CodeCanyon Alternatives for Buying Game Source Code
Codester, itch.io, the Unity Asset Store and buying from a studio, compared on licence, files, support, refunds and engines, with each claim taken from the official page.
The main CodeCanyon alternatives for buying game source code are Codester, a code marketplace with its own licence rules; itch.io, where each creator writes the terms; the Unity Asset Store, if your team builds in Unity; and buying straight from the studio that made the game. They differ less in price than in four things: what one licence lets you build, what you actually download, who answers when something breaks, and when you can still get your money back.
We sit on two sides of this table, so we say it first. Polar Games has sold on CodeCanyon as the author polargames since 2013, and we also run our own store on polargames.com.br. Everything we say about other companies comes from their official pages, read on 30 October 2026, and we name the page each time. If a page did not tell us something, we say so instead of guessing. Terms change; read the live page before you pay anyone, us included.
Why compare CodeCanyon alternatives in 2026
Until mid-2026, Envato charged authors who sold only on its marketplaces a lower fee than authors who also sold elsewhere. Envato's Author Hub article on the change says that from 1 July 2026 exclusivity requirements were removed and authors are free to sell on Envato and on other channels at the same time. The Envato Market Author Terms, last revised 1 July 2026, now say authors make items available on a non-exclusive basis.
For a buyer this has one practical effect: the same game may now be on sale in more than one place, under different terms. The files can be identical while the licence, the support period and the refund rules are not. So the question is no longer only where a game is sold, but which set of rules you want to buy it under.
See our templates and their terms
Licence: what one purchase lets you build
- CodeCanyon: according to Envato's Standard Licences page, a Regular License covers one end product given to end users for free, and an Extended License covers one end product that end users pay for. Agencies may charge a client for their work, but one licence cannot cover several clients or jobs. The Regular License terms (last revised 11 March 2025) forbid redistributing the item as stock, in a tool or template, or with source files.
- Codester: its help article on licences says a Regular license covers one project, personal or commercial, for you or a client, with no resale and no distribution of source files. Its Extended license covers unlimited projects and allows the source files to be distributed as part of a larger project, but not resold as-is. Same words as CodeCanyon, different split.
- itch.io: the terms of service (updated 15 April 2023) say publishers keep ownership of what they upload, and they do not set one licence for assets sold there. The creator's page is where the licence lives. No licence text means you do not know your rights, not that you have all of them.
- Unity Asset Store: the EULA FAQ says you take the licence directly from the asset's publisher, under the standard EULA unless the page is labelled Non-standard. The EULA (last updated 4 December 2024) lets you distribute an asset only as incorporated and embedded in your own product. Extension Assets, meaning editor tools, are licensed per seat.
- Our store: one perpetual, non-exclusive licence per end product, for you or for one client. Players may play free or with ads. White label is allowed, and you may change code, art and audio inside your product. Reselling the template or its code on its own is not allowed.
What you actually download
- CodeCanyon: the Item Support Policy says every item sold on Envato Market includes documentation. What else comes in the ZIP is up to the author and is described on the listing, usually with a live preview.
- Codester: we did not find an official page on what each download must contain, so read the item description and ask in the item's support section before buying.
- itch.io: you get what the creator uploaded. Its game assets page filters by type, such as sprites, tilesets and fonts, and by tool, such as Unity, Unreal Engine or Blender.
- Unity Asset Store: a package that you import into a Unity project. Editing means opening the Unity editor.
- Our store: a ready-to-host game folder, the readable source code, a manual and a playable demo for each of our 28 templates. Each licence also comes with a certificate that has a number and an authenticity code.
See how a licence certificate is checked
Support and refunds, side by side
CodeCanyon
Envato's Item Support Policy gives supported items 6 months of support from purchase, which you can extend to a maximum of 12 months when you buy. Support covers questions about the item's features, help with reported bugs and with bundled third-party assets. The refund rules (version 1.2, October 2023) expect a refund when an item is not as described, has a security hole that cannot easily be fixed, or support was promised and not given, and when an item was not downloaded within 30 days. Changing your mind does not qualify. Requests on supported CodeCanyon items older than 180 days, or 30 days for unsupported ones, are not processed.
Codester
Codester's help centre says you can ask the author for support up to 12 months after purchase, in the support section of the item page, and that the author should answer within 2 business days. If not, Codester support steps in. Installation, configuring your environment, third-party software and demo data are not included. To get a refund you first post the problem in that support section and give the author 2 business days. Accidental purchases, not wanting the item, lack of expertise, a misconfigured environment and purchases older than 30 days are excluded.
itch.io
Section 9 of the itch.io terms lets you request a refund if the content cannot run, something stops you accessing it, or it does not match what was advertised. For technical problems, itch.io first sends you to the creator. We found no fixed support period in the terms: support depends on the creator.
