unity

Unity is a cross-platform game engine and development environment developed by Unity Technologies. It enables creation of 2D and 3D interactive content such as video games, simulations, and experiences for a wide range of platforms.

Unity uses a component-based architecture in which each scene object is a GameObject with components that provide behavior and data. Scripting is primarily in C#. The editor offers scene and game views, a prefab system, an animation system (Mecanim), physics via Nvidia PhysX, and a modular rendering pipeline with options including the Built-in renderer as well as Scriptable Render Pipelines like URP and HDRP. It supports virtual reality and augmented reality, real-time global illumination, audio, and various AI features. An Asset Store provides ready-made assets, tools, and integrations.

Unity targets Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, WebGL, and major gaming consoles. It is used not only for traditional video games but also for simulations, architectural visualization, automotive design, film previsualization, and training.

Licensing is tiered. There is a free Personal edition for individuals and small studios with revenue or funding thresholds, alongside paid professional editions offering additional services and capabilities. The Unity ecosystem includes Unity Hub for project management, collaboration tools, cloud services, analytics, and the Asset Store.

Since its 2005 release, Unity has become one of the most widely adopted game engines, favored by indie developers and educators for its accessibility, documentation, and broad platform support. It competes with Unreal Engine and Godot and continues to evolve with new rendering technologies and performance improvements.