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GameMaker Studio Standard Is Now Completely Free

GameMaker Studio Standard is now completely free. This version of the popular 2D game development engine previously cost $49.99 and removed various limitations on the trial version of GameMaker Studio. The previous limited trial version has now been retired.

Recent promotions made GameMaker Studio Standard freely available for short periods of time, introducing thousands of new developers to the software. The success of these promotions likely influenced the decision to make GameMaker Studio Standard completely free. GameMaker is currently used by 1.2+ million active developers monthly and has fueled various success stories.

gamemaker-studio-standard-free

Users that download GameMaker Studio Standard may go on to purchase other tiers of the software, including the Professional edition or the Master Collection. These versions add support for exporting games to iOS, Android, HTML5, Mac OS X, PlayStation, and more.

Some notable changes have been made to GameMaker Studio Standard as part of this transition. Previously, exporting to Windows 8 and Mac OS X was included by default in GameMaker Studio Standard but that is no longer the case.

Concerning users who previously bought GameMaker Studio Standard, head of development Mike Dailly said, “If you bought GameMaker Studio in any shape or form, you’ll keep the exports you got as part of your purchase. So those who bought Standard previously, will keep the Mac export that was part of their purchase – same for Pro users.”

Additionally, games made in GameMaker Studio Standard will now include a “made with GameMaker” splashscreen in game, and you will need to register the software using an active email address.

Download GameMaker Studio Standard for free »
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What do you think?

19 Comments

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  1. Help me out here. My son is asking us for a desktop version of Game Master, is that the same thing as Game Maker? When I googled Game Master, all I could find is stuff about Game Maker.

  2. I have GM 8.0 pro – how does that compare to this version of GM? ’cause I only payed about 39 or 49$ and it can do everything I need it to do.

    Also one question, If I need to reinstall the version I have now, but I can’t remember the password, How do I get that? Thank you

  3. I work had been using GameMaker to teach game basics for Windows 8 in high schools and universities as a publish target using the Windows 8 export as part of my Microsoft job. With no educational plans I can find, and $99 being too much for high school kids, I’ll probably have to switch to unity3d free version. The goal of my sessions is to get students to publish. Tough run for students with a $100 entry price. How about something for educational institutions?

  4. well I bet Unity and unreal influenced that, but still not enough, I used Unity free for iOS and Android and made a great looking game without paying a penny, this game got successful and I was able to afford buying all Unity pro licenses, see the point?
    Its very hard to make money out of a windows game, just make iOS and Android free, with some advanced features accessible in the pro version.

  5. Looking at the feature list, I get the impression that the new Standard version cannot export to anything. If so, why would anyone want this Standard version, free or not?

    • Standard exports to Windows by creating executable/installation files. The main reason you’d want Standard as opposed to the previous free version is that there is no longer any restriction on the number of resources that you can include in a project. Before, there was a very strict limit that made the free version almost unusable.

  6. I have been enjoying my experiences with GameMaker so much that I was about to part w/ $50 for Studio Standard. I was thinking of doing it this week! So, Yoyo just lost that money. But, what the hell, I enjoy using it so much that I might part with $99.99 and get the professional version – so, in that case good thinking Yoyo

  7. BOOOO! I hate that now users with GameMaker Studio standard get the splash screen, I feel that if you bought it, you don’t get the advertising…screw you YoYo Games, I’m not updating.

    • I thought that too but it turns out those who previously bought Standard still keep all the features it had and won’t get a splash screen. Only people who get the free version of ‘Standard’ will have the splash screen.
      You’re also allowed to export to mac, but they aren’t.

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