Unity Asset Store
The EULA says all sales are final except as it provides. Automatic refunds need a request within 14 days of purchase, a product that has not been downloaded, payment by PayPal or credit card, and a single or multi-entity licence outside an upgrade path. Other refunds within 14 days are at Unity's discretion. Publisher support exists only under a separate support agreement.
Our store
Six months of support from purchase, or 12 with the extension chosen at checkout, which costs 30% of the list price. Support covers installing and using the supplied files and fixing reproducible defects. A refund is possible before you download, or if the game has a defect we cannot fix. Customisation, hosting and SDK or portal work are separate services, quoted before any work starts.
Who protects whom: buyer and author safeguards
A marketplace sits between you and the author. That middle seat is worth something: Envato lets you raise a dispute when you and an author disagree, Codester steps in when an author goes quiet for two business days, and Unity reviews discretionary refund requests by hand. Those safeguards have limits written into them. Envato says its decisions on disputes are discretionary and that purchases older than 180 days cannot be disputed.
Authors are protected too, mostly against refunds after download. Both Envato and Codester exclude refunds for changing your mind or lacking the skills to use an item. Envato's User Terms (last revised 14 August 2026) add that items may not stay available, so you should download as soon as you buy, and the refund rules exclude items that were removed or whose author left.
Buying direct removes the middle seat. You deal with the seller only, which is faster when the seller answers and has no referee when it does not. In our case the terms you accept at checkout are saved with your order, so the version you agreed to stays the one that applies.
Engines and file formats
- CodeCanyon lists game code under HTML5, with a Games subcategory, and under Mobile, with Android, iOS and Flutter among the subcategories.
- Codester's App Templates menu includes Construct 3, Unity, Buildbox, Cordova, Flutter, Android and iOS.
- itch.io filters assets by tool and by format, for example FBX, PNG or MIDI.
- The Unity Asset Store is Unity-only by design.
- Our 28 templates are written in JavaScript or TypeScript, with libraries such as Three.js or Phaser in some of them. None needs a commercial engine editor. Some are TypeScript projects that you rebuild with Vite after editing; the item page says which, and every edition ships a folder that already runs on a static web host.
Example: see what the Frogdoku package lists
Buying direct from a studio: the honest trade-off
We sell in both places, so here is when we think each makes sense. If you already have an Envato account and want Envato's dispute process behind you, CodeCanyon is a sound choice, and our items there follow its rules. If you want a white label licence, an invoice in your company's name, bundle discounts across several games, or to talk to the developer before you buy, buying direct is the simpler route.
Buying for clients? Read how agencies work with us
How to choose: a short checklist
- Name your engine. If your team works in Unity, start at the Unity Asset Store. If nobody wants to install an engine, look for plain JavaScript.
- Match the licence to your plan: free or paid for players, one client or many.
- Play the exact demo of the edition you will buy, on a phone too.
- Find the support period and what it excludes, in writing.
- Find the refund rule and the point where it stops, usually the download.
- Check whether the same game is sold elsewhere under better terms for your case.
- Download right after buying and keep the receipt, licence code and terms together.
FAQ
What are the best CodeCanyon alternatives for game source code?
Codester for a similar marketplace model, itch.io for creator-licensed assets and some templates, the Unity Asset Store if you build in Unity, and buying direct from a studio. Which one is best depends on your engine and on the licence you need, not on the site's size.
Can CodeCanyon authors sell the same item elsewhere now?
Yes. Envato says that from 1 July 2026 exclusivity requirements were removed and authors may sell on other channels too. The Market Author Terms describe items as offered on a non-exclusive basis.
Can I get a refund after downloading game source code?
Usually only for a real fault. Envato, Codester and Unity all limit refunds after download, and Unity's automatic refund requires that you did not download. In our store a refund after download is possible only for a defect we cannot fix.
Is Polar Games on CodeCanyon too?
Yes, as the author polargames since 2013. Our own store sells under the terms published on polargames.com.br, which differ from Envato's in places, so compare both before you buy.
Compare us on the same points
Every template page in our store lists the files, the engine or libraries, the languages and the demo, and the terms page covers licence, support and refunds in eight short sections. Run the checklist above on us before you decide.