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Yes. You can sell or otherwise monetize a game built with Defold without paying Defold licensing fees or royalties. The Defold License is free and royalty-free for software you create, while restricting you from selling Defold itself as a game-engine product. Commercial release still requires license notices, applicable third-party acknowledgements, and compliance with each store or service where you publish.
The short answer, with the important boundary
Defold’s official license permits commercializing software made with original or modified versions of the engine. That covers a paid game, a free game supported by advertising, a game with in-app purchases, and other commercial releases. The grant is worldwide, perpetual, no-charge and royalty-free, subject to the conditions in the Defold License, version 1.0 (May 2020).
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The restriction is aimed at a different activity: commercializing Defold itself as a game-engine product. In practical terms, making and selling your game is permitted; packaging Defold or a derivative engine as the product you sell to other game developers is the area the license limits.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesDefold’s engine and editor FAQ describes the product as “completely free of charge” with “no hidden costs, fees or royalties.” That is an official statement about Defold’s engine and editor. It does not waive the separate account, submission, revenue-share, tax, payment-processing or service terms imposed by a console, app store, advertising network or other third party.
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What the Defold License lets you do
Release a commercial game
You may distribute a game created with Defold and charge for access, sell downloadable content, accept in-app payments, run advertisements or use another lawful business model. The engine license does not require you to send Defold a percentage of those receipts.
Your game’s own content and business terms can be separate from the engine’s terms. You can select a license for your source code and assets that suits your project, provided that your distribution still satisfies the obligations that apply to Defold and its included components.
Use modified versions
The license summary grants permission for software created with modified versions of Defold. It also does not state that you must publish your engine changes. A studio can therefore maintain private modifications for its production workflow, subject to the license’s notice and other conditions when it distributes the resulting work.
This permission should not be confused with permission to turn the modified engine into a competing engine product for sale. The product restriction remains relevant if the thing being commercialized is the engine or a derivative engine offering rather than a game made with it.
Distribute worldwide and indefinitely
The grant is described as worldwide, perpetual and royalty-free. Those terms concern the rights Defold grants under its license; they do not guarantee that every country, storefront or payment provider will accept a particular game. Local consumer, tax, privacy, age-rating and content rules can still apply to your release.
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What counts as the restricted “Game Engine Product”
The Defold License defines a “Game Engine Product” broadly as software used for video-game development, including content-authoring software and software used to show created content. That definition explains why the license distinguishes an ordinary game from a product that supplies engine functionality to other developers.
A finished game is normally the created content that you are distributing. A toolkit, editor, runtime package or derivative engine marketed so that customers can develop or display their own games raises the separate restriction. The license’s wording should control unusual business models such as a hosted engine service, a white-label editor or a commercial engine fork.
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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →If your plan is to redistribute the engine itself, bundle engine tools for customers, or build a business around a derivative engine, read the complete license and obtain qualified legal advice. The official materials explain the rule in practical terms, but they are not a substitute for advice on a novel distribution structure or a trademark question.
Notices you must include in a distributed game
Defold license and copyright notice
The license requires copies of Defold and derivative work to carry the Defold license and copyright notice. A game that embeds engine output is therefore not exempt merely because players never see the editor. Plan the notice as part of your release package rather than treating it as optional documentation.
Disclosure of significant Defold changes
If you made significant changes to Defold, the license requires you to state that fact. The disclosure should identify that changes were made; it should not imply that the unmodified official build produced every part of your distribution.
Practical locations
Defold suggests several ways to make the information available:
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- A credits entry in the game.
- A dedicated license or legal-notices screen.
- A popup reachable from the title screen or settings.
- A startup log for builds where a log is part of the delivered software.
- An accompanying text file in the downloadable package.
- A printed manual when the product includes printed documentation.
Choose a placement that travels with the copy you distribute. For a mobile build, an in-game legal screen or an accompanying notices file is usually more durable than relying on a development repository that players never receive. Keep the wording legible and make sure a platform’s packaging process does not remove the file or screen.
Your game license does not replace Defold’s notice
You may license your game’s code and artwork under your own terms, including proprietary terms, while still complying with the Defold License. Adding your copyright statement or an end-user license agreement does not eliminate the separate Defold notice requirement. Treat the notices as layers: your game’s terms, the Defold terms and the notices for other included software.
Third-party software creates a second compliance task
Defold includes third-party software, and some of those components can be included in games or applications built with the engine. Their licenses may require additional copyright statements, attribution text, source-availability information or other notices.
Defold’s compliance guidance places responsibility on the developer to include the required third-party licenses and notices in the distributed work. There is not necessarily one universal notice that covers every build. Components can vary with the target platform, extensions, libraries and build configuration.
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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Before release, inventory what your build actually contains. Check the applicable component notices and the configuration for each target, then assemble a legal-notices file or screen that includes every required item. Keep a copy of the exact notices shipped in each version so you can answer support or audit questions later. If a third-party license has an obligation you do not understand, ask counsel rather than deleting the component or guessing at compliance.
