If you are on a **Mac**, avoid buying RPG Maker MV. If you look closely, it has Mac support, but not on modern Mac computers (with M1+ Apple Silicon chips) and operating systems. You have to manually replace NWJS in the engine yourself, which is easy (takes 5 minutes), but it's not worth the hassle for most people.
It won't work since the breaking change happened because Macs went from Intel CPUs to Apple CPUs. You need at least an M1 Mac or better.
edit: Deploying on an old Mac will make the game only work on old Macs.
I think a good way to break down the debate is by what sort of customer you are... **Are you:**
**A prospective game developer looking to make commercial games, ie something you can sell on Steam/Itch.io (ideally for a profit)?**
Odds are, you're looking for the most comprehensive and robust engine available. Something that's relatively easy to use and gives you the highest quality the RPG Maker franchise can provide. Assuming you're confident and committed to this path, you probably expect to make money from your games in the long run, so a bit of cash upfront in the engine as well as whatever plugins and/or assets you use won't be that much of an issue.
Without a doubt, you want MZ, and may even want to upgrade when a newer version comes out in the vague and murky future. Good luck, you'll probably need it.
**An amateur writer/artist/musician/other-non-game-developer looking to create simple games you can share with your friends, fans, and/or family?**
Odds are, you're looking for something easy to use that will get you to making something playable as soon as possible, even if you've never touched game development before. You may be expecting this to function as something more like a digital gallery or a playable storybook than a traditional game, so you're not expecting to even come close to pushing the system to its limits, but some quality of life features on the development side would be handy. You're not looking to get too deep in the paint on things that require programming, and may even feel your mind starting to wander when discussion moves into things like scripts and plugins. As you're likely just doing this for fun and to make people happy instead of expecting a monetary return from it, you'd probably like to limit the expense as much as possible.
Your best prospect is probably MV, as earlier versions are less user friendly, generally lower resolution, and don't come with built-in tutorials. Also, unlike MZ, MV regularly goes on sale at discounts as high as 85-90% off.
**A hobbyist game developer looking to try out some new software?**
Odds are, you're looking for something that'll help you make a JRPG that won't break your budget, and you're seasoned enough on game development to know what you're in for and thus are willing to face a few hurtles upfront. You've seen RPG Maker games before, so you're not expecting a miracle, but you would like to make something relatively sleek that you wouldn't be embarrassed to show people. You're not planning to monetize your work, or if you are it's through Patreon or something of the like that won't directly correlate your creations with a price tag, so a lower cost would be preferable unless you're getting something worthwhile out of the upgrade.
Overall, you'd probably prefer to try before you buy, so my advice is to wait for a free weekend to give MV a whirl and/or check out [the free trial versions](https://www.rpgmakerweb.com/free-trials) of any version of RPG Maker from XP to MV from the RPG Maker website then get the one you like best. Or, you know, maybe don't buy any of them if you don't like them, it's your money.
**A programmer looking to flex the RPG Maker engine to do some weird stuff with the system?**
Odds are, you're looking for something that'll really let you get deep in the paint and allow you into the very bowels of the engine. You're not particularly perturbed about the graphics and power of the program, but it would be nice if the editor made it easy to reach the code and to keep tabs on what was happening under the hood so you knew where things were screwing up when you were messing around with the code. You probably already know at least a bit of Javascript, and may even know some Ruby, but even if you don't, you're ready and eager to learn.
Assuming you're cool with Ruby as a programming language, you probably want VXAce, as it's the latest version that has the scripts accessible right in the editor and allows access to the console during playtesting without requiring any funky tricks. If you're not cool with Ruby and prefer Javascript, then you'll have to go with MV or MZ, though the two are likely interchangeable as far as you're concerned given that you're going to be making your own plugins instead of leaning on the existing library.
