7K	-60.1%	-6.6 pointsmoved from 6th to 7th
8, moved from 10th to 8th	LÖVE	1.1%	14.8K	0%	+0.1 pointsmoved from 10th to 8th
9, moved from 8th to 9th	CRYENGINECrytek	0.94%	12.1K	-18.2%	-0.1 pointsmoved from 8th to 9th
10, moved from 9th to 10th	Defold	0.94%	12.1K	-18.2%	-0.1 pointsmoved from 9th to 10th
11, held 11th	Cocos	0.85%	11K	0%	+0.1 points
12, held 12th	PhaserPhaser Studio	0.64%	8.3K	-3.5%	0 points

1.GameMaker
21%
Held 1st. 270K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +1.3 points.
2.Unreal Engine
19.1%
Held 2nd. 246K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +1.2 points.
3.GDevelop
15.6%
Held 3rd. 201K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.9 points.
4.Godot
15%
Held 4th. 194K estimated branded searches, +9.9% vs prior month. Share +2.2 points.
5.Construct
12.8%
Held 5th. 165K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.8 points.
6.RPG Maker
7%
Moved from 7th to 6th. 90.5K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.4 points.
7.Unity
4.9%
Moved from 6th to 7th. 62.7K estimated branded searches, -60.1% vs prior month. Share -6.6 points.
8.LÖVE
1.1%
Moved from 10th to 8th. 14.8K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.
9.CRYENGINE
0.94%
Moved from 8th to 9th. 12.1K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.
10.Defold
0.94%
Moved from 9th to 10th. 12.1K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.
11.Cocos
0.85%
Held 11th. 11K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.
12.Phaser
0.64%
Held 12th. 8.3K estimated branded searches, -3.5% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Which brand is most popular in search among game engines worldwide?

12 brands

In October 2026, GameMaker was the most searched among game engines worldwide, with an estimated 270K branded searches, 21% of all searches for the 12 tracked by the Brandwave Brand Demand Index. Unreal Engine is in 2nd place, 1.9 percentage points behind at 19.1%.

Global game engines, last 12 months ending October 2026
Brand	Share of searches	Peak	Low	Rank
GameMaker	24.4% → 21%	26.4%Dec 2025	19.7%Sep 2026	1st
Unreal Engine	18.2% → 19.1%	22.8%Jun 2026	17.3%Mar 2026	2nd
GDevelop	12.2% → 15.6%	15.6%Oct 2026	10.8%Dec 2025	4th → 3rd
Godot	9.1% → 15%	15%Oct 2026	9.1%Nov 2025	5th → 4th
Construct	14.9% → 12.8%	14.9%Nov 2025	7%Jul 2026	3rd → 5th
RPG Maker	6.7% → 7%	8.3%Feb 2026	6.6%Sep 2026	7th → 6th
Unity	8.7% → 4.9%	14.5%Jul 2026	4.9%Oct 2026	6th → 7th
LÖVE	1.3% → 1.1%	1.4%Dec 2025	1.1%Sep 2026	9th → 8th
CRYENGINE	1.6% → 0.94%	1.8%Dec 2025	0.94%Oct 2026	8th → 9th
Defold	0.73% → 0.94%	1.1%Sep 2026	0.73%Nov 2025	12th → 10th
Cocos	1.2% → 0.85%	1.2%Apr 2026	0.8%Sep 2026	10th → 11th
Phaser	0.87% → 0.64%	1%Jan 2026	0.63%Sep 2026	11th → 12th

Each finding as a sentence

Across the 12 months ending October 2026, GameMaker’s share of searches among game engines worldwide decreased from 24.4% to 21%.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Unreal Engine’s share of searches among game engines worldwide increased from 18.2% to 19.1%.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, GDevelop’s share of searches among game engines worldwide increased from 12.2% to 15.6%.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Godot’s share of searches among game engines worldwide increased from 9.1% to 15%.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Construct’s share of searches among game engines worldwide decreased from 14.9% to 12.8%.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Unity’s share of searches among game engines worldwide decreased from 8.7% to 4.9%.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, CRYENGINE’s share of searches among game engines worldwide decreased from 1.6% to 0.94%.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, GameMaker’s share of searches among game engines worldwide peaked at 26.4% in December 2025 and was lowest at 19.7% in September 2026.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Unreal Engine’s share of searches among game engines worldwide peaked at 22.8% in June 2026 and was lowest at 17.3% in March 2026.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, GDevelop’s share of searches among game engines worldwide peaked at 15.6% in October 2026 and was lowest at 10.8% in December 2025.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Construct’s share of searches among game engines worldwide peaked at 14.9% in November 2025 and was lowest at 7% in July 2026.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, RPG Maker’s share of searches among game engines worldwide peaked at 8.3% in February 2026 and was lowest at 6.6% in September 2026.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Unity’s share of searches among game engines worldwide peaked at 14.5% in July 2026 and was lowest at 4.9% in October 2026.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, GDevelop rose from 4th to 3rd among game engines worldwide.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Godot rose from 5th to 4th among game engines worldwide.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Construct fell from 3rd to 5th among game engines worldwide.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, RPG Maker rose from 7th to 6th among game engines worldwide.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Unity fell from 6th to 7th among game engines worldwide.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, LÖVE rose from 9th to 8th among game engines worldwide.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, CRYENGINE fell from 8th to 9th among game engines worldwide.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Defold rose from 12th to 10th among game engines worldwide.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Cocos fell from 10th to 11th among game engines worldwide.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Phaser fell from 11th to 12th among game engines worldwide.

How did search popularity change for game engines worldwide in October 2026?

8 changes

In October 2026, Godot gained share of searches among game engines worldwide, from 12.9% to 15%.
In October 2026, GameMaker gained share of searches among game engines worldwide, from 19.7% to 21%.
In October 2026, Unreal Engine gained share of searches among game engines worldwide, from 18% to 19.1%.
In October 2026, GDevelop gained share of searches among game engines worldwide, from 14.7% to 15.6%.
In October 2026, Construct gained share of searches among game engines worldwide, from 12% to 12.8%.
In October 2026, Unity lost share of searches among game engines worldwide, from 11.5% to 4.9%.
In October 2026, LÖVE rose from 10th to 8th among game engines worldwide.
In October 2026, RPG Maker rose from 7th to 6th among game engines worldwide.

How are branded searches counted for game engines?

19 search terms

Each brand's share of searches among game engines comes from the terms listed under its name. When people mostly search for a brand because of something else it sells, only the searches that name this product count here.