The GameMaker engine series behind Undertale, Hotline Miami and Spelunky is going free for commercial use on PC
YoYo Games will let developers commercially publish games made with the latest GameMaker tools on PC, web and mobile without paying for a Professional licence from 1 January 2027. The change lowers the cost of releasing games made with the engine, which has been used for well-known independent titles including Undertale, Hotline Miami and Spelunky.
GameMaker, a roughly 26-year-old toolset focused mainly on 2D games, has been free for non-commercial PC use since 2023. Console exports will still require an Enterprise licence and approval as a developer, with existing tier pricing unchanged. Current Professional licence holders can continue selling games made with the existing GMS2 runtime and will also gain access to its source code.
In short
- Commercial PC, web and mobile releases become free from 2027.
- Console exports will still require an Enterprise licence.
- GameMaker has powered Undertale, Hotline Miami and Spelunky.
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The case for
Removing fees for commercial PC, web and mobile releases could lower the barrier for independent developers, especially those with limited funds, and help more people bring games to market. Keeping console exports behind an Enterprise licence preserves a paid route for access to specialised platform support while making the core tools more accessible.
The case against
A free commercial tier could make it harder for competing tools or smaller engine providers to sustain themselves if developers shift to GameMaker, potentially reducing choice over time. The console licensing requirement also means developers seeking a broad, multi-platform release still face costs and approval hurdles, so the change may offer less benefit to studios whose plans include consoles.