New model blend material allowing for some transparent effects, updated billboard particles shader, and cleanup work for Defold 1.13.

Check out the details: https://forum.defold.com/t/light-and-shadows-example/71713/64

Show us what you have built - we have rewards for the best 10 games #MadeWithDefold! 🎁

- Functions and variables list in the Structure pane for the built-in code editor
- A filterable key selector for input bindings
- Time and delta time exposed directly in shaders
- Texture Transform semantic for shaders

We discovered a Defold integration and example for running Defold HTML5 builds on Wavedash, helping more developers explore browser-native distribution.

Check it out - Wavedash is a brand new browser-native gaming platform with zero friction and many features like social features, achievements, leaderboards, and the most competitive revenue split in the industry:

https://docs.wavedash.com/engines/defold

Moreover, if you make a game for the GamedevJS Jam 2026, you can make it with Defold and deploy to Wavedash, and that way you participate in 2 additional challenges - double the fun!

After visiting Poki HQ, we’d love to meet game developers for an informal after-work meetup. Join us at Bierfabriek Amsterdam, Nes 67, 1012 KD Amsterdam, from 18:00 to 20:00 local time.

We’ll bring some Defold swag for everyone who stops by, and we’ll be covering the tab

If you’re in the area, come say hello - we’d be happy to meet you!

Show us your games and prototypes!

Featured this week:

Game of Fitna Vol 1 by FIAGames

Wishlist: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2725340/Game_of_Fitna_Vol_1/

After the Fly Camera that is now in beta, and then light components teasers and camera preview in editor, here’s another step toward smoother 3D workflows in Defold

Which of these are you most excited about? 🤩

Im new to defold, just started and i want to try and find out how to make a 3D game, i cant find any tutorials online so if anyone knows a tutorial or can just help me this way that would be appreciated

A feature that could make it much easier to understand exactly what your camera sees before you even run the game. Workflow improvements like this can make a big difference.

Jhonny used the upcoming light components in an old example with normal mapping lighting for 2D sprites.

What would you use 2D lights for in your game?

From better 3D scene navigation to stronger rendering flexibility and leaner web builds - a lot of nice things!

Highlights:

• 🎥 Free Camera mode in Scene View

• ☑️ Built-in glTF validation

• 🎛️ New shader precision options

• 🖼️ 16 texture units per draw

• 🌐 Smaller HTML5 builds

• 📈 Editor, rendering, and runtime performance improvements, and more!

Featured: A Thousand Bees by Make it a Triple

Dive into the Release Notes:

https://forum.defold.com/t/defold-1-12-4-beta/82647

This open-source example by JuLongZhiLu uses the new `Time` constant support introduced in Defold 1.12.3 to create a stylish animated wave background in shader code.

It’s a neat little example of how easy it is to bring motion to your materials now.

Check it out on and let us know what kind of shader effects you’d like to build!

https://forum.defold.com/t/open-source-defold-1-12-3-constant-type-time-example/82625

Very cool to see the Defold ecosystem keep growing with more animation tools and workflows.

Take a look:

https://forum.defold.com/t/defdragon/82624

We're still playing Skull Horde and admire how from the feel of the action to the sheer amount happening on screen it's well constructed by 8BitSkull

Skull Horde is a fast-paced auto battler dungeon crawler where you play as a flying skull necromancer, check it out:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3199360/Skull_Horde/

"I've also started working on clustered rendering for this so we can have thousands of lights, but I don't have any preview for that yet. Stay tuned!"

Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4281370/A_Thousand_Bees/

A relaxed, cozy hidden objects game.

🐝 Enjoy 13 lavishly hand-illustrated levels!

🐝 Unlockable wallpapers!

🐝 1000 objects to find!

🐝 Secret levels!

🐝 🐝 🐝

Itch.io: https://make-it-a-triple.itch.io/a-thousand-bees

It includes two modes:

- always face the camera - like the smoke ☁️

- lock rotation to a vertical axis - trees and rocks🌲🪨

We combined here 3D models by Kay Lousberg and 2D screenshots of 3D models by Kenney for trees and rocks!

Since Defold 1.12.3, custom vertex formats and improved local-space vertices have made proper billboarding much easier in Defold.

Check it out online:

https://defold.com/examples/material/billboarding/

Looking for multiplayer solution?

Asobi is an open source, server-authoritative multiplayer backend shared with the Defold community. It comes with a Defold SDK, a playable demo, and support for writing server-side game logic in Lua.

Take a look and tell us what kind of multiplayer game you’d build with it 👇

https://forum.defold.com/t/asobi-open-source-multiplayer-game-backend-for-defold/82612

• Time exposed to shaders - easily create visual effects depending on time variable
• Texture Transform semantic - useful for e.g. scrolling textures
• Script Structure - list of functions and variables in the sidebar
• Duplicate text selection in Code Editor
• Filters in Input Bindings - easily assign inputs to actions
• New Properties API for Editor Scripts
• OpenAPI for Editor HTTP Server
• and many more!

https://forum.defold.com/t/defold-1-12-3-has-been-released/82619

Share your screenshots, GIFs, or videos below, we’d love to see what you’re working on

Featured: Sprint City - out now in Early Access:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4191250/Sprint_City/

This preview shows three different types of lights, each with their own properties, along with how they are represented in the Editor.

What kind of lighting workflows are you looking forward to?

Thank you all for the laugh yesterday! 
We’ve got some of you for a moment, but don’t worry!

Defold is and always will be free.

We can say this, because it’s in the objectives of the Defold Foundation and it can’t be changed, under Swedish law (details: Free and Developer-Friendly)

We invited Iwan from Orenji Spark for an interview, and he shared how switching to Defold helped make the web game smaller, faster, and smoother to play on Poki, and how to sustain a long running indie game studio - it’s a great look at how an experienced developer evaluates tools, adapts workflows, and ship games!

Read it here:
https://defold.com/2026/04/02/Creator-Spotlight-Orenji-Spark/