Game Engines and Architecture: A Review of Key Platforms and Comparative Analysis for Novice and Professional Developers

Game engines have evolved from simple 2D platforms to complex 3D and VR-based platforms, which have brought a remarkable evolution to the game development industry. Since the emergence of game engines, real-time rendering, physics simulation, artificial intelligence, and procedural content generation have been constantly improving, enabling game developers to create more immersive, visually appealing, and challenging gaming experiences. This paper introduces a beginner-friendly and easy-to-start review of the evolution of game engines that address the most prominent platforms, such as Unity, Unreal Engine, CryEngine, Frostbite, Godot, and other prominent game engines that have shaped the gaming industry over the years. By incorporating the results of various previous studies of game engine polls, this paper aims to provide a concise and comparative review, taking into account the most important factors of usability, scalability, cross-platform development and performance, learning curve, and availability for developers of all levels, as well as several other factors that are relevant for beginners. A lot of focus is given to the layered game engine architecture, providing a basic understanding of how different pieces fit together to deliver smooth gaming experiences. In addition to assessing the most important technological advancements, we critically analyze the pros and cons of each platform and identify the limitations of the existing comparative studies of these platforms. The potential, performance, and acceptance of each platform for different development needs are analyzed to provide a balanced review for both beginners and professional developers. By breaking down complex concepts, this paper aims to make the evolution of game engines easy to understand for beginners and provide valuable tips on technological advancements, challenges, and general implications of these platforms.