Have you not researched “Custom Game Engine” yet? As you get 2D Graphics V2 straight away from doing that, then when you reach level 3 in that, you can research 2D Graphics V3 and 3D Graphics V1, then when you get to level 3 on either of those, you can research the next level up on the path you’ve chosen and so on.
Are you selecting the engine you made in the game creation screen?
Also, if you make a new engine then give everyone a task (e.g. send everyone except “you” on leave then give yourself a training course) the engine creation will claim to have been “completed” but the features that didn’t have time to go in yet wont be available for selection.