The true driving force behind drifts in plate tectonics is still a topic open for discussion. Currently, slab pull is taken as the dominant driving force. From the energy perspective, heat from the Earth’s interior is the main source of power maintaining plate tectonics. The organized release of heat is the key to transforming static energy into kinetic energy. Here we propose a Magma Engine model. According to this model, heat is changed to potential energy through magmatism, and this consequently drives movements in plate tectonics through gravity. New oceanic crust is formed continuously at the mid-Ocean ridges, and then cools down gradually. The newly formed oceanic crust is lighter and thinner than the older ones, resulting in tilted plates sitting on the asthenosphere mantle. Given that the mantle has a high viscosity of 1019−1021 in the asthenosphere, and even higher values further down, the oceanic plate would lie on a big slope, with a height difference of around 80 kilometers. The highest plate sliding forces reach 1.4 ´ 1014 N/m, which is an order of magnitude larger than the estimated value of slab pull. It is therefore the primary driving force of plate tectonics. Mantle plume is another type of Magma Engine. Large plume heads may elevate the overlying continental crust in kilometer scales, due to high temperatures and the bouncy of large amounts of plume magma. Such uplifting may lead to the overlying plate sliding away from the center of the plume. This may initiate plate subduction along weaker belts in case the plume is big enough and the overlying plate is strong enough. This is likely the main mechanism that initiated plate tectonics in the early history of the Earth. Under the plate tectonic system, the plume head plays a major role in the opening of new ocean basins, acting as an “igniter” of mid-ocean Magma Engines. There are two types of subduction initiations, spontaneous and induced (or forced). Spontaneous subduction initiation usually occurs in old ocean basins, forming double-track subductions on either side of the ocean basin. In contrast, induced subduction initiation usually occurs in young ocean basins, forming single-track subduction. The closures of Neo-Tethys Oceans were likely associated with induced subduction initiation, which always forms northward subductions. The Magma Engine works mainly on plates that are directly connected to spreading ridges and/or mantle plumes. For others, the energy for plate movement and deformation comes from plate interactions.