S
Solar2D
Solar2D is a powerful and completely free 2D game engine, forked from the well-established Corona SDK.
Our verdict
Who it's for
Build cross-platform 2D games with a fast, open-source, Lua-based engine.
Who should look elsewhere
Relies on Lua, which might require learning a new language for some developers
Pros
- +Completely free with no royalties or hidden fees
- +Fast iteration and development with instant updates
- +Supports a wide range of platforms from a single codebase
- +Strong community support and open-source nature
- +Production-ready, based on a mature engine (Corona SDK)
Cons
- −Relies on Lua, which might require learning a new language for some developers
- −Primarily focused on 2D games, not suitable for 3D projects
- −Development is community-sponsored, which might impact long-term stability without consistent funding
Key features
- ✓Cross-platform development (iOS, tvOS, Android, Android TV, macOS, Windows, Linux, HTML5)
- ✓Instant-update simulator
- ✓Live builds for rapid testing on devices
- ✓Extensive plugin ecosystem (in-app advertising, analytics, media)
- ✓Native library integration (C/C++/Obj-C/Java)
- ✓Lua-based scripting
- ✓Open-source (MIT license)
- ✓Privacy-aware (no tracking or data gathering)
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Billing | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Completely free | — | month | No hidden fees, charges, or royalties; Cross-platform development (iOS, tvOS, Android, Android TV, macOS, Windows, Linux, HTML5); Fast build and instant-update Simulator |