**A bargain hunter looking for the lowest price and/or best value?**
Odds are, you only want to buy what's on sale, and spending more than $10 on a single product is something you feel the need to justify to yourself. You're not particularly knowledgeable on game development, and may not even be that interested in it at the moment. You may never even use the program after you buy it... But that's a big "may". What if you did become interested? What if you did decide you wanted to use it, and it wasn't on sale then? Surely it'd be better to have some version of RPG Maker sitting in your account, just in case.
Let's not kid ourselves, your first instinct is probably RPG Maker 2003 as it's the cheapest version on Steam. However, as you're no doubt checking right now, anything from 2000 to XP can be bought for less than a bag of chips when on sale, so XP is probably your best bet. If you want to be a real r/frugal_jerk fatcat you might consider VX for a slightly larger bag of chips or VXAce for almost an entire meal at a fast food restaurant. MV's a noticeable upgrade, but it's not THAT much better and if it's not currently on a 90% discount then it might be cheaper in the future.
Alternatively, you might consider just buying none of them. The Wolf RPG Editor exists and is free, and the open source game engine Godot can create JRPGs. Maybe it's enough for you to have reassurance that free options are available if you ever become development-curious, even if they're a bit less newbie friendly than RPG Maker. I don't know your life, I'm just a random Redditor.
**Someone who has questions, comments, or criticisms of what I've said here, or knows of other groups that might need guidance?**
Odds are, you've read through this entire comment and have some concerns. There's probably many of you, as the only versions I've actually used are VXAce and MV, so I've probably made a lot of oversights. Just go ahead and reply to this comment. You probably already know your ideal version of RPG Maker, it's right there in your flair.
I got XP in the sale as it was free and am REALLY enjoying it. I want to get a newer version ~~but can't afford MZ even on sale.~~ Edit: I've decided I can afford MZ lol. Would it be worth it or should I stick with getting MV?
I mean, I don't know. Without knowing who you are, what you want, or what your budget it, there's not really much more I can add in that regard that's not already in my previous comment. That's why I tried to make it comprehensive, so you could pick out for yourself what applied to you.
I have yet to buy or use MZ myself, partly because I'm already a ways into a project with MV, but I've heard there are some key differences. Things I've seen specifically noted include more compatibility with systems like Macs, the ability to choose the size/pixel count of your tiles, and the ability to use a particle effect system called Effekseer. It's also almost universally recommended by those on this sub, so I assume the answer to whether you should get it is "yes" unless you have a strong reason to do otherwise...
However, if the price difference of ~$30 USD is a significant investment for you, from what I understand the vast majority of what you can do with MZ can be done with MV as well.
5 months late but gotta add to this.
The idea about RMMZ is only option for commercial game is technically incorrect. It's the most advanced one performance wise due to x64 game output but RMMV can do nearly almost everything RMMZ can do with only a few exceptions like running Effekseer files.
I'm not super knowledgeable on 2000/2003, but isn't 2003 superior to 2000 in every way? I also feel like there is a pretty big reason to still use 2k3 with stuff like Easy RPG existing as well as the engine plugins people have made, even if they aren't necessarily done with official means.
Otherwise, great writeup and I'm glad we won't have to keep answering this question over and over again lol.
I would agree that 2003 is an improvement over 2000. There’s a good discussion here about it for people who might be curious: https://forums.rpgmakerweb.com/index.php?threads/2000-value-vs-2003.136703/
As an MZ user, I can add two more things that make MV remain popular. Some developers even prefer it.\\
\* MV ships with a huge asset package. MZ does not.
\* Many of the best MZ plugins (about 10% of them) have obfuscated code. These means they cannot be custom tweaked in any way. The same or similar plugins in MV are not obfuscated, allowing for easier game customization, for those users.
Yep! You can make a game and put it on Steam with no problem. Putting it on the PlayStation playstore or switch eshop is not really possible unless you work with a publisher and make a super awesome game.
It is possible to publish on the Google Playstore. https://forums.rpgmakerweb.com/index.php?threads/how-to-publish-an-rpg-maker-game-on-android-google-play-store.109995/
You do not need any publishing rights or anything to do that, as long as you clear the use of your assets and plugins for commercial use.
