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For most small Brazilian studios, shortlist Godot, Unity, Unreal Engine and GameMaker, then choose against your game’s target platforms, team skills, budget and tolerance for licensing changes. Godot is the ownership-predictability choice; Unity is the broad generalist with the strongest reported Brazilian adoption; Unreal suits visually ambitious 3D; and GameMaker is appropriate for tightly scoped 2D projects.
The percentages often quoted for Brazil are not a current census. They come from 2022 data in the BrazilGames/ABRAGAMES industry report published in 2023, and studios could report more than one engine. Use them as a hiring and peer-support signal, not as a reason to ignore your project’s technical or commercial needs.
Quick recommendation by project type
- Choose Godot when an open-source engine and predictable ownership terms matter most, and your target platforms are confirmed supported.
- Choose Unity when you need a mature, general-purpose workflow, broad cross-platform reach and the largest reported base of Brazilian studio users.
- Choose Unreal Engine when high-end 3D presentation and real-time lighting are central to the game, and your team accepts a royalty model above Epic’s stated threshold.
- Choose GameMaker when the project is clearly 2D—such as pixel art, platforming or top-down gameplay—and rapid iteration is more valuable than a broad 3D toolset.
No engine is automatically the cheapest after you include training, contractors, middleware, platform exports, certification work and any revenue-based terms. Build those costs into the decision before production starts.
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What Brazilian adoption data can—and cannot—tell you
The clearest localized benchmark is the BrazilGames/ABRAGAMES industry report, using 2022 studio data and published in 2023. Its percentages overlap because a studio may use multiple engines.
#1 Best Overall
| Engine | Brazilian studios reporting use (2022) | What the figure is useful for |
|---|---|---|
| Unity | About 80% | Strongest reported local signal for shared experience, learning material and potential hiring. |
| Unreal Engine | 25% | Evidence of a significant, though smaller, local 3D and real-time production base. |
| GameMaker | 5.5% | A smaller but visible footprint for focused 2D development. |
| Godot | 5.5% | An early local adoption signal for an open-source workflow. |
These are dated industry observations, not a 2026 market-share measurement. They also do not measure job quality, engine proficiency, project success or the number of Brazilian freelancers who work remotely for foreign studios. Treat the Unity figure as a practical ecosystem signal, not proof that Unity is best for every game.
The decision criteria that matter for a small studio
1. Game shape: 2D, stylized 3D or high-fidelity 3D
A 2D game usually benefits from a focused editor and a short iteration loop. A high-fidelity 3D game places greater demands on lighting, materials, animation, world building and performance tooling. Decide which category describes the shipped game—not the most ambitious idea on your design document.
2. Release platforms
List every intended target: desktop, mobile, web and each console family. An engine can be technically capable while your team still lacks an approved export path, middleware integration or console-development agreement. Confirm export availability, platform SDK access, input handling, store requirements and certification workflow for the exact edition and release date you plan to use.
3. Team skills and hiring
Map your current skills to the engine’s main workflow: C# is commonly associated with Unity, C++ and visual scripting are central considerations for Unreal teams, and GDScript is associated with Godot. GameMaker’s focused 2D workflow can reduce the amount of engine-specific code a small team must learn. The best choice is often the one your core team can debug under deadline pressure, not the one with the longest feature list.
4. Licensing and ownership exposure
Separate four questions: whether the editor has a seat or subscription cost, whether revenue triggers a payment, whether console access requires separate agreements, and whether third-party assets or middleware add their own terms. A predictable engine license does not make every part of a shipped game free of charge.
Rank #2
5. Ecosystem and support
Check the availability of plugins, asset pipelines, localization tools, analytics, networking, source code access, documentation and experienced contractors. A large ecosystem can shorten production, but it can also create dependency and maintenance work. For a small Brazilian team, local peers and potential hires may matter as much as the global asset catalog.
Godot: the budget-first, open-source option
Godot is the strongest candidate when the studio wants an open-source engine and ownership terms it can understand without building its plan around a vendor’s seat pricing. Godot’s official license says that linking to godotengine.org/license in game documentation or credits is an acceptable way to satisfy the license terms. The same page explains that the license does not apply to content created with Godot and that creators may license their games as they choose.
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Where Godot fits
- A team that wants source availability and a licensing model it can inspect directly.
