Making a Multiplayer Game: Construct 3 vs. Godot vs. Unity

Over the past few years, indie multiplayer games have surged to the forefront of the gaming world. From viral couch-co-op titles and chaotic party brawlers to deep survival games, players increasingly expect shared online experiences. However, stepping from single-player development into multiplayer game creation is one of the most significant technical hurdles a developer can face. Unlike single-player games, where your local hardware tracks every state, online multiplayer requires managing network latency, state synchronization, client prediction, and lag compensation across separate devices around the globe.

Selecting the right engine early in your development process can mean the difference between launching a smooth multiplayer title and fighting endless architectural battles. Construct 3, Godot Engine, and Unity each represent distinct philosophies in game development, offering vastly different balances between accessibility, performance, ownership costs, and networking depth.

In this article, we break down these three popular game engines side-by-side. We will examine their histories, learning curves, cost structures, and underlying networking capabilities so you can confidently pick the right foundation for your project, budget, and team size.

Construct 3

• Subscription payments
• Beginner (No-Code / Visual Event Sheets)
• 2D browser engine
• Fast browser prototyping with zero server setup
• No 3D support, client-authoritative P2P (vulnerable to cheating)

Godot Engine

• Open-sourced in 2014 | 100% Free
• Intermediate (GDScript / C#)
• 2D & lightweight 3D
• Smaller plugin ecosystem, less mature enterprise 3D hosting

Unity

• Commercial standard since 2005
• Intermediate to Advanced
• 2D & 3D cross-platform
• Battle-tested scalability, massive asset store, cross-platform depth
• Steeper learning curve, heavy project footprint

Construct 3

Construct 3 represents a unique evolution in the game engine landscape. Developed by Scirra, the engine originally debuted as desktop software with Construct 1 and 2 before transitioning into a fully web-browser-based HTML5 development environment with Construct 3 in 2017. By removing installation hurdles and moving the editor directly into the browser, Scirra positioned Construct 3 as one of the most accessible game creation platforms available today.

Construct 3 is tailored primarily for beginners, designers, and fast prototypers who prefer a code-free workflow. Instead of traditional programming languages, the engine relies on an intuitive visual "Event Sheet" system using block-based logic, though developers can write custom JavaScript for advanced features. In terms of pricing, Construct 3 operates on a subscription model starting around $120 per year for personal licenses, with higher tiers for businesses. While there are no royalties or revenue cuts taken from your game sales, there is no option for a permanent lifetime license.

Pros and Cons

When it comes to networking, Construct 3 relies on a built-in WebRTC plugin backed by Scirra’s hosted signaling servers. This setup allows developers to establish peer-to-peer connections between players with minimal configuration, making it remarkably easy to synchronize player positions, scores, and game states without setting up custom backend infrastructure. The primary advantage of this approach is rapid iteration—you can build and playtest a working 2D multiplayer prototype in a single afternoon. However, this ease of use comes with distinct trade-offs. The default peer-to-peer architecture is client-authoritative, making it vulnerable to cheating in competitive environments. Furthermore, Construct 3 is strictly optimized for 2D games, meaning it cannot scale if your ambition eventually expands into 3D environments.

Best Use Cases

Construct 3 shines brightest when building casual 2D multiplayer games, turn-based card or strategy titles, local co-op games adapted for online play, and web-first party games designed for instant browser play. Several prominent titles began their journeys or achieved commercial success on the platform, including the original web build of Vampire Survivors, The Next Penelope, and the acclaimed narrative puzzle game There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension.

Godot Engine ( Open-Source )

Godot Engine originated in 2007 as an in-house tool created by Juan Linietsky and Ariel Manzur before being released to the public under the permissive MIT open-source license in 2014. Over the years, Godot has grown from a niche community project into one of the most respected indie game engines in the industry. A major turning point occurred with the release of Godot 4, which completely overhauled the engine's high-level networking system and modernized its core capabilities.

Godot requires an intermediate level of programming knowledge, as developers write game logic using GDScript—a Python-like language designed specifically for the engine—or C#. Advanced developers can also leverage C++ for performance-critical systems. What sets Godot apart from almost every commercial alternative is its financial model: it is 100% free and open-source under the MIT license. There are no upfront fees, no monthly subscriptions, and zero royalties regardless of how much revenue your game generates. You maintain complete ownership of your game source code and project assets.

Pros and Cons

Godot 4 introduced a powerful node-based networking architecture that dramatically simplifies multiplayer development. Through built-in nodes like MultiplayerSynchronizer and MultiplayerSpawner, developers can automatically synchronize node properties and spawn objects across connected clients directly from the editor inspector without writing extensive networking boilerplate code. Under the hood, Godot supports ENet UDP networking, WebSockets, and WebRTC. The primary advantages of Godot are its zero-cost model, its ultra-lightweight footprint (the entire editor is around 100 MB with instant start times), and its flexible architecture. On the downside, while 2D and peer-to-peer networking are robust, Godot's built-in tools for managing large-scale 3D dedicated servers, cloud matchmaking, and anti-cheat integrations are still maturing, and its third-party plugin ecosystem is smaller than Unity's.

Best Use Cases

Godot is ideal for developers building 2D or lightweight 3D indie multiplayer games, peer-to-peer co-op experiences, and self-hosted server projects where full codebase control and zero royalty obligations are top priorities. The engine has powered a growing library of acclaimed commercial hits, including Brotato, Dome Keeper, Cassette Beasts, and the cult hit Cruelty Squad.

Unity

First released by Unity Technologies in 2005, Unity transformed how games are built by making multi-platform deployment accessible to developers of all sizes. Over the past two decades, the engine has evolved into the dominant commercial platform for game development, expanding from early browser plugins to power major releases across mobile, PC, consoles, and VR devices. Its networking capabilities have undergone continuous iteration, growing from legacy UNet systems into modern first-party frameworks designed for scalable, live-service multiplayer games.

Unity demands an intermediate to advanced skill level, requiring developers to write game code in C# using object-oriented programming principles and component-based design patterns. In terms of pricing, Unity uses a tiered subscription model dictated by studio revenue. Developers making less than $200,000 per year can use Unity Personal for free. Studios exceeding that threshold must upgrade to Unity Pro or Enterprise seat licenses. Additionally, Unity permanently eliminated its proposed Runtime Fee, ensuring developers can publish without facing per-install charges.

Pros and Cons

Unity offers the most extensive networking ecosystem of the three engines. Developers can choose from official solutions like Netcode for GameObjects or Netcode for Entities, or opt for popular third-party frameworks such as Photon Fusion, Mirror, or FishNet. It also natively integrates with Unity Gaming Services for backend infrastructure like lobbies, matchmaking, and relay hosting. The main advantages of Unity are its unmatched cross-platform versatility, battle-tested dedicated server support, and a vast Asset Store filled with pre-built networking plugins. On the downside, Unity carries a steeper learning curve, a heavier project footprint, and higher production complexity compared to Construct 3 or Godot.

Best Use Cases

Unity is best suited for 3D multiplayer games, competitive action titles requiring high player counts, cross-platform releases targeting PC and consoles, and projects that need dedicated server hosting. It has been used to create some of the most successful multiplayer games of the last decade, including Among Us, Fall Guys, Valheim, Rust, Phasmophobia, and Risk of Rain 2.