GameMaker goes free for commercial PC releases in 2027
YoYo Games will let developers publish paid GameMaker titles on PC at no license cost from January 2027, per Rock Paper Shotgun.
Edited by Dot Matrix, Editor-in-Chief
YoYo Games will let creators publish commercial games made with GameMaker on PC at no license cost from 1 January 2027, according to Rock Paper Shotgun.1
The platform shift ends the old rule that a Professional license was required to sell or monetise a GameMaker project on PC, while web and mobile free export already sat alongside that path. Console releases still need a paid Enterprise license and approved-developer status, the outlet reports.1
For the indie circuit this is red-carpet news. GameMaker powered the likes of Toby Fox’s Undertale, Dennaton Games’ Hotline Miami, Derek Yu’s Spelunky, Heart Machine’s Hyper Light Drifter, and Vlambeer’s Nuclear Throne—the very titles that taught a generation to treat small teams like headliners.1
The toolset itself stretches back roughly 26 years and has long favoured approachable 2D work for newer programmers. Its latest Runtime build is pushing harder into 3D, Rock Paper Shotgun notes, without rewriting the welcome mat that first drew those studios in.1
Community developer Ross Manthorpe spelled out the practical handoff on the official site. Holders of a current Professional license keep commercial rights on the existing GMS2 runtime and gain access to that runtime’s source code; tier prices otherwise stay put. In his words, “There will be no changes to existing tier pricing.”1
YoYo Games had already opened the tools for non-commercial PC use in November 2023. The January 2027 date simply lifts the commercial gate on PC, leaving the console gate locked behind Enterprise approval.1
The ballroom doors on PC swing wider next year—watch which newcomers claim the floor.