- A project whose budget cannot absorb unexpected editor-seat charges or a percentage of game revenue.
- A studio willing to validate platform exports, middleware and certification requirements itself before production lock.
What to verify before committing
Do not interpret an open-source engine license as a guarantee that every target platform or service is included. Confirm the exact console export route, required platform-holder agreements, third-party middleware licenses and the support available for your release schedule. Make a small build for each critical platform before art production begins.
Godot trade-off
The ownership story is attractive, but the 2022 Brazilian report recorded Godot in 5.5% of studios, far below Unity’s reported share. That does not measure engine quality; it means you should budget for a smaller local pool of colleagues, contractors and troubleshooting examples.
Unity: the broad generalist with the strongest Brazilian signal
Unity is the safest general-purpose starting point when a studio values a mature cross-platform workflow, a large learning ecosystem and access to the widest reported base of Brazilian users. It is a practical fit for teams that may move between 2D, stylized 3D, mobile and desktop during development.
Why small studios choose it
- The reported Brazilian adoption signal is substantially larger than for the other engines in the 2022 snapshot.
- A generalist workflow can support several project types without changing engines.
- The size of the learning and hiring ecosystem can lower onboarding risk when a contractor joins mid-project.
Plan and contract checks
Unity’s official plans page lists Personal, Pro, Enterprise and Industry offerings and describes Personal as intended for hobbyists and small indie teams. Unity’s Portuguese pricing material records a plan change on January 1, 2025 and distinguishes Industry requirements for non-game applications above US$1 million in company revenue. Because plan eligibility, revenue thresholds, console licensing and commercial terms can change, check the current official terms for your legal entity and intended platforms immediately before signing or shipping.
Unity trade-off
The same ecosystem that makes hiring easier can make a studio more exposed to vendor policy changes. Keep a written record of the plan, package versions, console agreements and third-party dependencies used by the project. That documentation gives you a migration or renegotiation plan if terms change.
Unreal Engine: for ambitious real-time 3D
Unreal Engine is the leading candidate when the game’s value depends on high-fidelity 3D, real-time lighting and presentation that justifies a heavier toolchain. Epic explicitly positions Unreal for independent developers, but a small team still needs enough technical depth to manage larger assets, longer build times and more demanding optimization work.
When Unreal makes sense
- The visual target is a central sales proposition rather than a late polish layer.
- The team can support a workflow involving C++, visual scripting and advanced 3D content production.
- The budget includes time for profiling, build engineering, source-control discipline and platform certification.
Royalty terms to model
Epic’s Portuguese licensing page states that lifetime gross revenue above US$1 million directly attributable to the Unreal Engine product is subject to a 5% royalty, regardless of who receives that revenue. It also states that revenue from the Epic Games Store is royalty-free. “Gross revenue,” the attribution of revenue to the product and the treatment of bundles, services or third-party distribution can have legal and accounting consequences, so obtain a current contract review before launch.
Unreal trade-off
The 2022 Brazilian snapshot showed Unreal in 25% of studios—an important local presence, but not the same hiring depth indicated by Unity’s figure. A team should choose Unreal because its visual and technical requirements justify the toolchain, not simply because it is widely known internationally.
GameMaker: a focused choice for 2D projects
GameMaker belongs on the shortlist when the game is clearly 2D-first. Pixel-art adventures, platformers and top-down games can benefit from a focused workflow that keeps iteration close to the design idea and avoids carrying a broad 3D toolset the project will not use.
Good reasons to select it
- The core game loop is 2D and unlikely to expand into a demanding 3D production.
- The team values rapid experimentation and a compact toolset.
- The release plan does not depend on an export or middleware integration that has not yet been validated.
Commercial and platform checks
The Brazilian report recorded GameMaker in 5.5% of studios in 2022, so local adoption is materially smaller than Unity’s or Unreal’s. Verify current commercial pricing, license scope and console-export terms for the platforms you intend to ship on; those details were not fixed by the 2022 adoption data.
