Choose the Best JavaScript Framework For Game Development

JavaScript is a trusted programming language often used by developers to create interactive web pages. Whether you are looking forward to displaying interactive maps or animations, JavaScript serves all purposes. By using this extremely versatile and powerful language, one can now improve the user experience of a website. It is considered one of the most crucial technologies of WWW or the World Wide Web. Apart from that, it contributes a lot to game development.

Keep reading this blog to explore more about various JavaScript frameworks.

Top 9 JavaScript Frameworks for Game Development

Using JavaScript to develop games might be time-consuming and challenging. In order to make the procedure efficient and more accessible, you can rely on several Java Script frameworks without any second thoughts. Check out this blog for some of the finest gaming frameworks and their pros and cons.

1. Phaser

Phaser is undoubtedly one of the most preferred and popular game-designing frameworks. With the help of Phaser, developers can now create and publish a game cross-platform. Besides that, it is a free, fast, and fun JavaScript framework for WebGL and Canvas. Do you want to create a game for multiple platforms? If yes, choose Phaser and meet your requirements. Starting from complex games to simple games, developers can use Phaser in every case. Also, it allows the developers to grab access to a library along with its code. Keep reading to learn the pros and cons of Phaser at a glance:

Pros:

• Phaser is easy to use and learn.
• It is a great framework that comes with a well-designed structure.
• Phaser has a large community with helpful tutorials and resources.
• It primarily focuses on game development.
• It supports several plugins such as navmesh, phaser-matter-collision, slick-ui plugins, phaser-input, etc.
• Phaser supports both 2D and 3D game development.
• Fast and efficient.

Cons:

• Limited support for multiplayer games.
• When Phaser’s build size for desktop is considered, it is massive.
• Creating a mobile application with Phaser might be difficult.
• Limited support for advanced graphics and effects.
• Handling state management with Phaser can be challenging.

2. Unity

Unity is a widely popular game engine that allows developers to create games for multiple platforms, including desktop, mobile, and console. It is not a JavaScript-specific framework but has extensive support for JavaScript programming. Unity provides a wide range of features, including physics engines, audio, input handling, and more. It also has a large and active community, which provides helpful resources, tutorials, and plugins.

Pros:

• Multiplatform support.
• Extensive features and plugins.
• Large and active community with helpful resources and tutorials.
• Easy to learn and use.
• Powerful and flexible.

Cons:

• The steep learning curve for advanced features.
• It requires significant system resources.
• Expensive licensing for commercial use.

3. Construct 2/3

Construct 2/3 is a popular game development engine with a drag-and-drop interface for easy development. It primarily focuses on 2D game development but also has some 3D capabilities. Construct provides a wide range of features, including physics engines, audio, input handling, and more. It also has a large and active community, which provides helpful resources, tutorials, and plugins.

Pros:

• Easy to use and learn.
• Drag-and-drop interface.
• Large and active community with helpful resources and tutorials.
• Good support for 2D game development.
• Wide range of features and plugins.

Cons:

• Limited support for 3D game development.
• Limited support for advanced graphics and effects.
• Limited flexibility for custom code development.

4. Three.js

Three.js is a popular JavaScript framework used for animating and creating 3D computer graphics. Apart from that, it is also used to create 3D games. Ricardo Cabello released Three.js in 2010. After that, he added some other features such as CanvasRenderer, API design, SVGRenderer, etc. Three.js is an open and free source that is extremely easy to use! Let’s delve deeper to uncover some of the pros and cons of Three.js:

Pros:

• One can easily get started with Three.js; it is easy to learn.
• You will get access to several examples enabling you to use Three.js in no time.
• Three.js has a large community. Plenty of developers out there create third-party extensions and tools with the help of Three.js.
• When it comes to a performance advantage, Three.js is unbeatable.
• Three.js comes well-equipped with built-in PBR or physically-based rendering.
• It is powerful and flexible.
• Three.js supports advanced graphics and effects.

Cons:

• Three.js doesn’t have any rendering pipeline.
• Though it is useful for creating games, Three.js is specifically not a game engine.
• Three.js is geared toward novices. You might only get access to a few hidden features.
• There needs to be more support in Three.js. Developers can face difficulties while dealing with exact ray casting, spatial indexing, and frustum casting.
• It provides limited support for 2D game development.
• Furthermore, it requires significant system resources.

