Making video games combines art and technology, with many professionals in programming, lighting, or animation leveraging powerful processing power to create beautiful images, meaningful stories, and exciting competition. As a job title, game development can cover a wide range of skills, from programming to design.
There is significant overlap between the fields, and deciding whether to specialize in game development or pursue a broader focus in computer science can be an important career decision.
For those who want to work in games or aren’t sure if game development is a good fit for them, we’ve compiled five online courses that can provide a glimpse into the world of game development.
Aspiring game developers may find it useful to become familiar with Unreal Engine or Unity, popular game engines.
- Introduction to Game Design: Coursera
- Unreal Engine 5 C++ Developer: Udemy
- Introduction to Basic Game Development using Scratch: Coursera
- Coursera: Game Development: HTML to Unreal Engine Mastery: Coursera
- C# Programming for Unity Game Development Specialization: Coursera
Best game development courses: Comparison table
| Course | Cost | Duration | Skill level | Certification of completion? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Introduction to Game Design | $59/month | 6 hours | Beginner | Yes |
| Unreal Engine 5 C++ Developer | $149.99 | 29.5 hours of video, plus self-guided projects | Beginner | Yes |
| Introduction to Basic Game Development using Scratch | $59/month | 2 hours | Beginner | Yes |
| Game Development: HTML to Unreal Engine Mastery | $59/month | 2 hours | Beginner | Yes |
| C# Programming for Unity Game Development Specialization | $59/month | 120 hours | Beginner | Yes |
Coursera: Introduction to Game Design
This course, taught by CalArts professor Fran Krause, is not technical, but we’re including it because it provides a good overview of the basics of games and the concepts a team may discuss with a game developer in a professional setting. The course covers gameplay and mechanics, narrative, ally players, and enemy characters.
Pricing
A Coursera Plus subscription costs $59 per month, with a seven-day free trial.
Duration
This course takes about six hours, although some sections require peer review to finish, which may inflate the amount of time the course takes to complete.
Pros
- Can be completed relatively quickly, within Coursera’s free trial period.
- Participants have found the teacher to be entertaining and the material to be easy-to-follow.
- Learn how games work overall and how to build a basic game.
- At the end of the course, you will have completed some hands-on projects.
Cons
- Coursera requires a “peer review” system to complete some assignments. The swiftness and quality of peer responses rely entirely on the other people taking the course. Some Coursera reviewers report low-quality or belated responses.
- The material is generic and not specific to video games. For example, the first exercise involves creating a board game.
- This course doesn’t provide any technical instruction.
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites for this course.
Rating: 3 out of 5.
Udemy: Unreal Engine 5 C++ Developer
Unreal Engine 5 C++ Developer: Learn C++ & Make Video Games is used to develop games like Fortnite and the upcoming S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2. Unreal’s primary programming language is C++, so it makes sense to cover both the engine and the programming language in the same course. Working in Unreal Engine, C++ can be used to handle memory allocation and hardware and graphic processes. With a 4.6 rating on Udemy, the course comprises five practice modules, each of which teaches how to make a different type of game.
Pricing
This course costs $149.99. Udemy’s sales often include discounts, so you may be able to get this course for $25 or less if you visit the site at the right time.
Duration
This course includes 29.5 hours of video, but the actual time to completion will be longer as the learner creates their own projects.
Pros
- Simultaneously learn the programming language and the game engine, efficiently focusing on the learner’s intended outcome of developing a game.
- Teaching assistants are available to answer questions about the course material.
Cons
- Some reviewers note the course does not include the newest iteration of Unreal Engine’s Enhanced Input feature. However, the instructors are aware of this and said in a reply to a review on Aug. 15 that they plan to “remaster” the course to include up-to-date information.
- Reviewers are mixed on whether the course empowers beginner programmers enough, with some saying the explanations of C++ are incomplete.
Prerequisites
No prior development or programming experience is required. Learners will need a computer capable of running Unreal, preferably Unreal 5.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
SEE: C++ is versatile but has been scrutinized by CISA for not being memory-safe and therefore introducing vulnerabilities into open-source projects.
Coursera: Introduction to Basic Game Development using Scratch
Scratch is a drag-and-drop coding program that can be used to create relatively simple games. This course is ideal for beginners who want to explore whether coding for games aligns with their true passion. The project features a side-by-side interface, allowing learners to follow along with the instructor while simultaneously working on their own tasks.
Pricing
A Coursera Plus subscription costs $59 per month, but this project can likely be completed within the seven-day free trial.
Duration
The videos have a duration of 2 hours.
Pros
- The project is hands-on.
- Learners will finish the project with a playable game.
- Reviewers praise the instructor’s teaching style.
Cons
- The project is relatively simple and may not translate well to a job search.
- Coursera notes, “This course works best for learners who are based in the North America region. We’re currently working on providing the same experience in other regions.”
- This course is available only on desktop, not mobile.
Prerequisites
No previous courses must be completed, and no coding experience is required. Learners will need to make a free account with Scratch and use one of the supported browsers.
Rating: 3 out of 5.
Coursera: Game Development: HTML to Unreal Engine Mastery
The stated purpose of Game Development: HTML to Unreal Engine Mastery is to “demystify” game development. As such, it is a rapid-fire explanation of the coding commonly used in games and how different elements of the game development process fit together. This course includes instruction in HTML5 — particularly for making game loops, graphics, and sound for games — and “Unreal Engine.”
Pricing
A Coursera Plus subscription costs $59 per month, but this course can likely be completed within the seven-day free trial.
Duration
The videos have a duration of 2 hours.
Pros
- Comprehensive overview of tools often used in modern game development.
- Complete a small game as you progress in the course.
- Updated in May 2024.
Cons
- Since the course is short, it cannot dig deeply into any one programming language.
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites for this course.
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Coursera: C# Programming for Unity Game Development Specialization
Unity is a popular development engine — game developers have used it to create Pokémon Go and Among Us, among other titles. This specialization goes in-depth on using C# to write scripts, store data, implement code using classes and objects, repeat actions in code through looping, and add sound effects and music. The courses are taught by a University of Colorado professor and cover some of the same material as the freshman Game Design and Development classes in the University of Colorado system.
Pricing
A Coursera Plus subscription costs $59 per month.
Duration
This course lasts 120 hours (or 5 days total in hours). If the learner splits that time up into three-hour labs in imitation of a college course, completing the course would take 40 days at 3 hours per day.
Pros
- In-depth material gives the learner a solid foundation in both C# and Unity in a way that could directly translate to professional experience.
- Taught by faculty experienced in computer science at the university level.
Cons
- Requires a significant time commitment.
- Some reviewers reported errors when using the automated grading system or certain links within the course materials.
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites for the first course in the certification, Introduction to C# Programming and Unity. As with the other courses on this list, confirm you can run all of the required software on your device.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Methodology
We chose the above courses based on the expertise of the educators and the rigor of the material. We aimed to provide a mix of short courses to test out whether someone might want to become a game developer and longer courses that replicate some experience in an in-person class. Free online resources may exist covering the same topics.
