So you want to know how to make a video game. Maybe you’ve been playing games for years and thought, “I could do that.” Maybe you’ve got a killer idea that’s been bouncing around in your head. Or maybe you’re just curious about what goes into the process. Real talk: making a video game is harder than it looks, but it’s absolutely doable—and way more accessible than it was even five years ago. You don’t need a team of 50 people or a million-dollar budget to ship something people will actually play.
This guide walks you through the entire process of how to make a video game, from the first spark of an idea to launch day. We’ll cover the tools, the mindset shifts you need to make, and the common pitfalls that’ll stop you dead in your tracks if you’re not careful.
Start Small and Pick Your Scope
This is where most people fail before they even start. They dream big—and that’s great—but then they try to make that dream immediately. You want to make an open-world RPG with 200 hours of content? Cool. But that’s not where you start when learning how to make a video game.
Here’s the hard truth: scope creep is a killer. It’s the reason tons of indie projects die in development hell. You’ll add one feature, then another, then suddenly you’re rewriting your entire engine because you thought of something “cooler.” A year goes by. You burn out. The project dies.
Instead, think small. Really small. Your first game should be something you can finish in 3-6 months, working part-time. Think:
- A 2D platformer with 5-10 levels
- A simple puzzle game (match-3, block-sliding, etc.)
- A top-down action game with basic combat
- A clicker or idle game
- A text-based adventure
The goal isn’t to make the next Elden Ring. The goal is to finish something, ship it, and learn what you don’t know. That experience is worth more than a thousand tutorials.
Choose Your Game Engine
When you’re learning how to make a video game, picking the right engine matters—but not as much as people think. Most modern engines are solid. The real difference is what fits your brain and your project.
Unity is the most popular choice for indie developers. It’s free (until you make serious money), has a massive community, and works on basically every platform. If you’re making a 2D or 3D game and don’t have strong opinions, start here. The learning curve is real but manageable.
Unreal Engine is overkill for beginners but incredible if you want high-fidelity 3D graphics. It’s also free until you hit serious revenue thresholds. The downside? It’s heavier, slower to compile, and has a steeper learning curve. Save this for your second or third project.
Godot is the rising star. It’s open-source, lightweight, and has a super welcoming community. If you like the idea of something less corporate and more community-driven, Godot is your jam. The ecosystem is smaller than Unity’s, but it’s growing fast.
GameMaker is fantastic if you’re making 2D games. It’s paid ($39-$99 depending on your platform targets), but the learning curve is gentler than Unity. If 2D is your thing, honestly, this might be the best choice.
Construct is visual/drag-and-drop focused. No coding required. Great if you want to see results immediately and don’t want to learn programming syntax.
My honest take: pick one and commit. Don’t spend three months evaluating engines. Download the free version, make a simple pong clone, and see how it feels. That 4-hour experiment will teach you more than reading comparisons.
For reference, check out Unity’s official site and Unreal Engine’s documentation to get started with the heavy hitters.
Learn the Fundamentals
If you’re going to code (which you probably will), you need to learn programming. There’s no way around it. But here’s the good news: you don’t need to be a computer science PhD. You need to understand:
- Variables and data types (storing information)
- Loops (doing something repeatedly)
- Conditionals (if/then logic)
- Functions (reusable blocks of code)
- Objects and classes (organizing code into logical chunks)
If you’re using Unity, you’ll learn C#. Unreal uses C++ (or visual scripting). Godot uses GDScript (similar to Python). GameMaker uses GML. They’re all different, but the core concepts are identical. Learn one, and picking up another becomes way easier.
Don’t try to learn everything at once. Start with the basics, then learn game-specific concepts like:
- Sprites and rendering
- Collision detection
- Input handling (keyboard, mouse, controller)
- Game loops and frame rates
- Audio playback
YouTube is packed with free tutorials. Channels like Brackeys and Games From Scratch have excellent introductions to game development. Spend a week or two here. Actually follow along and build the projects they show you.
The key: learning by doing beats passive watching every single time. You’ll forget 80% of a tutorial video within a week. But if you code along and make something, even something simple, it sticks.
Write a Design Document
This sounds boring and unnecessary. It’s not. A design document is your game’s blueprint. It doesn’t need to be long or fancy—a 5-10 page Google Doc is plenty—but it needs to exist.
Your design document should answer:
- What’s the core gameplay loop? (What does the player do, over and over?)
- What’s the goal? (Win condition, progression, etc.)
- What are the main mechanics? (Jump, shoot, solve puzzles, etc.)
- What’s the setting/story? (Brief outline, not a novel)
- Who’s the player? (Casual, hardcore, kids, etc.)
- What platforms? (PC, mobile, console?)
- What’s the art style? (Pixel art, realistic 3D, hand-drawn, etc.)
- How long should it take to finish? (1 hour? 10 hours?)
This document keeps you honest. When you’re tempted to add a complex dialogue system or a crafting mechanic, you can look at your design doc and ask, “Does this serve the core game?” Half the time, the answer is no. You’ll cut it and stay focused.
Update it as you learn things, but treat it like a contract with yourself. It’s your north star when things get fuzzy.
Build a Prototype
Now you actually start making how to make a video game real. Your first version won’t be pretty. It won’t have art, sound, or polish. It’ll be placeholder graphics and placeholder audio (or no audio). That’s perfect.
A prototype is about proving the core idea works. Does your game feel good to play? Is the difficulty balanced? Are the controls responsive? These questions matter infinitely more than whether your assets look professional.
Build your core loop first:
- Get the player character on screen and moving
- Add a simple obstacle or enemy
- Implement the win/loss condition
- Playtest like crazy
Playtest with yourself, your friends, your dog—anyone who’ll give you honest feedback. Watch them play without explaining anything. Where do they get confused? What feels clunky? What feels good? Take notes.