5. Babylon.js

Babylon.js is a simple and powerful rendering framework. It allows you to construct 3D experiences and games with the help of JavaScript, WebVR, WebGL, and Web Audio. Introduced in 2015, Babylon.js was developed by David Rousset and David Catuhe. This framework is trusted by a lot of big brands out there. Now, it’s time to go through their pros and cons without any further ado:

Pros:

• Before dealing with complete game development, you can use their playground tools in the initial stage of the process.
• This framework enjoys active third-party pool development and a frequently updated codebase.
• Babylon.js comes with robust community support. Several users and developers rely on this framework.
• Babylon.js supports PBR rendering.
• It is a well-maintained framework where bugs are fixed in no time.
• Big brands like Microsoft and Adobe use Babylon.js.

Cons:

• When compared to various other competitors, Babylon.js is a novice tool.
• It needs API documentation.
• If you want to work on a smaller project, you might need something other than using Babylon.js.

6. Kiwi.js

A New Zealand-based company called Goodboy Digital Created Kiwi.js. James Hutt and Mat Groves made this lightweight and open-source JavaScript game engine for HTML5 game development, released in 2012.

Here, you will get the scope of designing games for multiple platforms. Kiwi.js is equipped with WebGL rendering as well. If you are looking for a user-friendly tool, opting for Kiwi.js is your best bet. It supports a plethora of functionalities and templates that enable you to update or transform insights on the pre-loaded assets. Let’s learn the pros and cons now:

Pros:

• It has Cross-platform compatibility, which means You can use this JavaScript framework on multiple platforms, including desktop and mobile devices.
• It is an open-source and fast JavaScript framework.
• Another advantage of Kiwi.js is its lightweight. Also, it has Good documentation, and it is extensible.

Cons:

• You might need access to its updated framework on a constant basis.
• Kiwi.js has a small community when compared to other frameworks.
• It has limited features, which handicaps developers due to the lack of required built-in features and tools.
• It is more widely used than other frameworks. That’s why community support and resources are not available for developers.

7. Pixi JS

Pixi JS was introduced in the year 2013. This framework used WebGL, thus providing strong performance. If you want to create interactive and rich graphics, Pixi JS will help you to do that. You can now build exciting games and develop animations without having proper WebGL API knowledge. Dig deeper to learn the pros and cons of Pixi JS now:

Pros:

• Pixi JS offers fast performance.
• It has a massive community of both developers and users.
• Pixi JS supports different platforms like Windows, Android, iOS, and Mac.
• It supports both Canvas fallback and WebGL renderer.
• The easy API of Pixi JS enables a beginner to understand this framework easily.

Cons:

• People using Three.js might find it challenging to get started with Pixi JS.

8. Matter.js

It is a JavaScript 2D that can be combined with plugins and packages to develop web games. If you want to create moving and simple animation objects, Matter.js will serve your purpose effortlessly. Check out the pros and cons of Matter.js stated below in this article:

Pros:

• Matter.js offers a lot of exciting features like compound, rigid, and composite bodies. Apart from that, it offers stable resting and stacking, composite bodies, conservation of motion, etc.

Cons:

• Matter.js doesn’t have CCD or continuous collision detection. It might cause problems while dealing with fast-moving objects.

9. PlayCanvas

It is an excellent framework that typically uses WebGL and HTML5 to run games. It is an open and free source that helps you to develop 3D games in no time. The pros and cons of PlayCanvas are mentioned below:

Pros:

• It is an open-source framework that enables you to develop influential games.
• Since there is no compile time, the overall process becomes faster and more efficient.
• You no longer need to reload your browser after making small changes.

Cons:

• PlayCanvas lacks tutorials and examples.
• It doesn’t have any collision effect.

Bottom Line

Choosing the proper JavaScript framework for game development depends on your specific requirements and goals. Phaser is an excellent option for developers who want an easy-to-use and fast framework with good support for both 2D and 3D game development. Unity is a powerful and flexible game engine with extensive features and support for multiple platforms, but it requires more resources and has a steeper learning curve. Construct 2/3 is a good option for developers who want an easy-to-use drag-and-drop interface with good support for 2D game development. Three.js is a powerful library for advanced 3D graphics and effects but has a steep learning curve. So you need to choose the one that fits your requirements perfectly.