Autodesk Stingray

Q: Is Autodesk Stingray still available?

No. Autodesk ended sales and development from 7 January 2018. Its product page says it discontinued Stingray as of 7 November 2018 and will release no more updates or fixes.

Q: Why did Autodesk discontinue Stingray?

It could not compete with Unreal Engine and Unity. Autodesk said it would partner with third-party game engine makers instead of building its own engine.

Q: What was 3ds Max Interactive?

A tool in 3ds Max with Stingray at its core. It arrived in 3ds Max 2018.1. Autodesk ended its development, support and downloads on 30 March 2022.

Q: What games use the Stingray engine?

Helldivers 2 is the best-known. Others in the engine family include Helldivers, Magicka 2, Warhammer: Vermintide 2 and Warhammer 40,000: Darktide.

Q: Where did Stingray come from?

Bitsquid, a Stockholm engine company. Bitsquid was founded in 2009. Autodesk bought it in June 2014 and relaunched the engine as Stingray in 2015.

Q: What should I use instead?

A maintained engine. Unreal Engine, Unity and Godot are common picks. See our Autodesk Stingray alternatives for more.

Autodesk's 3D game engine. Discontinued in 2018, and its successor ended in 2022.

Discontinued3D game engineAutodesk

See alternatives ↗Last verified: 5 Nov 2026

Fact-checked

Refael EliyahuMarketing, Startup StashEconomics-trained and numbers-first. He owns content, SEO, and distribution here, and every tools page goes through him before the Fact-checked mark goes live.

2014Autodesk buys Bitsquid

Jan 2018End of sale

1.9Last version, Aug 2017

Mar 20223ds Max Interactive ends

The short version

What happened to Autodesk Stingray?

Autodesk Stingray is discontinued. Autodesk stopped selling and developing it from 7 January 2018, and 3ds Max Interactive, the tool built on its core, lost support and downloads on 30 March 2022.

Stingray grew out of Bitsquid, a game engine from Stockholm that Autodesk acquired in June 2014 and relaunched as Stingray in 2015. It linked to Autodesk tools such as 3ds Max and Maya. The last release was version 1.9, in August 2017. Autodesk's product page now says it discontinued Stingray as of 7 November 2018, with no more releases, updates or fixes, and that it would partner with third-party engine makers instead of building its own.

Bottom line: there is no supported way to start a new Stingray project. Pick an engine that is still maintained, such as Unreal Engine, Unity or Godot. Our alternatives page lists more options.

What it did

Key features

Built on Bitsquid

A lean, flexible engine first made by Bitsquid in Stockholm, smaller and lighter than many rivals.

Autodesk tool links

Worked with 3ds Max, Maya, Mudbox and Maya LT, and was bundled with Maya LT for a time.

Lua and visual scripting

Game logic was written in Lua or with visual scripting, with C++ for advanced users.

Many target platforms

The engine family supports Windows, Linux, PlayStation, Xbox, iOS and Android.

What it cost

Autodesk Stingray pricing

Option	Price	Status today
Stingray subscription	Not sold	End of sale and development from 7 January 2018.
Stingray with Maya LT	Not sold	Bundled for a time after end of sale. No updates after version 1.9.
3ds Max Interactive	Not sold	Development, support and downloads ended 30 March 2022.

Stingray was sold as a monthly subscription and sometimes bundled with other Autodesk products. None of these options are offered today.

Honest fit

What still works, and what doesn't

Still works

Copies of 3ds Max Interactive that were already installed still run, without support
Games already built on the engine, such as Helldivers 2 (2024)
Other games in the same engine family, such as Warhammer 40,000: Darktide (2022)

No longer available

Buying Stingray, since January 2018
Updates after version 1.9
3ds Max Interactive downloads and support, since March 2022
New releases, updates or fixes from Autodesk

What people ask

Autodesk Stingray FAQ

Is Autodesk Stingray still available?

No. Autodesk ended sales and development from 7 January 2018. Its product page says it discontinued Stingray as of 7 November 2018 and will release no more updates or fixes.

Why did Autodesk discontinue Stingray?

It could not compete with Unreal Engine and Unity. Autodesk said it would partner with third-party game engine makers instead of building its own engine.

What was 3ds Max Interactive?

A tool in 3ds Max with Stingray at its core. It arrived in 3ds Max 2018.1. Autodesk ended its development, support and downloads on 30 March 2022.

What games use the Stingray engine?

Helldivers 2 is the best-known. Others in the engine family include Helldivers, Magicka 2, Warhammer: Vermintide 2 and Warhammer 40,000: Darktide.

Where did Stingray come from?

Bitsquid, a Stockholm engine company. Bitsquid was founded in 2009. Autodesk bought it in June 2014 and relaunched the engine as Stingray in 2015.

What should I use instead?

A maintained engine. Unreal Engine, Unity and Godot are common picks. See our Autodesk Stingray alternatives for more.

Keep comparing

Autodesk Stingray alternatives

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