Side-by-side choice guide
| If your priority is… | Start with… | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Predictable ownership and an open-source engine | Godot | The official license lets creators choose how to license their game and does not apply to content created with the engine. |
| A broad general-purpose workflow and Brazilian peer support | Unity | It has the strongest reported Brazilian studio adoption and a mature cross-platform ecosystem. |
| High-end 3D presentation | Unreal Engine | Its toolchain is designed for visually ambitious real-time 3D; model the 5% royalty above Epic’s stated threshold. |
| A tightly scoped 2D game | GameMaker | A focused 2D workflow can reduce production overhead when 3D capabilities are unnecessary. |
A practical selection process for a Brazilian indie team
- Write the shipping brief. State the genre, 2D or 3D presentation, resolution targets, online requirements, first release platform and any later ports. If a console is a firm requirement, name it now.
- Build a licensing worksheet. Record editor plans, revenue triggers, console agreements, middleware fees, asset licenses and the person responsible for checking terms before launch. Use the current vendor contracts, not a remembered price from an older project.
- Map skills and gaps. List who can ship code, tools, art integration, builds and certification in each candidate engine. Price the training or contractor time needed to close the largest gap.
- Create the same vertical slice in two candidates. Implement one representative gameplay loop, import final-format art, save and load, handle controller or touch input, produce a release build and test the most important platform. Compare elapsed time, not just editor impressions.
- Test the failure path. Deliberately remove a package, change a build setting, restore from source control and reproduce a platform-specific bug. A small team needs to know how recoverable ordinary mistakes are.
- Check the production pipeline. Confirm source control, automated or repeatable builds, localization, crash reporting, analytics, asset naming and team permissions. Record every external dependency and its update policy.
- Review the current legal terms. Re-check plan eligibility, royalty definitions, revenue thresholds, console licensing and distribution terms immediately before production lock and again before release.
- Lock the engine with an exit plan. Archive the engine version, package manifest, export settings and build instructions. Keep source assets in portable formats where practical so a future policy change does not leave the studio without options.
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
Choosing by popularity alone
Local adoption is useful for hiring and peer support, but it cannot compensate for a mismatch with the game’s rendering, platform or workflow requirements. Use the Brazilian percentages as one input in the decision worksheet.
Leaving consoles until the end
Console export, platform-holder access, middleware and certification can change the schedule. Validate the intended platform with a small representative build before committing to large-scale content production.
Confusing engine terms with third-party terms
An engine license does not automatically cover asset stores, networking services, payment providers, console SDKs or outsourced tools. Maintain a dependency register and assign someone to review every commercial obligation.
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Ignoring vendor-change risk
Plans, thresholds, pricing and partner programs can change. Save the terms that govern your project, set a review date before launch and estimate the cost of moving builds or renegotiating if the commercial model changes.
Prototyping only the happy path
A scene that runs on a developer workstation is not a shipping pipeline. Include save data, input, localization strings, controller or touch behavior, packaging and at least one recovery-from-error exercise in the prototype.
How to answer the most common team questions
“Godot or Unity for my first game?”
Choose Godot if predictable ownership and an open-source workflow outweigh the value of a larger local ecosystem, and your platforms are confirmed. Choose Unity if you need a broad generalist tool, expect to hire locally or want the strongest reported Brazilian adoption signal. Build a small vertical slice in both when the decision is still uncertain.
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It can be, when high-fidelity 3D is essential to the game’s commercial proposition and the team can carry the heavier production and optimization workload. Include the 5% royalty above Epic’s stated US$1 million lifetime gross-revenue threshold in the financial model, and have the current agreement reviewed before launch.
“Which engine is cheapest?”
There is no universal answer. Godot offers the most predictable engine-ownership posture in the cited license. Unity’s cost depends on current plan eligibility and platform terms. Unreal requires a royalty model above its stated threshold, with Epic Games Store revenue identified as royalty-free. GameMaker’s current commercial and console terms must be checked for the intended release. Compare the complete cost of shipping, not only the editor price.
“Which engine has the most Brazilian job-market value?”
The 2022 BrazilGames/ABRAGAMES snapshot gives Unity the strongest reported studio-adoption signal, followed by Unreal, with GameMaker and Godot each at 5.5%. That is a dated adoption measure, not a live vacancy count, so confirm current opportunities through the communities and employers relevant to your specialty.
Bottom line
Start with Godot for licensing predictability, Unity for the broadest generalist and Brazilian ecosystem, Unreal for high-fidelity 3D, and GameMaker for focused 2D. The winning engine is the one your team can ship on the required platforms while understanding every material cost and contract obligation.
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