Game Development · head to head
CryEngine vs Aseprite
CryEngine
Game Development
Build worlds, break limits. Professional game development engine.
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Aseprite
Game Development
Animated sprite editor and pixel art tool
- From
- $19.99/once
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only CryEngine has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: CryEngine a royalty of 5% of Gross Receipts is payable to Crytek on every game built with CRYENGINE; Aseprite a one-off purchase with no free tier, only a trial
- They diverge on capability: CryEngine covers Advanced graphics, Aseprite covers Pixel art tools.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which CryEngine and Aseprite actually diverge.
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Game Development).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in CryEngine
- Advanced graphics
- Physics engine
- AI system
- Animation tools
- Flow Graph visual scripting
- C++ and Lua support
- Entity component system
- Sandbox editor
Only in Aseprite
- Pixel art tools
- Animation timeline
- Onion skinning
- Layers
- Tilemap editor
- Color palettes
- Sprite sheets
- Scripting (Lua)
Both cover
- Local deployment
- Windows support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
CryEngine
- Building photorealistic first person and open world games with real time global illuminationnot Aseprite
- Developing with full engine source code accessnot Aseprite
- Sandbox based level design with what you see is what you get exportnot Aseprite
Aseprite
- Pixel art creation for gamesnot CryEngine
- Frame-by-frame sprite animationnot CryEngine
- Exporting sprite sheets and GIFsnot CryEngine
- Scripting repetitive export tasks through the command linenot CryEngine
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
CryEngine
- A royalty of 5% of Gross Receipts is payable to Crytek on every game built with CRYENGINE
- Royalties are waived only on the first USD 5,000.00 of Gross Receipts per year per game
- Royalties are calculated at source on gross receipts before any publisher or platform deductions, so a developer receiving 70% of USD 100,000 still owes USD 4,750
- Military projects, gambling, simulation, science, architecture and serious games are excluded from the standard licence and are not covered as Games
- The licence forbids combining CRYENGINE with code from other game engine providers
- Supported platforms are limited to those Crytek announces at its sole discretion, listed in the agreement as Windows, Linux, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One
- Support is only provided against payment of a separate Support Fee that Crytek may change at its sole discretion
- Crytek may modify the licence agreement at any time, with the only remedy for disagreement being to stop using CRYENGINE
Aseprite
- A one-off purchase with no free tier, only a trial
- Deliberately narrow: a pixel art and sprite animation editor rather than a general image editor
- The site does not state supported platforms or licence terms, which are on GitHub instead
Pricing, plan by plan
CryEngine
Free- FreeFree
- Full engine access
- Source code
- Asset library
Aseprite
$19.99/once- License$19.99/once
- Full feature set
- Free updates
- Commercial use
Which should you pick?
Choose CryEngine if
- You need advanced graphics.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Windows, Playstation, Xbox, Linux.
- You also want physics engine.
Choose Aseprite if
- You need pixel art tools.
- You work on Windows, Macos, Linux.
- You also want animation timeline.
Questions people ask
- Is CryEngine or Aseprite better?
- Neither clearly leads. CryEngine starts at Free and Aseprite at $19.99/once, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, CryEngine or Aseprite?
- CryEngine has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for CryEngine and $19.99/once for Aseprite.
- Does CryEngine or Aseprite run on more platforms?
- CryEngine runs on Windows, Playstation, Xbox, Linux. Aseprite runs on Windows, Macos, Linux.
- Can I use CryEngine for free?
- Yes. CryEngine has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Aseprite starts at $19.99/once.
- What is CryEngine best used for?
- CryEngine is most often used for building photorealistic first person and open world games with real time global illumination, developing with full engine source code access, sandbox based level design with what you see is what you get export. Of those, building photorealistic first person and open world games with real time global illumination and developing with full engine source code access are not what Aseprite is typically brought in for.
- What can CryEngine do that Aseprite cannot?
- CryEngine covers Advanced graphics, Physics engine, AI system, Animation tools. Aseprite covers Pixel art tools, Animation timeline, Onion skinning, Layers. Both handle Local deployment, Windows support.