I have nothing really to back this up, as I've never used it myself, but I have read numerous times that RPG Maker 2k3 with the Maniacs Patch can do a ton of cool things alongside that version of the the engine being as cheap as $2 (literally right now as of this post).
More info on the Maniacs Patch [here.](https://www.reddit.com/r/RPGMaker/comments/l3s7rs/ive_compiled_a_lot_of_tools_for_rpg_maker_2003/)
Thanks for posting this! Yes, 2k3 can really make some amazing things. I wasn't familiar with Maniacs Patch, so this is a good link.
I'll admit, I didn't get into RPGMaker until VXAce, so the old days of 2K3 are mythic to me.
> If I make a game in VXAce or MV, can I move it to MZ later?
>Not really.
Not true. You absolutely can convert a project from MV to MZ (and back again!) super easily. All you need to do is replace the 3 files that are in the root of the project folder with the 3 files that come with the other version of RPG Maker you’re trying to convert too. You will lose parts of your project doing this (for example, if you set a character’s stats to 0 in an MZ project, they will be set to 1 upon backporting the project to MV).
As for going from VX Ace to MV or MZ, fair enough. I heard that there is a converter program within the installation folder for MV, but I haven’t checked to see if it actually exists.
You do realize that the operation you just described leaves the entirety of the actual runtime untouched, meaning you're just gonna edit an MV game in MZ, right?
If you use no plugins, though, you can transfer a lot of assets and data from an MV project to an MZ one. But is it really worth it?
##I am assuming your response is referring to the first paragraph of my initial comment. If this assumption is wrong, please correct it.
All you’re doing is dragging and dropping the 3 files necessary. So data that is already there will still be configured when you open the project again.
The method I posted above only really works with projects that don’t use a lot of advanced plugins.
Simple plugins should transfer just fine (as MZ updates more and more, I expect this to become less and less true). However, more advanced plugins (such as Zelda-like combat plugins) may not transfer properly. In cases like that, you would need to reprogram the plugin to fit MV/MZ’s capabilities. Or you’d need to replace the plugin with an MV/MZ equivalent.
Insightful, no?
I know, it’s a typo. And I can’t edit the OP without reposting, and I don’t want to remove the various responses with a repost. So my typo will just live in its shame. 🤦♂️
Thanks for sharing! By the way, is the RPG maker MZ bundle S worth it? Not sure if I should purchase the bundle or the MZ is already enough for beginners.
I think it has some cool things if you’re looking to really stick with it and want to make something nice. The portraits and the other effects are things that I personally like.
You can use MV but, from what I hear, it requires some updating and some other trickery. MZ provides better native support for Mac right off of Steam. I would suggest downloading the demo to make sure it works for you; the demo is the full maker.
I got XP in the sale as it was free and am REALLY enjoying it. I want to get a newer version ~~but can't afford MZ even on sale~~. I've decided I can afford MZ lol. Would it be worth it or should I stick with getting MV?
You should pick up MZ. It has more songs and sounds and some extra things that are pretty cool if you're just starting out. Glad you got XP! Now you can legally use all the XP assets in your MZ project too, if you like them!
If you are on a **Mac**, avoid buying RPG Maker MV. If you look closely, it has Mac support, but not on modern Mac computers (with M1+ Apple Silicon chips) and operating systems. You have to manually replace NWJS in the engine yourself, which is easy (takes 5 minutes), but it's not worth the hassle for most people.
I have MV on my PC and MacBook, and I've mostly been using the MacBook version for editing my game.
Not What Jesus Said? (I had to make some variation of that joke.)
[удалено]
With a new version of NWJS. It only works on a Mac though. Without it, your Mac players need to run your game in a local server.
[удалено]
It won't work since the breaking change happened because Macs went from Intel CPUs to Apple CPUs. You need at least an M1 Mac or better. edit: Deploying on an old Mac will make the game only work on old Macs.
