Game Engines for Android

With Google IO fast approaching and GDC just completed I thought it would be interesting to take a look at the game engines available for mobile devices, specifically for x86 based mobile devices. There are many game engine choices out there, all with a different set of features, pricing, maturity, etc. After conducting a search online, I found a wide variety of game engines that can be used for creating games for Android* based mobile devices. Some provide x86 support, while others can be ported to support x86 devices without too much effort.

Here is the list of game engines I have come across; I have included some features and details about each engine and an example game on the Android Market if I could find one.

Cocos2D – http://www.cocos2d-x.org/projects/cocos2d-x

A port to C++ of the popular iPhone Cocos2D engine.
Cross platform (Android, iPhone, Win32) 2D engine
C++ based engine that supports x86 Android devices.
Free engine with full source code.
Example: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.xmg.cowsvsaliens

Libgdx – http://code.google.com/p/libgdx/

Cross platform (Windows, Linux, OSX and Android) 2D/3D Android engine. Build, run and iterate on the PC before deploying to phone.
C++ and Java based engine that easily ports to x86.
Box2d physics, TMX tile map, shaders, 2D particle system, sprite support, camera apis, OBJ and MD5 model loaders.
Full source code available for free.
C++/Java based engine that with a few minor changes I was able to run on x86 Android devices.
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.tani.penguinattack

Corona Game Edition – http://www.anscamobile.com/corona/games/

2D cross platform (iOS and Android) engine.
Write games in scripting language Lua.
Animated sprites, Social API integration, native device features integrated.
Also used for application and eBook development.
C++ based engine that should easily port to x86 Android devices.
License purchase required, free to trial.
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.base2.walkaboutb

Unity 3D – http://unity3d.com

2D/3D cross platform (iOS, Android, PC) with full-featured integrated editor.
PhysX physics engine, C#, javascript or Boo scripting language, multiplayer and network support, streaming assets, etc.
License purchase required for phone publishing, try for free.
No Android x86 support in current version.
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.ArtInGames.AirAttackHDLite

Andengine – http://www.andengine.org/

2D Android game engine
SplitScreen support, network multiplayer apis, live wallpaper support
Primarily a Java engine with some C++ that should easily port to x86 Android devices.
Full source code available for free.
http://wiki.andengine.org/List_of_Apps_and_Games
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.bestcoolfungamesfreegameappcreation.bunnyshooter

Marmalade SDK (previously Airplay SDK) – http://www.madewithmarmalade.com/

Cross platform (iOS, Android, Symbian, bada, WebOS and other platforms in Beta) 3D C++ game engine.
Free to try, license purchase required to publish.
C++ based engine that should easily port to x86 Android devices.
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.imperialgamestudio.golfbattle3d

App game kit -http://www.appgamekit.com/

Cross platform (iOS, Windows, MacOS, Android, BlackBerry, Bada, Meego)
A 2D OpenGL based game engine with Box2D. Include support for Sprites, particles, input APIs, sound and music.
Looks like it is a C++ based engine that should easily port to x86 Android devices.
Write game code in BASIC or has an available upgrade option for writing native C++ code.
Free to try, license purchase required to publish.
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.texasoftreloaded.theblackhole

ShiVa3D – http://www.stonetrip.com/

Cross platform 3D game engine with ShiVa3D Editor.
Cross platform (Windows, Mac OS, Linux, iPhone, Android, Palm, Wii, iPad)
C++ based engine that should easily port to x86 Android devices.
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.dvidearts.crusadeofdestiny

DX Studio – http://www.dxstudio.com/

3D game engine with editor.
Android limited features now supported.
C++ based engine that should easily port to x86 Android devices.
Currently offered for free.

SIO2 Engine – http://sio2interactive.com/

2D/3D cross platform (iOS, Android, bada, WebOS, WIN32 ) game engine.
Iterate via simulator on PC
Features lua support, exporters for various 3d modeling tools, Bullet physics engine, path finding, sound apis, shader support, animation and networking support.
C++ based engine that should easily port to x86 Android devices.
Various licenses available for purchase, free to trial.

Papaya Social Game Engine - http://papayamobile.com/developer/engine

Cross platform (iOS and Android) 2D engine.
Write games in scripting language, includes social APIs, physics, and particle effects.
C/C++ based OpenGL engine that should easily port to x86 Android devices.
Engine is free to download.
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.papaya.papayaFish_hd

moai – http://getmoai.com/

A mobile platform for game developers
Lua scripting language based development engine that has integrated cloud services available.
Engine is open source and free to use, pay for cloud services.

Cuttlefish Engine - http://www.cuttlefishengine.com/

2D cross platform (Windows Phone, Android, iPhone, Windows PC) game engine.
Create game in an editor using scripting language (C# variant).
Designer interface to build games, Tile support and Box2d physics engine.
License purchase required for the Designer, engine source available for free. Trial available.

Orx – http://orx-project.org/

2d cross platform (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Windows, Linux, Andrdoi) game engine.
Camera APIs, animations, sound, sprite rendering and data driven for fast and easy prototyping and development.
Free open source.
C++ based engine that should easily port to x86 Android devices.
Example: https://market.android.com/details?id=lyde.sik.gravity

Unigine – http://unigine.com/products/unigine/

3D cross platform (Windows, Linux, Max, PS3, iOS, Android)
Physics, scripting, etc. Unclear what features are supported for mobile.
Evaluation available to companies working on commercial projects. License purchase required.
C++ based engine that should easily port to x86 Android devices.
Example: http://www.demolicious-game.com/

Gideros Studio – http://www.giderosmobile.com/

2D cross platform (iPhone iPad, Android) game engine.
Write Lua code in provided IDE, iterate on PC with simulator.
Features include Box2d physics engine, fonts, sprites, tile maps and sensor integration.
Free version includes Gideros Splash screen, licensed version removes it.
iPhone example: http://itunes.apple.com/app/tim-the-timber/id417301495?mt=8

Candroidengine – http://code.google.com/p/candroidengine/

2D Java engine.
Sprites, tile animation, background APIs, etc.
Dalvik only engine that should work on all architectures.
Full source code available for free.

Mages Engine – http://code.google.com/p/mages/

multiplayer client/server game engine
Java engine that should work on all architectures.
Full source code available for free.

Unreal Development kit – http://udk.com/

Android support coming at a future date.

Rokon – http://code.google.com/p/rokon/

2D engine indicates it will soon start up again as Rokon 3 and will be built upon libgdx.

The great thing about Android on x86 is that it opens a new class of devices for all of the games built on these engines. Unfortunately not all these game engines have support for x86 native binaries but it’s probably just a matter of time. x86 support is available in the latest Android NDK. Porting to x86 for some of these engines may simply be a recompile. We have created a couple of documents to guide you and have forums available to help along the way.

I hope this list helps those thinking about writing an Android game by providing some details of the choices available. Ideally I will try to update this article with the latest information as it develops, but please feel free to post comments about game engines I did not come across or any updated information you find.