Publishing a Defold game: a practical sequence
- Define the product you are shipping. Decide whether the deliverable is a finished game, a demo, downloadable content or a tool. The commercial-game permission applies to software made with Defold; an engine-oriented product needs a separate license analysis.
- Select your targets. Defold’s FAQ lists console, mobile, desktop and HTML5 targets. Select only the platforms you can support, and confirm current requirements for the relevant SDKs, signing process, age ratings and store metadata.
- Audit your build configuration. Record the Defold version, extensions and third-party libraries used for each target. A mobile build and an HTML5 build may not contain the same components, so do not assume one notice set is complete for all of them.
- Prepare legal notices. Add the Defold license and copyright notice, state any significant Defold changes, and include the required third-party notices. Put them in an in-game screen, credits, startup log or accompanying file that will ship with the binary.
- Configure monetization. If you use advertising or in-app purchases, configure the relevant integration and the platform’s payment rules. Defold points developers to its Asset Portal for current monetization integrations; the portal is a source of engine integrations, not a replacement for a platform account or payment contract.
- Test the release candidate. Verify that the notice screen opens on the target device, text remains readable, purchased content is delivered correctly and ads or payment prompts follow the platform’s policies. Test offline, interrupted and restored purchase states where the service requires them.
- Complete each platform’s submission process. Create the required developer account, sign the build, provide store disclosures and submit for review. Approval, geographic availability, taxes and payout timing are controlled by the platform, not by Defold’s engine license.
- Archive what you shipped. Retain the build, notice file, dependency list and version-specific configuration. If you later update an extension or engine version, repeat the audit instead of copying old notices blindly.
How monetization works alongside the free engine
Paid downloads and downloadable content
A paid download or paid expansion is a commercial use of the game, not a sale of Defold. Your store listing, refund policy, regional pricing and tax treatment remain matters between you and the store or payment provider.
In-app purchases
Defold supports in-app-purchase solutions through integrations described in its official materials. You still need to implement the platform’s product identifiers, receipts, entitlement logic and disclosure requirements. The integration does not transfer responsibility for fraud handling, refunds, parental controls or service outages.
Advertising
Advertising solutions are also supported. An advertising provider can impose its own SDK license, privacy disclosures, consent requirements, geographic restrictions and payment terms. Those obligations are independent of the absence of a Defold royalty.
Donations and other support
Defold’s overview mentions donations and corporate partnerships as ways the project can be supported. That information concerns support for the Defold project; it does not create a required payment for developers who publish games, nor does it establish a commission or partner program for your title.
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Allowed and restricted business models
| Business model | How the license treats it | What you still need to check |
|---|---|---|
| Sell a finished game made with Defold | Permitted commercial use | Store rules, ratings, taxes, refunds and required notices |
| Offer a free game with advertising | Permitted commercial use | Ad-provider terms, privacy and consent requirements |
| Use in-app purchases | Permitted when implemented through an appropriate integration | Platform billing rules, receipts, refunds and disclosures |
| Release a game with private engine modifications | Permitted under the license summary, with required disclosures for significant changes | Third-party notices and the exact terms of the modified distribution |
| Sell a derivative editor or engine to other developers | Restricted as commercialization of a Game Engine Product | Full license interpretation and qualified legal advice |
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
“Free” means every release cost is zero
The engine license has no Defold fee or royalty, but publishing can involve store accounts, certification, payment processing, advertising services, taxes and compliance work. Budget those separately instead of treating the engine’s price as the total cost of distribution.
One notice file covers every build
Different targets and extensions can bring different third-party components. Generate notices from the dependencies in each release configuration and preserve the matching file with that build.
The credits screen is only for your team
A credit line that players cannot reach, or that is stripped from a web or console package, may not satisfy the practical goal of making notices available. Test the final package as a player would access it.
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Modifying Defold creates an automatic open-source obligation
The license summary does not require sharing your Defold changes. It does require the applicable notices and a statement about significant changes. Do not claim that you used an unmodified engine if you made material changes.
A game tool is treated like a game
A level editor shipped only as part of your own game can raise different questions from a standalone editor sold to other developers. If customers will use your software to create or display their own games, analyze the Game Engine Product restriction before launch.
Release checklist
- Confirm the product is a game or other permitted software, not a commercialized engine product.
- Record the Defold version and every extension or third-party component in each target build.
- Include the Defold License and copyright notice.
- State any significant changes made to Defold.
- Include all applicable third-party licenses and notices.
- Make notices accessible in the shipped package and verify them in the release candidate.
- Review the current rules, fees and contracts for each store, ad network and payment service.
- Seek qualified legal advice for engine redistribution, unusual licensing structures or trademark questions.
Bottom line
Defold is free to use for commercial games: the official license grants worldwide, perpetual, no-charge and royalty-free rights to software you create. Your obligations are practical but real—keep the Defold and copyright notices, disclose significant engine changes, include applicable third-party notices, and handle each platform’s independent publishing and monetization rules. The line to watch is whether you are selling a game made with Defold or selling Defold itself as a game-engine product.
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