Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 7, 2026

Snowdrop (game engine)

Snowdrop is a proprietary game engine created by Massive Entertainment and Ubisoft for use on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Stadia, and Luna. It was revealed at E3 2013 with Tom Clancy's The Division, the first game using the engine. Snowdrop is one of the primary game engines used by Ubisoft along with Disrupt, Dunia, and Ubisoft Anvil.

Last revised
Jun 7, 2026
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≈ 7 min
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Wikipedia ↗
Snowdrop
Developers
Written inC++
Platform
LicenseProprietary
Websitewww.massive.se/project/snowdrop-engine/

Snowdrop (also known as Ubisoft Snowdrop) is a proprietary game engine created by Massive Entertainment and Ubisoft for use on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Stadia, and Luna. It was revealed at E3 2013 with Tom Clancy's The Division, the first game using the engine.1234 Snowdrop is one of the primary game engines used by Ubisoft along with Disrupt, Dunia, and Ubisoft Anvil.5

History

The engine is coded mainly in C++.6 Rodrigo Cortes, former brand art director at Massive Entertainment, said that development on the Snowdrop engine started in 2009.7 Initially it was an engine built for PC and next-gen development to "do things better not bigger".89 The core of the game engine is powered by a "node-based system" and the engine is a dynamic, interconnected and flexible system where developers can create their assets quickly and interact with them in ways that have never been done before.1011 Massive created a lighting and destruction system inspired by film production techniques.121314 Features of Snowdrop include advanced physically based rendering (PBR), procedural destruction, and a dynamic global illumination system.151617

According to the developers, the engine was designed with three pillars: Empowerment, which allows animators, artists and designers to get their work done quicker, Real Time, which allows developers to implement and iterate quickly and Fun, a concept that applies not only to the final product, but to using the engine during development.1819 An improved version of the engine was used for Tom Clancy's The Division 2.20

In February 2016, Massive confirmed that the engine can be used for other Ubisoft games.21 According to Martin Hultberg, head of IP at Ubisoft Massive, Snowdrop became available to all Ubisoft studios and not just those working on the Tom Clancy's IP.2223 These games include South Park: The Fractured but Whole,24 Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle,25 and Starlink: Battle for Atlas.26

In May 2021, Ubisoft announced Tom Clancy's The Division Heartland which was developed on Snowdrop.27 However, three years later on 15 May 2024 Ubisoft announced that it had cancelled the game.28293031 In June 2021, Ubisoft confirmed that the engine will be upgraded for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora.3233 According to senior technical artist Kunal Luthra, thousands of assets can be propagated inside of each frame to create more highly detailed environments.3435 The engine would also support real-time ray tracing, unified volumetric rendering, as well as improved AI behavior for NPCs.3637

Snowdrop was used for Star Wars Outlaws,3839 which features RTX Direct Illumination and DLSS Ray Reconstruction.4041 Massive developed its own digital "camera lens" in Snowdrop, which was used to give the game a more cinematic presentation as an option.4243

The remake of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell will also use Snowdrop.444546 The game will be a ground-up remake and development is headed by Ubisoft Toronto which had previously worked on Far Cry 6.47484950 Ubisoft announced they will continue to upscale and develop the engine.51

Games using Snowdrop

Year Title Platform(s) Developer(s) Ref.
2016 Tom Clancy's The Division PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One Massive Entertainment 7
2017 Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle Nintendo Switch Ubisoft Milan 25
South Park: The Fractured but Whole Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One Ubisoft San Francisco 24
2018 Starlink: Battle for Atlas Ubisoft Toronto 26
2019 Tom Clancy's The Division 2 PlayStation 4, Stadia, Windows, Xbox One Massive Entertainment 20
2022 Rabbids: Party of Legends Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Stadia, Windows, Xbox One Ubisoft Chengdu 52
Rocksmith+ Android, iOS, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows Ubisoft San Francisco 53
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope Nintendo Switch Ubisoft Milan 54
2023 The Settlers: New Allies Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S Ubisoft Düsseldorf 55
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox Series X/S Massive Entertainment 32
2024 XDefiant Ubisoft San Francisco 56
Star Wars Outlaws PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2 Massive Entertainment 57
2026 Rayman Legends Retold Ubisoft Montpellier 58
N/a Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell N/a Ubisoft Toronto 59

Cancelled

References

References

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  8. "Ubisoft: Snowdrop engine allows us to work better, not bigger". MCV/Develop. 19 March 2014.
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  10. "Here's The Division's amazing game engine in action". Polygon. 19 March 2014.
  11. "The Division's Snowdrop Engine "Capable of Creating Large Range of Varied Universes"". GamingBolt. 24 March 2014.
  12. "The Division video shows procedural destruction and lighting in the Snowdrop Engine". PCGamesN. 8 December 2013.
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  15. "Tech Analysis: Tom Clancy's The Division". Eurogamer. 29 June 2013.
  16. "The Division Graphics Tech Detailed: PBR, Dynamic GI With Real-Time Bounce Lighting". GamingBolt. 13 January 2016.
  17. "Star Wars Outlaws' Snowdrop Engine Explained". Game Rant. 14 September 2023.
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  19. "The Division's Snowdrop Engine Allows for Dynamic Destruction, Designed for Next-Gen". GamingBolt. 9 December 2013.
  20. "The Division 2 is currently in the works at Massive Entertainment, more to come at E3 2018". VG247. 8 March 2018.
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  31. "New Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora trailer details upgrades to Snowdrop engine". Digital Trends. 24 June 2021.
  32. "Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora tech showcase details improvements made to Snowdrop engine". VG247. 25 June 2021.
  33. "Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora Looks Beautifully Alien In New Snowdrop Engine Tech Showcase". GameSpot. 24 June 2021.
  34. "Ubisoft showcases improvements made to The Division's engine for its next-gen Avatar game". Video Games Chronicle. 25 June 2021.
  35. "Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is one of the most technologically impressive games of the year". Eurogamer. 8 December 2023.
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  37. "Ubisoft's Star Wars Outlaws Open-World Game Debuts At Xbox Showcase". GameSpot. 12 June 2023.
  38. "First 'Star Wars Outlaws' gameplay trailer offers 10 minutes of scoundrel wish fulfillment". Engadget. 13 June 2023.
  39. "Star Wars Outlaws performance analysis: Ray traced galaxies far, far away really, really demand upscaling and frame generation". PC Gamer. 26 August 2024.
  40. "Star Wars Outlaws pushes the latest PC technologies hard - and the results are stunning". Eurogamer. 31 August 2024.
  41. "Star Wars Outlaws Cinematic Mode Makes It Look Like The Original Trilogy". GameSpot. 26 August 2024.
  42. "Star Wars Outlaws is beautifully realised on PS5 and Series X/S, bar a few rogue issues". Eurogamer. 27 August 2024.
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External links