1. The list
| # | Tool | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Godot | 2D and 3D engine, open source |
| 2 | Blender | 3D modeling, rigging and animation |
| 3 | Krita | Painting, textures, concept art |
| 4 | Audacity | Editing and recording sound |
| 5 | Tiled | 2D tile maps |
| 6 | LDtk | Modern 2D level design |
| 7 | Mixamo | Auto-rigging and animation library |
| 8 | Material Maker | Procedural materials |
| 9 | Piskel | Quick pixel art in the browser |
| 10 | itch.io free packs | Prototype art and audio: see our free assets |
Prices and terms change, so check each site. Full list with 30+ tools: game dev tools.
2. Add a plan and a checklist
Tools do not finish games, plans do. Use our free launch checklist, kanban board and the engine picker guide.
Questions
Yes. Many shipped games use Godot, Blender and Krita. Check each tool's licence for your case.
Who wrote this
Imersa Studios builds the Unity systems, low poly packs and field guides sold on itch.io. The code and techniques here come from shipping those products. More about the studio.