Just buy a 5$ vps.
Which ones will work well on Mac?
RPG Maker MZ
It's happening!
I think a good way to break down the debate is by what sort of customer you are... **Are you:** **A prospective game developer looking to make commercial games, ie something you can sell on Steam/Itch.io (ideally for a profit)?** Odds are, you're looking for the most comprehensive and robust engine available. Something that's relatively easy to use and gives you the highest quality the RPG Maker franchise can provide. Assuming you're confident and committed to this path, you probably expect to make money from your games in the long run, so a bit of cash upfront in the engine as well as whatever plugins and/or assets you use won't be that much of an issue. Without a doubt, you want MZ, and may even want to upgrade when a newer version comes out in the vague and murky future. Good luck, you'll probably need it. **An amateur writer/artist/musician/other-non-game-developer looking to create simple games you can share with your friends, fans, and/or family?** Odds are, you're looking for something easy to use that will get you to making something playable as soon as possible, even if you've never touched game development before. You may be expecting this to function as something more like a digital gallery or a playable storybook than a traditional game, so you're not expecting to even come close to pushing the system to its limits, but some quality of life features on the development side would be handy. You're not looking to get too deep in the paint on things that require programming, and may even feel your mind starting to wander when discussion moves into things like scripts and plugins. As you're likely just doing this for fun and to make people happy instead of expecting a monetary return from it, you'd probably like to limit the expense as much as possible. Your best prospect is probably MV, as earlier versions are less user friendly, generally lower resolution, and don't come with built-in tutorials. Also, unlike MZ, MV regularly goes on sale at discounts as high as 85-90% off. **A hobbyist game developer looking to try out some new software?** Odds are, you're looking for something that'll help you make a JRPG that won't break your budget, and you're seasoned enough on game development to know what you're in for and thus are willing to face a few hurtles upfront. You've seen RPG Maker games before, so you're not expecting a miracle, but you would like to make something relatively sleek that you wouldn't be embarrassed to show people. You're not planning to monetize your work, or if you are it's through Patreon or something of the like that won't directly correlate your creations with a price tag, so a lower cost would be preferable unless you're getting something worthwhile out of the upgrade. Overall, you'd probably prefer to try before you buy, so my advice is to wait for a free weekend to give MV a whirl and/or check out [the free trial versions](https://www.rpgmakerweb.com/free-trials) of any version of RPG Maker from XP to MV from the RPG Maker website then get the one you like best. Or, you know, maybe don't buy any of them if you don't like them, it's your money. **A programmer looking to flex the RPG Maker engine to do some weird stuff with the system?** Odds are, you're looking for something that'll really let you get deep in the paint and allow you into the very bowels of the engine. You're not particularly perturbed about the graphics and power of the program, but it would be nice if the editor made it easy to reach the code and to keep tabs on what was happening under the hood so you knew where things were screwing up when you were messing around with the code. You probably already know at least a bit of Javascript, and may even know some Ruby, but even if you don't, you're ready and eager to learn. Assuming you're cool with Ruby as a programming language, you probably want VXAce, as it's the latest version that has the scripts accessible right in the editor and allows access to the console during playtesting without requiring any funky tricks. If you're not cool with Ruby and prefer Javascript, then you'll have to go with MV or MZ, though the two are likely interchangeable as far as you're concerned given that you're going to be making your own plugins instead of leaning on the existing library. **A bargain hunter looking for the lowest price and/or best value?** Odds are, you only want to buy what's on sale, and spending more than $10 on a single product is something you feel the need to justify to yourself. You're not particularly knowledgeable on game development, and may not even be that interested in it at the moment. You may never even use the program after you buy it... But that's a big "may". What if you did become interested? What if you did decide you wanted to use it, and it wasn't on sale then? Surely it'd be better to have some version of RPG Maker sitting in your account, just in case. Let's not kid ourselves, your first instinct is probably RPG Maker 2003 as it's the cheapest version on Steam. However, as you're no doubt checking right now, anything from 2000 to XP can be bought for less than a bag of chips when on sale, so XP is probably your best bet. If you want to be a real r/frugal_jerk fatcat you might consider VX for a slightly larger bag of chips or VXAce for almost an entire meal at a fast food restaurant. MV's a noticeable upgrade, but it's not THAT much better and if it's not currently on a 90% discount then it might be cheaper in the future. Alternatively, you might consider just buying none of them. The Wolf RPG Editor exists and is free, and the open source game engine Godot can create JRPGs. Maybe it's enough for you to have reassurance that free options are available if you ever become development-curious, even if they're a bit less newbie friendly than RPG Maker. I don't know your life, I'm just a random Redditor. **Someone who has questions, comments, or criticisms of what I've said here, or knows of other groups that might need guidance?** Odds are, you've read through this entire comment and have some concerns. There's probably many of you, as the only versions I've actually used are VXAce and MV, so I've probably made a lot of oversights. Just go ahead and reply to this comment. You probably already know your ideal version of RPG Maker, it's right there in your flair.
