Unity dominates web games but performance-optimised engines have key advantages according to a new study

• Unity powers more than half of the top 100 web games.
• JavaScript-based engines in second place.

A new study into the engines powering the most successful web games has revealed the overwhelming dominance of Unity, but highlights a critical trade-off between its powerful ecosystem and the performance metrics essential for player retention and monetisation on the web.

The research, published by the web game platform Playhop, analysed the top 1,100 web games by player time spent in 2024. The findings provide a clear snapshot of the current development landscape and the emerging opportunities for performance-focused alternatives.

The key findings

According to the study, Unity now powers more than half of the top 100 most-played web games, with 56 titles using the engine - double its share compared to the previous year.

The rest of the market is broken down as follows:

• JavaScript-based engines (a group including Vanilla JS, PixiJS, and CreateJS) collectively rank second, with 22 games in the top 100.
• Construct shows significant adoption with 88 titles in the 100 to 1,100 segment, pointing to the growth of low-code/no-code solutions.
• Cocos (51 titles) and LayaAir (27 titles) also demonstrate measurable adoption, particularly in 2D and mobile-first categories.

The performance trade-off

While Unity's cross-platform capabilities and extensive asset library make it a default choice for many, the research highlights a crucial factor for web game success: load time.

The study found that load-time efficiency was highest in projects built with Defold, Phaser, and Vanilla JS. This has a direct and measurable impact on key performance indicators, with these faster engines enabling earlier player engagement and improving the number of successful session starts.

While Day One (D1) retention is primarily driven by content, the initial loading experience, heavily influenced by the engine, plays a significant role.

A maturing market

The data points to a growing trend: as more mobile developers bring their sophisticated projects to the web, Unity's dominance is likely to continue. However, the need for speed and efficiency on web and mobile platforms is creating a growing space for more lightweight, specialised engines.

Nikita Bokarev, CBDO at Playhop, explains the changing landscape: "In the past, JS-based engines dominated the market with simpler games. Now the landscape is changing, as more mobile developers move their projects to the web - and Unity remains their core engine of choice, offering the right set of tools for efficient web development."

"At the same time," he continued, "we’re seeing core web developers who once relied on custom or JS-based engines ultimately switching to Unity. It’s a trend that will continue... As a result, we can expect more and more sophisticated games to appear on the web."

The Playhop study reveals a maturing web game ecosystem, where developers must carefully weigh the benefits of a feature-rich platform like Unity against the critical, retention-driving advantages of the alternatives, which can offer far more title-focused capabilities to capture and keep players engaged.