Unity vs. Godot: A Developer Built the Same Game in Both Engines to Find a Winner

For over ten years, Unity has been the main software used to build famous indie games like Hollow Knight and Among Us. However, many developers are now switching to Godot, a free and open-source alternative.

To see how they truly compare as tools, game designer Thomas Grové decided to build the exact same horror game prototype in both engines from scratch. You can watch his full side-by-side test in his YouTube video:

I Made The Same Game in Unity and Godot, Which Engine is Better?.

Here is what he discovered:

Hard Drive Size and Loading Speed

The first big difference is how much space each program uses on your computer. Unity is very heavy and requires around 21 gigabytes of space. Godot is incredibly lightweight and needs only 164 megabytes.

Godot is also much faster to open. It took just 13.5 seconds to load the project in Godot, while Unity took 1 minute and 20 seconds.

Coding and Exporting Speed

When making a game, developers have to reload their code and export files hundreds of times. In these regular tasks, Godot was the clear winner:

– Reloading code (Compiling): Updating a movement script took Godot only 0.5 seconds, while Unity took 15.5 seconds. This makes Godot 31 times faster.

– Building the game (Exporting): Creating the final playable game file was 20 times faster in Godot than in Unity.

Game Performance (FPS)

When comparing how smoothly the final games ran, Godot won in almost every efficiency category. However, Unity had a higher final framerate (FPS). In a clean test room, Unity reached 850 FPS, while Godot reached 650 FPS. Since both engines ran way above the developer’s 60 FPS target, he decided to keep using Godot for the project.

Simple vs. Large Games

While Godot won this test easily, viewers pointed out a major catch. The test game was very simple, featuring only one basic room and basic controls. Experienced developers note that a simple test cannot show how well an engine handles a massive, complex project as it grows larger.

A Note from VSQUAD Studio

Choosing between Unity and Godot depends entirely on the size and goals of your project. While Godot is an amazing, fast tool for smaller indie titles and rapid prototyping, Unity game development remains a strong choice for projects that need to scale into larger, more complex worlds. If you are on the fence about which engine fits your next project, our team at VSQUAD is here to help.