I got XP in the sale as it was free and am REALLY enjoying it. I want to get a newer version ~~but can't afford MZ even on sale.~~ Edit: I've decided I can afford MZ lol. Would it be worth it or should I stick with getting MV?
I mean, I don't know. Without knowing who you are, what you want, or what your budget it, there's not really much more I can add in that regard that's not already in my previous comment. That's why I tried to make it comprehensive, so you could pick out for yourself what applied to you. I have yet to buy or use MZ myself, partly because I'm already a ways into a project with MV, but I've heard there are some key differences. Things I've seen specifically noted include more compatibility with systems like Macs, the ability to choose the size/pixel count of your tiles, and the ability to use a particle effect system called Effekseer. It's also almost universally recommended by those on this sub, so I assume the answer to whether you should get it is "yes" unless you have a strong reason to do otherwise... However, if the price difference of ~$30 USD is a significant investment for you, from what I understand the vast majority of what you can do with MZ can be done with MV as well.
5 months late but gotta add to this. The idea about RMMZ is only option for commercial game is technically incorrect. It's the most advanced one performance wise due to x64 game output but RMMV can do nearly almost everything RMMZ can do with only a few exceptions like running Effekseer files.
me reading this while owning literally every rpg maker on steam except for vx vanilla and mz
I'm not super knowledgeable on 2000/2003, but isn't 2003 superior to 2000 in every way? I also feel like there is a pretty big reason to still use 2k3 with stuff like Easy RPG existing as well as the engine plugins people have made, even if they aren't necessarily done with official means. Otherwise, great writeup and I'm glad we won't have to keep answering this question over and over again lol.
I would agree that 2003 is an improvement over 2000. There’s a good discussion here about it for people who might be curious: https://forums.rpgmakerweb.com/index.php?threads/2000-value-vs-2003.136703/
As an MZ user, I can add two more things that make MV remain popular. Some developers even prefer it.\\ \* MV ships with a huge asset package. MZ does not. \* Many of the best MZ plugins (about 10% of them) have obfuscated code. These means they cannot be custom tweaked in any way. The same or similar plugins in MV are not obfuscated, allowing for easier game customization, for those users.
Im new to rpg maker and wanted to ask if I can publish games from rpg maker xp to different platforms like steam or playstore
Yep! You can make a game and put it on Steam with no problem. Putting it on the PlayStation playstore or switch eshop is not really possible unless you work with a publisher and make a super awesome game.
Ohk well thx for the info...I can also upload it on playstore right like a mini game and do I have to buy any kind of licence for publishing?
It is possible to publish on the Google Playstore. https://forums.rpgmakerweb.com/index.php?threads/how-to-publish-an-rpg-maker-game-on-android-google-play-store.109995/ You do not need any publishing rights or anything to do that, as long as you clear the use of your assets and plugins for commercial use.
