A fill-in worksheet you complete about yourself and your first project, so the engine choice comes from your answers instead of someone else’s opinion.
This is a different slice from our earlier Unity vs Godot comparison: that post describes where each engine tends to fit and suggests a weekend spike, while this page is a blank worksheet about you alone, covering 2D or 3D, the language you already know, what you will ship first, and what you will not build yet.
There is no winner on this page. There is no filled example. The blanks are yours. When you finish, you will have one sheet that explains your choice in your own words, which is more useful than any ranking.
How to use the worksheet
Print this page or copy the worksheet section into a plain text file. Use a pencil if you print it. You will change some answers.
Fill it in one section at a time. Do not skip ahead to the decision box. The decision should fall out of the earlier answers, not the other way around.
Give yourself about an hour. Some sections need you to open the engines’ own websites and documentation. Do that rather than relying on memory or forum posts, because both engines change over time.
Section 1: You
Start with yourself, not the engines.
My name or handle: ______
Hours per week I can really spend on this project: ______
Days of the week I usually work on it: ____
Something I have finished before, of any kind: ______
What made me stop on past projects: ______
Be honest in the last line. If past projects stalled because of setup friction, that matters for an engine choice. If they stalled because the scope grew, that matters more for Section 5.
Section 2: 2D or 3D
Circle one: 2D / 3D / Not sure yet
The camera I picture when I imagine playing it: ______
One game I have played with a similar look (for my reference only): ______
Art I can make or get myself: ______
If you circled “Not sure yet,” answer this before moving on: which version could you finish with the art you can make or get? Write that version here:
Section 3: The language you already know
List every programming or scripting language you have used, even a little.
Language: ____ How comfortable (circle): none / some / comfortable
Language: ____ How comfortable (circle): none / some / comfortable
Language: ____ How comfortable (circle): none / some / comfortable
Now open the current official documentation for each engine and find which languages it supports for game scripting. Write what you find, in your own words, with the date you checked.
Unity scripting languages, from its current docs: ____ Checked on: ______
Godot scripting languages, from its current docs: ____ Checked on: ______
Do either of these lists include a language I marked “comfortable”? ______
If neither does, which one looks easier for me to learn, based on a short official tutorial I tried? ____
Trying a tutorial matters. Reading about a language is not the same as typing it.
Section 4: What I will ship first
This is not your dream game. It is the first thing you will put in front of another person.
The first thing I will ship, in one sentence: ______
Where players will get it (circle any): desktop / web / phone / console / just friends
Target date for that first release: ____
Who will play it first: ____
Now check each engine’s current official documentation for exporting or building to the platforms you circled. Note what you find, in your own words.
Unity export notes for my platforms: ______
Godot export notes for my platforms: ______
Anything that needs an extra account, tool, or device: ______
Section 5: What I will not build yet
Write the features you want but will leave out of the first release. This list protects your schedule.
Not yet: ______
Not yet: ______
Not yet: ______
Not yet: ______
Look at your list. Does the engine choice change if these features are off the table? Often it does. A feature like online multiplayer or a large open world can pull you toward one engine, but if it is not in your first release, it should not drive the choice today.
The feature I most want to add after the first release: ______
Section 6: The license and terms
Do not rely on what you have heard about either engine’s license. Terms can change, and summaries go out of date.
Open the current official license or terms page for each engine. Read the parts that apply to a solo developer releasing a small game.
Unity license page read on: __ What I noted, in my own words: ____
Godot license page read on: __ What I noted, in my own words: ____
Anything I need to ask about or check again before release: ______
If something is unclear, write it down as a question. Do not guess the answer.
Section 7: A small test in each engine
Build the same tiny thing in each engine. Keep it to one evening each if you can.
The tiny thing I will build in both: ______
Unity test. What went smoothly: ____ What got in my way: ____
Godot test. What went smoothly: ____ What got in my way: ____
Which editor did I want to open again the next day? ____
That last answer is personal. It is also one of the best signals you have.
Section 8: The decision box
Fill this in only after Sections 1 through 7.
Based on my answers, I will use: ____
The three answers that decided it:
I will revisit this choice only if: ______
The last line matters. Pick a clear trigger, like a platform you later add or a feature you move off the “not yet” list. Without a trigger, it is easy to reopen the decision every week.
After you fill it in
Date the worksheet and keep it with your project files. When doubt shows up later, reread your own answers before you read anyone else’s opinion.
Then start the first thing you will ship. Build it in the engine you wrote in the decision box. Keep the “not yet” list nearby, and add to it instead of adding to the game.
If you later switch engines, fill in a fresh copy of this worksheet. Compare it to the first one. The differences will tell you what changed, whether that is you, the project, or the engine itself.