💻 Coding · 🛠️ Making games
Godot Engine
By Godot Foundation and open-source contributors. Visit Godot Engine
Desk research from the maker's own pages. Not yet tried by us. Checked 2026-10-24.
A free, open-source 2D and 3D game engine used by hobbyists and professional studios. Kids build games from nodes and scenes and write code in GDScript, a beginner-friendly language similar to Python, or C#. Games export to Windows, Mac, Linux, phones and the web. There is no account, no store to buy from, and no fee ever. It is a real programming tool, best for teens ready to type code.
Our take: A great free choice for teens who are ready to type real code; younger beginners should start with Scratch, GDevelop or Roblox Studio.
Checked in a browser
A browser check on 2026-10-25: what loads, the ads and trackers we saw, and what a child meets first. Not a hands-on test.
| Child safety: 4 out of 5 | No ads or chat; many links lead out to game studios, Discord, Reddit and Bluesky. |
|---|---|
| Data: 4 out of 5 | Only Cloudflare Web Analytics, a privacy-light counter, loaded; no cookies were set. |
| Ease: 2 out of 5 | The page is tidy, but Godot is desktop software to download; nothing on the phone lets a child start making a game. |
| Cost honesty: 4 out of 5 | Free and open source; a Donate link is the only money ask. |
What we found
- The first visit contacted 2 third-party hosts (cloudflareinsights.com and godot.foundation) and set 0 cookies.
- The page links out to 28 other sites, including discord.gg, reddit.com, bsky.app and commercial game studios.
- The main button is "Download Latest 4.7.2", a desktop program; the scrolled screen showed developer release notes.
- A Donate link appears at the top of the page.
From the test: A free, nearly tracker-free site for a real game engine, but it is a desktop download for older kids, not something to use on a phone.
| Ages it suits | about 12-18 |
|---|---|
| What its terms say about age | No age rule: the engine needs no account and is released under the MIT license, which lets anyone use it for any purpose. The forum and asset library accounts are optional. (terms) |
| Price | Free. Free forever under the MIT license, including for commercial games; funded by donations (godotengine.org, Oct 2026). |
| Works on | Windows, Mac, Web, Android |
| Account | No account needed |
| Ads | None |
| In-app purchases | None |
| The AI in it | No AI. |
What's good
- Completely free with no account or ads
- Teaches real coding in GDScript or C#
- Light download that runs on modest computers
- Skills carry over to professional game work
Watch for
- Written for adults; tutorials assume some coding
- Typed code is a big jump from block coding
- Community forums and chats are open to all ages
Data and privacy
The engine itself collects only search requests when you browse the built-in Asset Library; optional website accounts collect a username and email. The privacy policy does not mention children. Read the privacy policy.
Does it work?
No study of kids' learning found; it is a general-purpose engine, not a kids' product.
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Where these facts come from
- https://godotengine.org/
- https://godotengine.org/license/
- https://godotengine.org/privacy-policy/
- https://godotengine.org/download/
Prices, terms and features change. Nobody paid to be listed, nothing here is an affiliate link, and Peabody never rates itself. Where we and the maker disagree, the maker's own pages are the ones to trust.