Why I Keep Coming Back to Defold for Web Game Dev

There’s always that one engine you keep returning to, no matter how many new tools you try. For me, that engine is Defold.

I’ve had an on-and-off relationship with Defold. I first discovered it years ago when I was experimenting with lightweight 2D game engines. It impressed me with its compact build sizes and laser focus on performance. But like many devs, I wandered off—curious about other engines, libraries, and shiny new workflows.

Yet here I am, back using Defold again. And this time, it’s not just nostalgia. It’s practicality.

A Sweet Spot for Web Game Development

Lately, I’ve been deep in the world of web games. And if you’ve dabbled in web development, you know how important build size and performance are. Players don’t want to wait more than a few seconds to load your game. Every byte matters.

This is where Defold shines. It’s easily one of the most optimized engines I’ve used for deploying to the web. The build size is ridiculously small compared to most modern engines, and the runtime performance is optimized right out of the box. You don’t need to tweak settings or strip down unused features, but if you need even more control, Defold gives you the tools to fine-tune and optimize further.

A Hidden Gem for 2D Game Development

Defold has a unique place in the 2D game dev space. While it’s not as flashy or mainstream as Unity or Godot, it’s built with a clear focus: efficient 2D game development.

The editor is clean and purposeful. You get everything you need to build a 2D game: a proper scene editor, animation tools, built-in sprite atlas management, and scripting with Lua.

Speaking of Lua, I actually love using it with Defold. The language is lightweight, flexible, and easy to structure into reusable modules. I can build features fast and refactor them just as easily. Defold encourages a clean, modular design style, which makes working on long-term or multi-feature projects a lot more sustainable.

Built for Performance by Default

One of the best things about Defold is that it feels almost impossible to mess up performance. You really have to try hard to create a bloated build. Everything from the asset pipeline to the engine runtime is trimmed and tuned. It’s like the engine politely tells you: “Don’t worry, I got this.”

That gives me peace of mind, especially for casual games or mobile/web-first experiences where performance matters most.

But… What About Learning Resources?

Now, I’ll be honest. The first time I tried Defold, I felt a bit lost. There weren’t that many tutorials or YouTube channels explaining how to build full games. Coming from other engines with endless community-made content, it was a bit of a learning curve.

But after spending more time with it, I started to understand why: Defold just works. The API is consistent. The way of doing things is clear—once you get the hang of it. The official documentation is incredibly thorough, and you will find yourself rarely needing to look elsewhere.

That said, sometimes I do wish there were more high-level APIs or “official ways” to handle certain patterns—especially for UI or common game systems. But honestly, that’s just my lazy side speaking. The engine gives you the power to build exactly what you need.

Final Thoughts

Defold may not be the most talked-about engine out there, but it absolutely deserves more attention—especially from developers who care about performance, small build sizes, and a clean, focused workflow.

For web games and 2D projects, it’s honestly hard to beat. The engine is lightweight, stable, and optimized by default.

I’ll probably still wander off and explore other engines from time to time. But I know one thing for sure: Defold is always worth coming back to. It’s not just an engine I return to—it’s one I trust.