GameMaker will make GMRT free for commercial use starting January 1, 2027

GameMaker will make its next-generation runtime, GMRT, free for commercial use on desktop, mobile, web, and GX Games starting January 1, 2027, the company said in an announcement published October 23, 2026.

Until January 1, 2027, developers had to buy a Professional license to sell or monetize GameMaker creations. Rock Paper Shotgun explained that monetizing GameMaker games previously required the paid Professional tier before the change takes effect.

The free commercial terms apply specifically to GMRT rather than every GameMaker runtime version. GameMaker introduced the GMRT architecture in April 2026 as a modernized core engine layer. GMRT has been in open beta across platforms since 2024, with development continuing toward the 2027 release. The open beta gives teams time to benchmark performance and plan releases before commercial export fees drop away in 2027.

For either GMRT or the older GMS2 runtime, exporting games to consoles still requires an Enterprise license and approved-developer status. Console export stays gated behind an Enterprise license and platform-holder approval regardless of runtime, so console developers cannot avoid the paid tier or the approval process. GameMaker said existing licensing tier prices will not change. The company explicitly stated tier pricing is unchanged, so creators who keep paid plans continue paying current rates with no increase.

GameMaker announced a streamlined licensing model, so developers can build and commercially distribute GMRT games without buying a Professional license, as part of a simplified commercial model for new projects.

Current Professional license holders may keep selling games built on the existing GMS2 runtime and will additionally receive GMS2 runtime source code access. GMRT source code will be accessible across every licensing tier. Source-code access across tiers builds on GMRT source access announced earlier in 2026 and lets the community inspect, tailor, and potentially contribute to the engine.

“Developers who currently own the Professional license will still be able to commercially distribute games made on the existing GMS2 runtime,” Ross Manthorpe, a community developer, wrote in a post on GameMaker’s official site explaining what the change means for current Professional license holders.

GMS2 is becoming feature-complete, with future feature requests directed to GMRT. GMRT is intended to replace GMS2 as the primary development focus, so the older runtime moves to maintenance with continued SDK and bug-fix support. The older runtime will keep receiving SDK updates and critical bug fixes through at least the first quarter of 2028.

“From the very beginning, GameMaker has been committed to making game development more accessible and flexible for every creator out there,” said Russell Kay, Head of GameMaker. Kay framed the free commercial GMRT terms and broader source access as an extension of GameMaker’s accessibility goal during the beta rollout.

GameMaker is a series of game creation tools dating back around 26 years, now developed by YoYo Games, which Opera owns. Opera acquired GameMaker in January 2021. The team operates from Dundee, Scotland, and more than 12 million people have downloaded the engine. Opera’s press release described GameMaker as a cross-platform engine publishing natively to Windows, macOS, Ubuntu, Android, iOS, web, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch from one codebase.

YoYo Games announced that GameMaker would be free for non-commercial use on PC in November 2023. Rock Paper Shotgun described the toolset as historically aimed at novice programmers with a 2D focus, while the latest runtime adds 3D capability.

Games built with GameMaker include Undertale, Hotline Miami, Spelunky, Hyper Light Drifter, Nuclear Throne, DELTARUNE, UFO 50, and Katana Zero. The engine’s catalog of well-known 2D indie hits shows its established role in PC and independent development.