{"id":106148,"date":"2018-08-29T06:10:25","date_gmt":"2018-08-29T04:10:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sftarticles.wpenginepowered.com\/en\/?p=106148"},"modified":"2025-07-01T23:07:12","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T06:07:12","slug":"how-to-make-your-own-games-for-free-with-gamemaker-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/how-to-make-your-own-games-for-free-with-gamemaker-2\/","title":{"rendered":"How to make your own games for free with GameMaker 2"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Ever wanted to create a video game but have no earthly idea where to even start? Maybe you&#8217;re an amateur programmer on a budget looking to make the next Undertale or Nidhogg, or maybe this is your very first foray into designing and coding games.<\/p>\n<p>The process is challenging and requires patience just as much as it requires a strong intuitive interface. That&#8217;s exactly what GameMaker 2 is &#8211; an interface that makes the experience of <strong>creating your own game as simple and streamlined as possible.<\/strong> It&#8217;s an excellent tool for both beginners and experienced coders alike. You can download it for FREE right here:<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-card-program\">\r\n  <div class=\"sc-card-program__body\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row clearfix\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-logo\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-program__img\" alt=\"GameMaker 2\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yoyogames.com\/images\/yoyo_logo_512.png\" width=\"100px\" height=\"100px\">\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-title\">\r\n        <span class=\"sc-card-program__title\">GameMaker 2<\/span>\r\n        <a class=\"sc-card-program__button sc-card-program-internal\" href=\"https:\/\/gamemaker-studio.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Download Free<\/a>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-rating\">\r\n        <svg class=\"rating-score__content\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.1\" x=\"0\" y=\"0\" viewbox=\"0 0 50 50\" enable-background=\"new 0 0 50 50\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><path class=\"rating-score__background rating-score--good\" fill=\"none\" stroke-width=\"6\" stroke-miterlimit=\"10\" d=\"M40 40c8.3-8.3 8.3-21.7 0-30s-21.7-8.3-30 0 -8.3 21.7 0 30\"><\/path><path class=\"rating-score__value rating-score__value--80\" fill=\"none\" stroke-width=\"6\" stroke-dashoffset=\"80\" stroke-miterlimit=\"10\" d=\"M40 40c8.3-8.3 8.3-21.7 0-30s-21.7-8.3-30 0 -8.3 21.7 0 30\"><\/path><text class=\"rating-score__number\" content=\"8\" text-anchor=\"middle\" transform=\"matrix(1 0 0 1 25 31.0837)\" data-auto=\"app-user-score\">8<\/text><\/svg>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row\">\r\n      <span class=\"sc-card-program__description\"><\/span>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row\">\r\n      <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-program__bigpic\" src=\"\" onerror=\"this.style.display='none'\">\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <a class=\"sc-card-program__link track-link sc-card-program-internal\" href=\"https:\/\/gamemaker-studio.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n<h3>What is GameMaker 2?<\/h3>\n<p>GameMaker 2 is a freely downloadable program in which users can make their own games. What kind of games?<\/p>\n<p>Any, really, but you&#8217;ll mostly see platformers, adventure games, and shooters. For examples of games that were created using GameMaker,\u00a0you can check out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yoyogames.com\/showcase\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">this list!<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Do I need to know how to code?<\/h3>\n<p>Coding is advised and would certainly help speed along the process but no, it isn&#8217;t 100% necessary. GameMaker 2 has two different ways for you to design what happens: Traditional coding, or Drag and Drop.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-106149 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/08\/DragAndDropCodingEDITED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"710\" height=\"486\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/08\/DragAndDropCodingEDITED.jpg 710w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/08\/DragAndDropCodingEDITED-300x205.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 710px) 100vw, 710px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Coding allows for tighter, more adjustable control over what happens to the objects and characters you create, but it is not wholly required. Upon creating an asset in your game, you can choose from a wide variety of features that you&#8217;d like your asset to do, as well as the contextual action that triggers it.<\/p>\n<h3>Do I need to know how to draw or animate? What about audio?<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_106150\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-106150\" style=\"width: 1328px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-106150 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/08\/FreeSprites.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1328\" height=\"695\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/08\/FreeSprites.jpg 1328w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/08\/FreeSprites-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/08\/FreeSprites-768x402.jpg 768w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/08\/FreeSprites-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/08\/FreeSprites-1200x628.