GameMaker makes GMRT free for all developers from January 2027

By Marcus Bennett

Opera-owned GameMaker said its GMRT runtime will become free to use for every developer on January 1, 2027, removing the professional-license requirement for PC, mobile, browser and GX Games releases.

The policy applies to GMRT, the relatively new runtime GameMaker announced in April 2026. It arrived with new types of tooling, including support for workflows that incorporate AI-based programming on Claude Code. Before this change, developers needed a professional license to ship games on GMRT or GMS2, the previously existing runtime.

The free runtime does not cover console distribution. PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2 releases still require an enterprise license.

What changes for studios and teams?

From Jan. 1, new and existing teams can use GMRT without buying the professional license for the four covered destinations. The immediate saving is the professional-license cost for developers that would otherwise need one, while teams shipping to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S or Nintendo Switch 2 still need enterprise licensing.

GameMaker says the change gives developers more flexibility and simplifies the commercial model for new projects. That makes GMRT easier to trial for small teams and removes one procurement step for established studios standardizing on the engine.

A GameMaker spokesperson said the policy forms part of the company’s strategy to make indie game development more accessible.

“Developers will have more flexibility in how they work with GameMaker and a simplified commercial model for their new projects,” the spokesperson said.

“The community will also be able to explore GameMaker’s technology, tailor it to their specific project needs, and even potentially contribute to it.”

Developers who already hold a professional license can keep distributing games with GMS2 and retain access to the GMS2 runtime source code. The announcement links that source-code access to existing professional licenses. It does not announce an open-source release of GMRT.

Engine vendors chase faster development

The announcement arrives as engine platforms take diverging routes after Unity’s 2023 Runtime Fee fiasco. The common aim is faster game development, and the latest changes put AI-assisted coding and remote iteration near the center.

• Unity and Epic Games have announced LLM-based coding support in the next versions of their engines. Unity is also exploring a browser portal that would let developers update builds without launching the full Unity development studio.
• Epic Games plans to deprecate Blueprints in favor of Verse, a coding language designed for LLM-driven coding workflows often referred to as vibe coding. Epic also plans to fully merge Unreal Engine with Unreal Engine for Fortnite, or UEFN.

GameMaker retains its 2D proposition

Indie developers have flocked to open-source Godot, whose popularity has increased. Developers often praise Godot for moving quickly from the scene editor to a scene preview, reducing friction during prototyping. GameMaker’s developer affection remains steady, and it remains a capable tool for high-quality 2D games.

The licensing move lowers adoption friction. Studios already using GameMaker can standardize new projects on GMRT, while developers comparing engines can assess GMRT against Godot, Unity and Unreal Engine at no runtime charge.

Developers can visit the company website for more on Godot’s offerings and GameMaker’s GMRT plans.

January 1, 2027 is the date that matters operationally: studios should verify their GMRT export setup for every intended platform and budget for any required console enterprise license before committing to launch dates.