Software · head to head
CryEngine vs O3DE
CryEngine
Software
Build worlds, break limits. Professional game development engine.
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: CryEngine a royalty of 5% of Gross Receipts is payable to Crytek on every game built with CRYENGINE; O3DE minimum hardware is a quad-core 2.5 GHz x86 CPU with SSE 4.1, 16 GB RAM and a DirectX 12 or Vulkan GPU with 2 GB VRAM and Shader Model 6.2
- They diverge on capability: CryEngine covers Advanced graphics, O3DE covers 3D graphics rendering.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which CryEngine and O3DE actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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
- AI system
- Flow Graph visual scripting
- C++ and Lua support
- Entity component system
- Sandbox editor
- Visual Studio
- Perforce
Only in O3DE
- 3D graphics rendering
- Modular architecture
- Audio system
- Particle effects
- Material system
- Lighting system
- Visual scripting
- C++
Both cover
- Physics engine
- Animation tools
- Local deployment
- Console 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 O3DE
- Developing with full engine source code accessnot O3DE
- Sandbox based level design with what you see is what you get exportnot O3DE
O3DE
- Building 3D games and simulations on an open source Apache-licensed enginenot CryEngine
- Robotics and industrial simulation using O3DE Gemsnot CryEngine
- Projects that need full engine source access with no royaltynot 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
O3DE
- Minimum hardware is a quad-core 2.5 GHz x86 CPU with SSE 4.1, 16 GB RAM and a DirectX 12 or Vulkan GPU with 2 GB VRAM and Shader Model 6.2
- Raytracing features require Shader Model 6.3
- Disk space required is 40 GB using the prebuilt installer and 100 GB or more when building from source
- Building the engine from source needs 2 GB of RAM per build thread on top of normal system requirements
- On Windows the editor requires Windows 10 version 20H2 or later plus Visual Studio 2019 16.11.x, 2022 17.3.x or 2026 18.0.x with the Game development with C++ workload
- The only primary Linux distribution for the editor is Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, and Ubuntu on 64-bit ARMv8 is experimental
- Linux builds need CMake 3.30.0 or later, which is newer than the 3.22 shipped by default with Ubuntu 22.04
- Wayland support is experimental, requires building from source, and is limited to the Game Launcher with no editor support until O3DE moves to Qt6
- Linux requires a long list of additional apt library packages to be installed before building
Pricing, plan by plan
CryEngine
Free- FreeFree
- Full engine access
- Source code
- Asset library
O3DE
Free- FreeFree
- Full engine
- Modular architecture
- Cross-platform
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 ai system.
Choose O3DE if
- You need 3d graphics rendering.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android, Playstation, Xbox.
- You also want modular architecture.
Questions people ask
- Is CryEngine or O3DE better?
- Neither clearly leads. CryEngine starts at Free and O3DE at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, CryEngine or O3DE?
- CryEngine starts at Free and O3DE at Free.
- Does CryEngine or O3DE run on more platforms?
- CryEngine runs on Windows, Playstation, Xbox, Linux. O3DE runs on Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android, Playstation, Xbox.
- Can I use CryEngine for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- 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 O3DE is typically brought in for.
- What can CryEngine do that O3DE cannot?
- CryEngine covers Advanced graphics, AI system, Flow Graph visual scripting, C++ and Lua support. O3DE covers 3D graphics rendering, Modular architecture, Audio system, Particle effects. Both handle Physics engine, Animation tools, Local deployment, Console deployment.