This phase should take 2-4 weeks if you’re working part-time. If it’s taking longer, your scope is too big. Cut features ruthlessly.
A common mistake: trying to make the prototype “pretty.” Don’t. Use placeholder art. Use free sound effects from Freesound. Move fast and learn fast. You can make things beautiful later.
Handle Art and Audio
Once your prototype is solid, it’s time to make it look and sound like a real game. This is where a lot of solo developers hit a wall: they can’t draw or compose music.
Here’s the reality: you have options.
Art: If you can’t draw, you have three paths:
- Learn to draw. Pixel art is actually pretty forgiving and learnable. 3D modeling is harder but doable. Spend a month on YouTube learning the basics.
- Use asset stores. Unity Asset Store, Itch.io, and other sites have thousands of pre-made sprites, 3D models, and UI kits. Some are free, some cost $5-50. If your game is small, this is totally viable.
- Commission an artist. If you can’t draw and don’t want to learn, hire someone. Expect to pay $500-5000+ depending on scope, but it’s an investment in your game’s quality.
Audio: Music and sound effects matter more than people think. Silence is depressing. Bad audio is worse. Good audio makes a mediocre game feel professional.
- Learn music production. Tools like FL Studio, Ableton, or even free options like LMMS let you make simple chiptune or electronic music. YouTube has tons of game audio tutorials.
- Use royalty-free music. Sites like Incompetech, OpenGameArt, and YouTube Audio Library have free or cheap music. License it properly and move on.
- Commission a composer. A small game might need 3-5 minutes of music. A decent composer might charge $300-1000 for that. Worth it if you can afford it.
For sound effects, Freesound and Zapsplat have thousands of free options. Layer them, pitch-shift them, and suddenly your jump sound feels unique.
Testing and Polish
You’ve got a working game with art and audio. Now comes the unglamorous part: making sure it actually works and feels good.
Testing means:
- Playing through the entire game multiple times
- Trying to break it (jump out of bounds, spam buttons, etc.)
- Testing on different devices (if it’s mobile, test on different phones)
- Checking that all audio plays, all visuals render, all text is spelled correctly
- Making sure difficulty is balanced across the entire game
Polish means:
- Smoothing animations and transitions
- Adding screen shake or particle effects for impact
- Fine-tuning difficulty curves
- Writing clear instructions so players understand what to do
- Fixing every bug you find
This phase is tedious but critical. It’s the difference between a game that feels amateur and one that feels professional. A small, polished game beats a big, buggy one every time.
Get other people to test it. Not your mom (she’ll say it’s great regardless). Get actual gamers in your target audience. Watch them play. Take notes. Fix what’s broken.
Launch and Support Your Game
You’ve finished your game. Now what?
Decide where to release:
- Itch.io: Free, no fees, super indie-friendly. Great for your first game.
- Steam: Costs $100 to list, takes 1-2 weeks to review, but reaches millions of players. Worth it if your game is solid.
- App Store/Play Store: Mobile is huge. Expect $99/year for Apple, $25 one-time for Google. More competition, but bigger audience.
- Console: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox. Harder to get approved, but possible for indies. Look into their developer programs.
Before launch, build some buzz. Post clips on Twitter, TikTok, or YouTube. Write a press release. Email gaming journalists. Get streamers to play it. Launch day matters, but the week before matters more.
After launch, be ready to support it. Fix critical bugs immediately. Listen to feedback. Update the game if you find issues. A game with post-launch support feels alive. A game abandoned on day one feels dead.
Pro Tip: Don’t expect to get rich off your first game. Most indie games make $0-5000. That’s okay. You’re building experience and a portfolio. Your second game will be better. Your third will be even better. Play the long game.
For more on the business side of game development, check out Gamasutra, which covers industry trends and business insights.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to learn how to make a video game?
– Basics? 1-2 months of focused learning. Proficiency? 6-12 months. Mastery? Years. But you can make a playable game in 3-6 months if you start small and stay focused. The best way to learn is by actually making something, not by taking courses forever.
Do I need to know how to code to make a video game?
– Not necessarily. Visual scripting tools like Unreal Blueprints, Godot’s visual nodes, or Construct’s event system let you make games without writing code. But learning to code opens way more doors and gives you more control. If you’re serious, invest the time in learning.
How much does it cost to make a video game?
– Your first game? Basically free if you use free engines and asset stores. If you commission art or music, add $500-5000. Most successful indie games started with a budget under $1000. Don’t let budget be your excuse—constraint breeds creativity.
Can I make a game by myself?
– Absolutely. Thousands of solo developers ship games every year. You’ll need to wear multiple hats (programmer, designer, artist, marketer), but it’s totally doable. Start small, and you won’t need a team.
What’s the most common reason indie games fail?
– Scope creep and burnout. Developers start with a huge vision, add features constantly, lose motivation, and abandon the project. Start small. Finish something. That’s the win.
Should I focus on mobile, PC, or console games?
– PC and mobile are easiest to start with (lower barriers to entry). Mobile has more players but brutal competition. PC has more engaged indie audiences. Pick based on what you want to make, not what you think will sell. A game you’re excited about will show.
How do I make money from my game?
– Charge upfront ($5-20), use ads, use in-app purchases, or use a combination. For your first game, don’t overthink monetization. Focus on making something good. People will pay for good games. If you’re making a free game, ads or cosmetic purchases work better than aggressive paywalls.
What’s the best game engine for beginners?
– Honestly? Unity or GameMaker. Both have massive communities, tons of tutorials, and are genuinely beginner-friendly. Godot is catching up fast. Pick one, commit, and ignore the rest. You’ll learn faster by depth than by breadth.
