RPG Maker XP

Gotcha Gotcha Games will soon be shutting down and deleting the RPG Maker forums, erasing a decade and a half of user made resources, tutorials, and assets for the wider community to use and learn from. I don't recommend anyone purchase their releases because they show so little disregard for the community and its history.

Used this a lot a few years ago. None of the games i made were good, but i enjoyed making them, a lot. if you wanna start making games, i recommend this! (I know I'm a nobody on the internet but just trust me ok its good)

Make my own original game? Hell nah! Make a pokemon game? Hell yeah!

Keep the forums

Amazing for making pokemon rpgs

This software used to have a great support from the community, but Gotcha Gotcha Games decided to eradicate the existing RPG Maker forum, so... yeah. If you want to make games, any games, look elsewhere.

❤️‍🔥RPG Maker XP é a ferramenta definitiva para criares o teu próprio RPG sem conhecimentos especializados. Com suporte a cores completas, três camadas de mapa e o sistema de scripting RGSS1, as possibilidades são ilimitadas.🩷 💚💚ACERCA DESTE JOGO💚💚 🧡Cria RPGs completos sem necessidade de conhecimentos de programação; 💛Suporte a PNG em cores completas com canal alpha para transparências e efeitos visuais; 💙Três camadas de mapa para criares cenários complexos e detalhados; 🩵Sistema de scripting RGSS1 baseado em Ruby para personalização total do motor; 💜Gráficos e sons base incluídos, com possibilidade de importar os teus próprios; 🖤Encriptação de dados do jogo e uma comunidade ativa com scripts partilhados.

RPG Maker XP is a landmark entry in the long-running RPG Maker series, offering an accessible yet surprisingly robust platform for aspiring game developers. Developed by Gotcha Gotcha Games, KADOKAWA, and Yoji Ojima, and published by Gotcha Gotcha Games, the software was designed to make role-playing game creation achievable for users with little or no programming experience while still providing enough flexibility for experienced creators. Years after its original release, it continues to be a favorite among hobbyists and indie developers thanks to its dependable toolset, creative freedom, and passionate community. One of the software's greatest achievements is how effectively it simplifies the game development process. Its visual interface allows users to create maps, populate them with characters, design quests, write dialogue, and control gameplay through an event-driven system rather than requiring extensive coding knowledge. This makes it possible for beginners to transform ideas into playable games with relative ease. Instead of spending weeks learning complex programming concepts, creators can immediately focus on storytelling, exploration, and gameplay mechanics while gradually expanding their skills as they become more familiar with the engine. The map editor remains one of RPG Maker XP's strongest features. Its three-layer mapping system provides a level of environmental detail that was a significant step forward for the series. Developers can stack terrain, buildings, decorations, and interactive objects to create richer and more natural-looking locations. Combined with support for high-quality PNG graphics featuring alpha transparency, the engine enables artists to design visually appealing worlds that still hold up surprisingly well. Whether creating peaceful villages, dangerous dungeons, or expansive fantasy kingdoms, the editor provides plenty of room for creativity. Another major advantage is the generous collection of built-in assets. RPG Maker XP includes a wide assortment of character sprites, tilesets, animations, music, and sound effects, allowing new users to begin building projects immediately without searching for external resources. At the same time, the engine encourages originality by allowing creators to import their own artwork, audio, and animations. This flexibility makes it suitable for far more than traditional fantasy adventures, as developers can create science fiction, horror, mystery, historical, or completely unique settings with custom assets. Where RPG Maker XP truly distinguishes itself from many beginner-friendly engines is its scripting capability. Through the Ruby Game Scripting System (RGSS), advanced users gain extensive control over nearly every aspect of the engine. Battle mechanics, menus, inventory systems, user interfaces, and gameplay features can all be modified or completely rebuilt. This scripting support dramatically extends the software's lifespan, allowing ambitious developers to create experiences that differ greatly from the engine's default design. Even users without programming experience benefit from years of community-created scripts that add new mechanics and quality-of-life improvements with minimal effort. The software also includes practical features that support commercial-quality development. Resource encryption helps protect game assets when projects are distributed, while efficient project organization keeps development manageable even as games become more complex. Despite its age, RPG Maker XP remains lightweight and performs well on a wide range of hardware, making it an attractive option for creators who prefer a streamlined development environment without demanding system requirements. One of the reasons RPG Maker XP continues to enjoy lasting popularity is its exceptional community support. Over the years, thousands of tutorials, custom scripts, plugins, artwork collections, and troubleshooting guides have been created by dedicated users. This wealth of community content makes learning the engine considerably easier and provides solutions for many limitations found in the default software. Numerous successful indie projects and fan-made games have been developed with RPG Maker XP, demonstrating that creativity often matters more than cutting-edge technology. That said, the software does show its age in several respects. The interface lacks some of the modern conveniences found in newer RPG Maker releases, and certain features now considered standard require additional scripting or community modifications. Developers aiming to create genres outside traditional Japanese-style role-playing games may also need to invest significant time customizing the engine. While these limitations are understandable given its age, they may encourage some users to consider more recent entries in the series depending on the scope of their projects. Even with these shortcomings, RPG Maker XP remains an impressive and highly capable development tool. Its combination of beginner-friendly design, detailed map creation, flexible asset support, powerful scripting system, and enduring community resources has allowed it to remain relevant long after newer engines entered the market. For anyone interested in learning game development or creating story-driven RPGs without building an engine from scratch, it continues to offer outstanding value and creative potential. Rating: 8/10

Excellent for beginner game devs. While simple, with plugins and some knowledge of scripting, the sky is the limit. (goes on sale frequently, if you want this keep an eye out for a 90% cut before you buy)

rpg maker xp is how I learned game development. Not much more to say.