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1328px) 100vw, 1328px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-106150\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">https:\/\/marketplace.yoyogames.com\/assets\/1178\/metal-hero-bros-sprite-pack<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Again, knowing how to make your own images and audio is certainly helpful, and will give your game a unique individuality, but it is not needed to make a game. There&#8217;s a variety of mostly free images and animations that you can use without worry regarding copyright infringement. You can check out the catalogs both\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/marketplace.yoyogames.com\/category\/1\/sprites\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">here<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/marketplace.yoyogames.com\/browse\/most_popular?filter=free\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">here<\/a>. As for sound, anything you download from <a href=\"https:\/\/freesound.org\/browse\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Freesound <\/a>is always 100% legal and completely free of charge.<\/p>\n<p>Remember, too, that your game doesn&#8217;t have to look like a AAA masterpiece &#8211; it just needs to be wicked fun! Check out Nidhogg, for example:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"840\" height=\"473\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WsFSXvhGBkM?start=75&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; encrypted-media\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3>What are the basics?<\/h3>\n<p>While there are crash courses for beginners out there, we&#8217;ll cover some of the most basic terminology here and now:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-106151 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/08\/Sprites.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"739\" height=\"691\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/08\/Sprites.jpg 739w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/08\/Sprites-300x281.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 739px) 100vw, 739px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Open up GameMaker 2 and you&#8217;ll see a column of game elements on the left. Click these to start creating and adding these elements to your game.<\/p>\n<h3>What&#8217;s some of this terminology?<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Sprite:<\/strong> A sprite is any kind of image in your project. This can also be an animation if it has multiple frames. It has a point of origin that determines where its center will be, and that will be referred to later on during the coding.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-106154 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/08\/SpriteWindowEDITED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1028\" height=\"722\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/08\/SpriteWindowEDITED.jpg 1028w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/08\/SpriteWindowEDITED-300x211.jpg 300w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/08\/SpriteWindowEDITED-768x539.jpg 768w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/08\/SpriteWindowEDITED-1024x719.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1028px) 100vw, 1028px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Like we said, you do not have to have any artistic skill to make a sprite; you can easily import them from external .pngs, .jpgs, or plug-ins. Take some from the library we linked to above! Once you have a sprite uploaded you can use GameMaker&#8217;s own image editor to tweak and change the image files.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Object:\u00a0<\/strong>While the sprite is the image of any given asset in your game, the actual asset itself is the object.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-106155 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/08\/ObjectWindow.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1172\" height=\"604\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/08\/ObjectWindow.jpg 1172w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/08\/ObjectWindow-300x155.jpg 300w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/08\/ObjectWindow-768x396.jpg 768w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/08\/ObjectWindow-1024x528.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1172px) 100vw, 1172px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>This refers to the code pertaining to the specific characters, bullets, or platforms, anything really. Objects also extend to elements such as simple game logic and interactivity.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Event:<\/strong>\u00a0Events are actions that exist within an object in the game. Simply put, it&#8217;s anything that triggers the object to carry out with specific lines of its coding.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-106156 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/08\/Events.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"897\" height=\"549\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/08\/Events.jpg 897w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/08\/Events-300x184.jpg 300w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/08\/Events-768x470.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 897px) 100vw, 897px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Events largely happen contextually, such as jumping when the player presses the assigned key, or dying when a certain parameter is met.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Action:<\/strong> The real meat of your design, actions refer to the code describing what should occur when a particular Event comes to pass. &#8220;When a certain event happens, actions can be carried out,&#8221; explains Sean Spalding from YoYoGames.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-106157 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/08\/Coding.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"627\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/08\/Coding.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/08\/Coding-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/08\/Coding-768x401.jpg 768w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/08\/Coding-1024x535.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Actions can easily be implemented via GameMaker&#8217;s default drag and drop mechanics. We recommend foregoing this, however, and instead <strong>writing in your own code<\/strong> using GML (GameMaker Language). This will allow you far more control over the objects, events, and scripts that you&#8217;ll be working with.