head to head · open source
GDevelop vs Descent3
GDevelop has 27,746 GitHub stars, 1,602 forks, 633 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Descent3 has 3,019 stars, 293 forks, 45 open issues and last shipped 1 months ago. GDevelop leads on adoption by 819% (27,746 vs 3,019 stars). GDevelop is written in JavaScript under a custom or non-standard licence; Descent3 is written in C++ under GPL-3.0. GDevelop has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, Descent3 10%. GDevelop was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (game-engine), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| GDevelop | Descent3 | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 28K | ★ 3.0K |
| License | Custom / other | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-10-19 | 2026-09-16 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.6K | ⑂ 293 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick GDevelop if
- You weight community size — 28K stars and counting
- You want the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Descent3 if
- You want the Descent3 feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and Descent3 fits your workflow better
About GDevelop
GDevelop is a full featured, no code, open source game development software. You can build 2D, 3D and multiplayer games for mobile (iOS, Android), desktop and the web. GDevelop is designed to be fast and incredibly intuitive: make games using an easy to understand yet powerful event based system and modular behaviors. Create with AI that assists or builds alongside you. Getting started Are you interested in contributing to GDevelop for the first time? Take a look at the list of good first issues , good first contributions or the "🏐 not too hard" cards on the Roadmap. Games made with GDevelop Find GDevelop games…
read the full GDevelop overview →
About Descent3
This is the Descent 3 open source engine, licensed under GPL 3.0. It includes the '1.5' patch written by Kevin Bentley and Jeff Slutter several years ago and brought to a stable condition by the Descent community. In order to use this, you must provide your own game files. See the USAGE.md file for details about installation. To build the game, follow build instructions in the BUILD.md file. Build or runtime issues should be reported on our GitHub tracker. Contributing Anyone can contribute! We have an active Discord presence at Descent Developer Network. Patches should be submitted on GitHub.…
read the full Descent3 overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is GDevelop or Descent3 more popular?
GDevelop has 27,746 GitHub stars and Descent3 has 3,019. GDevelop has the larger community by that measure.
Are GDevelop and Descent3 free?
Both are open source. GDevelop has no licence declared in this registry, and Descent3 is licensed under GPL-3.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between GDevelop and Descent3?
GDevelop is written in JavaScript and Descent3 in C++. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, GDevelop or Descent3?
Choose GDevelop if you want the larger community (27,746 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose Descent3 if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.