Effekseer

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Score7.3

Rank#3 of 25

PriceFree

Free planYes

Runs onAndroid, iOS, Linux, macOS, Web, Windows

Summary

Effekseer is a free, open-source tool for making particle effects for games and movies. It can export effects as 2D animations or 3D effects, with runtimes available for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, iOS, Android and Emscripten. Included runtimes support DirectX, OpenGL, Unity, UnrealEngine4 and Cocos2d-x; separate downloads provide plugins or libraries for Unity, UnrealEngine, GodotEngine, RPGMakerMZ, WebGL, DXLibrary and Cocos2d-x. Programmer libraries support DirectX 9/11/12, OpenGL, Metal and Vulkan. Version 1.80.7 is listed as available. Version 1.80 adds collision settings, UV repetition for tracks and ribbons, movement-aligned rotation, continuous and trigger-based spawning, external-model emission sources and directional billboarding. It also supports direct loading of gltf, glb, obj, geo and bgeo models. GPU particle simulation and CPU/GPU profiling are preview features that may not be available in every environment. The tool and runtime use the MIT license; texture and effect data use CC-0. Playing effects in a game requires separate runtime or library packages.

Who it is for

Effekseer suits game and movie creators who need to build particle effects, including those targeting its listed runtimes or integrations. Its free, open-source licensing may also suit users who need an editable effects tool.

What is good

Exports effects as 2D animations or 3D effects
Supports several graphics APIs and engines
Directly loads five listed model formats
Free and open source

What to know first

Playing effects requires separate runtime or library packages
GPU simulation and profiling are preview features

Verdict

Effekseer provides a free tool for authoring particle effects and exporting them for multiple runtimes. Check the separate runtime requirement and preview status of GPU features when planning a project.

Effekseer plans and pricing

All plans

Effekseer Free free and open-source effekseer.github.io · 1 Oct 2026

Compared on 2D game animation software

Free plan: Yeseffekseer.github.io
Runtime export: Yeseffekseer.github.io
Particle effects: Yeseffekseer.github.io
Runtime targets: DirectX 9/11/12, OpenGL, Metal, Vulkan, WebGL, Unity, Unreal Engine, Godot Engine, DX Library, Cocos2d-x, iOS, Android, Emscripteneffekseer.github.io

Facts

Purpose: Effekseer is a tool for creating particle effects for games and movies.effekseer.github.io · 1 Oct 2026
Open source: The official site describes Effekseer as a free, open-source program.effekseer.github.io · 1 Oct 2026
Exports: Effects can be exported as 2D animations or 3D effects.effekseer.github.io · 1 Oct 2026
Rendering platforms: Included runtimes support DirectX, OpenGL, Unity, UnrealEngine4 and Cocos2d-x, with effects available on Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, iOS, Android and Emscripten.effekseer.github.io · 1 Oct 2026
Integrations: Official downloads include plugins or libraries for Unity, UnrealEngine, GodotEngine, RPGMakerMZ, WebGL, DXLibrary and Cocos2d-x.effekseer.github.io · 1 Oct 2026
Graphics APIs: Programmer libraries support DirectX 9/11/12, OpenGL, Metal and Vulkan.effekseer.github.io · 1 Oct 2026
Latest version: The site lists version 1.80.7 as available.effekseer.github.io · 1 Oct 2026
Particle features: Version 1.80 adds collision settings, track and ribbon UV repetition, movement-aligned rotation, continuous and trigger spawning, external-model emission sources and directional billboarding.effekseer.github.io · 1 Oct 2026
GPU and profiling: Version 1.80 adds GPU-based particle simulation and a CPU/GPU profiler, both marked preview features that may not be available in all environments.effekseer.github.io · 1 Oct 2026
Model formats: Version 1.80 supports directly loading gltf, glb, obj, geo and bgeo models.effekseer.github.io · 1 Oct 2026
Licensing: The documentation states that the runtime and tool use the MIT license and that texture and effect data is CC-0.effekseer.github.io · 1 Oct 2026
Installation: On Windows the editing tool runs from its Tool directory and does not modify the registry or anything else.effekseer.github.io · 1 Oct 2026
Separate runtimes: To play effects in a game, users must download separate runtime, Unity or DX library packages.effekseer.github.io · 1 Oct 2026
Support: User support is provided through Twitter, GitHub, Slack, Discord and email for bug reports, requests and questions.effekseer.github.io · 1 Oct 2026
Sample assets: User-contributed sample effects are free to use and edit in games or movies, with almost all distributed under CC-0.effekseer.github.io · 1 Oct 2026