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Rooms:<\/strong> Lastly, rooms are where your game will take place. The illusion you&#8217;re trying to create is that players are traveling across a linear map, but the reality is that, upon hitting a certain trigger event or object, the code will transfer the player character to the next room you put in the queue.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-106158 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/08\/Room.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1087\" height=\"641\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/08\/Room.jpg 1087w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/08\/Room-300x177.jpg 300w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/08\/Room-768x453.jpg 768w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/08\/Room-1024x604.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1087px) 100vw, 1087px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Rooms are where you bring together all of your objects and resources into a cohesive, playable level.<\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;re brand new to game design, there&#8217;s a lot to learn at first. Our recommendation is to first check out <a href=\"http:\/\/www.yoyogames.com\/learn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">this tutorial video series<\/a> to get you off on the right track.<\/p>\n<p>Follow along, but don&#8217;t try to do it all in one day. Rather, pace yourself through two or three videos at a time, taking notes and work alongside them. The information will stick better that way, and you&#8217;ll be able to more clearly recall the lessons in order.<\/p>\n<p>Best of luck writing your first game. We can&#8217;t wait to see what you come up with!<\/p>\n<!-- Shortcode [playwire] does not match the conditions -->\n<div class=\"sc-related-articles-grey\">\r\n<p class=\"sc-related-articles-grey__title\">More from Softonic<\/p>\r\n  <div class=\"sc-related-articles-grey__row\">\r\n    <a title=\"5 incredible multiplayer games for iOS and Android\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/5-incredible-multiplayer-games-for-ios-and-android\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-related-articles-grey__article\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-related-articles-grey__image\">\r\n        <div style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/04\/david-grandmougin-123135-unsplash.jpg)\"><\/div>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-related-articles-grey__text\">\r\n        <p>5 incredible multiplayer games for iOS and Android<\/p>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <\/a>\r\n    <a title=\"The 10 best free to play games ever\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/forget-fortnite-check-out-the-10-best-free-to-play-games-ever\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-related-articles-grey__article sc-related-articles-grey__article--last\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-related-articles-grey__image\">\r\n        <div style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/04\/fortnite.jpg)\"><\/div>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-related-articles-grey__text\">\r\n        <p>The 10 best free to play games ever<\/p>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div class=\"sc-related-articles-grey__row\">\r\n    <a title=\"10 best action games for your bucket list\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/10-best-action-games-for-your-bucket-list\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-related-articles-grey__article\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-related-articles-grey__image\">\r\n        <div style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/02\/image8.jpg)\"><\/div>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-related-articles-grey__text\">\r\n        <p>10 best action games for your bucket list<\/p>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <\/a>\r\n    <a title=\"Best video games to play with a partner\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/best-video-games-to-play-with-your-partner\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-related-articles-grey__article sc-related-articles-grey__article--last\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-related-articles-grey__image\">\r\n        <div style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2017\/06\/smash_wii_u-29-1.jpg)\"><\/div>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-related-articles-grey__text\">\r\n        <p>Best video games to play with a partner<\/p>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ever wanted to create your own game? It&#8217;s easier than you think. Check out our tutorial to get started for free!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9155,"featured_media":106161,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","wpcf-pageviews":2},"categories":[2441],"tags":[],"usertag":[784],"vertical":[],"content-category":[],"class_list":["post-106148","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-how-to","usertag-gamer"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106148","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9155"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=106148"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106148\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":327467,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106148\/revisions\/327467"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/106161"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=106148"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=106148"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=106148"},{"taxonomy":"usertag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/usertag?post=106148"},{"taxonomy":"vertical","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vertical?post=106148"},{"taxonomy":"content-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content-category?post=106148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}