Overview

Unity

Stacks1.8K

Followers1.4K

Votes78

Phaser

Stacks134

Followers173

Votes4

Phaser vs Unity: What are the differences?

Introduction

In this article, we will discuss the key differences between Phaser and Unity. Both Phaser and Unity are popular game development frameworks used by developers to create interactive and engaging games. While both frameworks have their own advantages and disadvantages, understanding their differences can help developers make an informed decision when choosing the right tool for their game development projects.

Programming Language and Platforms: Phaser is an open-source JavaScript framework that allows game development using web technologies such as HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript. It is primarily focused on web-based games and can run on multiple platforms, including desktop and mobile browsers. On the other hand, Unity is a cross-platform game development tool that supports a variety of programming languages such as C#, JavaScript, and Boo. It provides extensive platform support, including Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, and gaming consoles like PlayStation and Xbox.
Learning Curve and Ease of Use: Phaser has a relatively low learning curve, especially for developers familiar with web development technologies like JavaScript. It provides straightforward APIs and a rich documentation, making it easy for developers to get started quickly. Unity, on the other hand, has a steeper learning curve due to its complex interface and extensive features. It requires learning the Unity Editor and its various components, which may take some time for beginners to grasp.
Game Genres and Complexity: Phaser is often preferred for developing 2D games, especially platformers, puzzles, and casual games. It provides robust support for 2D physics, sprites, and tilemaps. Unity, on the other hand, excels in both 2D and 3D game development. It offers sophisticated tools and features for creating complex 3D games with realistic graphics, physics simulations, and special effects.
Asset Store and Community Support: Unity has a vast and thriving community with a dedicated Asset Store, where developers can find a wide range of ready-to-use game assets, plugins, and extensions to enhance their game development process. It also has an active community forum and extensive documentation, providing ample support and resources to developers. While Phaser also has an active community and various plugins available, it may not have the same level of resources and asset availability as Unity.
Deployment and Distribution: Phaser games can be easily deployed on the web and shared as URL links or hosted on web servers. They can also be packaged as standalone applications using tools like Electron or Cordova for distribution on desktop and mobile platforms. Unity, on the other hand, provides more flexibility in deployment options. It can deploy games as web-based applications, as well as standalone applications for various platforms. Additionally, Unity offers built-in support for app stores and publishing to popular gaming platforms.
Cost and Licensing: Phaser is an open-source framework released under the MIT license, making it completely free for commercial and non-commercial use. Developers can freely use, modify, and distribute their Phaser games without any licensing restrictions. Unity, on the other hand, offers different pricing tiers depending on the features and platform support required. While Unity offers a free version with limited features, commercial use and certain advanced features may require purchasing a license or subscribing to Unity's premium plans.

In summary, the key differences between Phaser and Unity lie in their programming language and platform support, learning curve and ease of use, game genre versatility, community support and resources, deployment options, and cost and licensing models. Understanding these differences can help developers choose the right tool for their specific game development requirements.

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Advice on Unity, Phaser

Alexey

Software Engineer / Game Developer at Norlin Games

Jun 11, 2020

Decided

When I started to learn game development, I've tried to use Unity multiple times because it's the most popular option. But never get it worked because of the clunky UI which is very hard to understand for a new user. After some time, I've decided to try UE4 despite there was a lot of rumors that it's "heavy" or requires an AAA team. And suddenly it clicked, everything works as I expecting, UI is clear and much more powerfull, no need to build custom tools to work on the game itself. Blueprints are very helpful for beginners, C++ has a lot of "syntax-sugar" - macroses, a lot of convenient in-engine types for everything. Later while working with Unreal, I've realized it has very consistent roadmap with constant improvements and adding new features. At the same time, each major version update is painless so you can upgrade your project during development to get new features. UE4 is free to use with the full list of features and you only have to pay royalty after getting your first $1 million from the project (and that's just the default case, you can always discuss custom license with an upfront fee, if you want to).

92.3k views92.3k

Comments

Arthur

Software Engineer at Value Industry

Mar 1, 2020

Decided

I chose Unity over Unreal Engine because Unity has a more user friendly UI for beginners looking to learn game development. Additionally, as someone who uses a lot of online resources to learn new languages and tools, I found a lot of tutorials covering game development with Unity as the core engine. This doesn't mean Unreal is not a great choice for game development, I just personally found learning game development much smoother with the amount of resources available with Unity.

89.8k views89.8k

Comments

Detailed Comparison

Unity	Phaser
Unity is the ultimate game development platform. Use Unity to build high-quality 3D and 2D games, deploy them across mobile, desktop, VR/AR, consoles or the Web, and connect with loyal and enthusiastic players and customers.	It is a free open source HTML5 game framework. It uses Pixi.js for WebGL and Canvas rendering across desktop and mobile web browsers. Games can be compiled to iOS and Android apps via 3rd party tools.
Statistics
Stacks 1.8K	Stacks 134
Followers 1.4K	Followers 173
Votes 78	Votes 4
Pros & Cons
Pros 17 Because it's a powerful engine, you can build anything 15 C# language 12 Very Popular 8 Easy to Use 7 Cross Platform Cons 4 Closed source 4 Clunky UI 4 Hard to get started with 3 Requires to build a lot of tools 3 No consistency with updates	Pros 1 WebGL and Canvas rendering 1 Open Source 1 Compile to iOS, Android and native apps 1 JavaScript or TypeScript Cons 4 No GUI

What are some alternatives to Unity, Phaser?

Godot

It is an advanced, feature-packed, multi-platform 2D and 3D open source game engine. It is developed by hundreds of contributors from all around the world.

Unreal Engine

It is a game engine that helps you make games. It is made up of several components that work together to drive the game. Its massive system of tools and editors allows you to organize your assets and manipulate them to create the gameplay for your game.

Gamemaker Studio 2

It has everything you need to take your idea from concept to finished game. With no barriers to entry and powerful functionality.

Panda3D

It is a game engine that includes graphics, audio, I/O, collision detection, and other abilities relevant to the creation of 3D games.

pygame

It is a cross-platform set of Python modules designed for writing video games. It includes computer graphics and sound libraries designed to be used with the Python programming language.

Corona SDK

It is a cross-platform framework ideal for rapidly creating apps and games for mobile devices and desktop systems. It builds rich mobile apps for iOS, Android, Kindle and Nook. Build high quality mobile apps in a fraction of the time.

Buildbox

It is the easiest drag and drop game maker software.Make your own games without coding and export them to iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, PC and Microconsoles.

Amazon Lumberyard

It is a game engine with no royalties or seat fees, frictionless integration with Twitch and AWS, plus much more on the horizon.

AppGameKit

It is an easy to learn game development engine, ideal for Beginners, Hobbyists & Indie developers. It solves many problems caused by mobile device fragmentation. With it you can code your game once and then deploy your game to multiple platforms. Different resolutions and input systems are all easily handled by it.

libGDX

The framework provides an environment for rapid prototyping and fast iterations. Instead of deploying to Android/iOS/Javascript after each code change, you can run and debug your game on the desktop, natively. Desktop JVM features like code hotswapping reduce your iteration times considerably.