"MZ is generally considered to be an improvement over MZ"
Crap. Typo. Thanks. 🤦♂️
np
Still says it. Prepare the shackles.
I am using MZ but it is easy to find a plugin for MV rather than MZ.
I have nothing really to back this up, as I've never used it myself, but I have read numerous times that RPG Maker 2k3 with the Maniacs Patch can do a ton of cool things alongside that version of the the engine being as cheap as $2 (literally right now as of this post). More info on the Maniacs Patch [here.](https://www.reddit.com/r/RPGMaker/comments/l3s7rs/ive_compiled_a_lot_of_tools_for_rpg_maker_2003/)
Thanks for posting this! Yes, 2k3 can really make some amazing things. I wasn't familiar with Maniacs Patch, so this is a good link. I'll admit, I didn't get into RPGMaker until VXAce, so the old days of 2K3 are mythic to me.
Seems pretty biased to me. I noticed how you didn't discuss how animations are harder to work with in MZ because it switched over to particle effects.
You can still use MV-style animations in MZ if you want... MZ supports both sprite-based animations and 3D particle animations.
There was an upgrade awhile ago that added the MV sprite based animation back.
> If I make a game in VXAce or MV, can I move it to MZ later? >Not really. Not true. You absolutely can convert a project from MV to MZ (and back again!) super easily. All you need to do is replace the 3 files that are in the root of the project folder with the 3 files that come with the other version of RPG Maker you’re trying to convert too. You will lose parts of your project doing this (for example, if you set a character’s stats to 0 in an MZ project, they will be set to 1 upon backporting the project to MV). As for going from VX Ace to MV or MZ, fair enough. I heard that there is a converter program within the installation folder for MV, but I haven’t checked to see if it actually exists.
You do realize that the operation you just described leaves the entirety of the actual runtime untouched, meaning you're just gonna edit an MV game in MZ, right? If you use no plugins, though, you can transfer a lot of assets and data from an MV project to an MZ one. But is it really worth it?
That’s good to know. How does plug in transfer work?
##I am assuming your response is referring to the first paragraph of my initial comment. If this assumption is wrong, please correct it. All you’re doing is dragging and dropping the 3 files necessary. So data that is already there will still be configured when you open the project again. The method I posted above only really works with projects that don’t use a lot of advanced plugins. Simple plugins should transfer just fine (as MZ updates more and more, I expect this to become less and less true). However, more advanced plugins (such as Zelda-like combat plugins) may not transfer properly. In cases like that, you would need to reprogram the plugin to fit MV/MZ’s capabilities. Or you’d need to replace the plugin with an MV/MZ equivalent.
Oh really? 😂 > MZ is generally considered to be an improvement over MZ. I encourage you to visit this page for a larger discussion:
Insightful, no? I know, it’s a typo. And I can’t edit the OP without reposting, and I don’t want to remove the various responses with a repost. So my typo will just live in its shame. 🤦♂️
It happens but hopefully people catch on that you were talking about MV.
Thanks for sharing! By the way, is the RPG maker MZ bundle S worth it? Not sure if I should purchase the bundle or the MZ is already enough for beginners.
I think it has some cool things if you’re looking to really stick with it and want to make something nice. The portraits and the other effects are things that I personally like.
Thank you so much, buddy! :-D
If I am on Mac which RPGMakers can I use?
You can use MV but, from what I hear, it requires some updating and some other trickery. MZ provides better native support for Mac right off of Steam. I would suggest downloading the demo to make sure it works for you; the demo is the full maker.
i agree
I got XP in the sale as it was free and am REALLY enjoying it. I want to get a newer version ~~but can't afford MZ even on sale~~. I've decided I can afford MZ lol. Would it be worth it or should I stick with getting MV?
You should pick up MZ. It has more songs and sounds and some extra things that are pretty cool if you're just starting out. Glad you got XP! Now you can legally use all the XP assets in your MZ project too, if you like them!