You’re not wrong if video game development has crossed your mind as a career. According to Statista, the global video gaming market is set to touch 268.81 billion USD in 2025. There are countless statistics about the video gaming industry, all converging to a single sentiment–gaming is lucrative and undoubtedly profitable. And the good news is, there are plenty of free game development courses for you to get an idea about them and access your interests. Before listing some of the best online gaming courses, let’s check out what exactly gaming development is.
What is Game Development?
In brief, game development involves steps like planning, design, development, and testing various components of any game. And conceptually, you can call any bunch of interactive audiovisual elements a game. So, can you develop games on your own? Yes! But for the most, games developed by a single individual end up as a very simplistic endeavor. And the more complex ones, like the Halo Infinite or the Final Fantasy VII, need an army of developers comprising programmers, audio artists, visual designers, testing people, etc. Surprisingly, the programming part is taken care of (in part or whole) by gaming engines (Unity, Unreal, Construct, etc.). If you’re wondering, gaming engines are a set of tools that help develop a game with little or no code. So you don’t need to be a computer guy to get yourself into game development. There are tons of different avenues to make a career in the gaming industry. Let’s proceed to some of the top choices to learn game development.
Udemy
Unity and Unreal are two famous game engines. While these tools take most complications out of the scene–it can be frustrating initially. Udemy has courses that can assist in launching yourself with these two robust game development solutions.
C# Unity Game Developer 2D
This game development course is ideal to start with C# from scratch about the Unity game engine. In addition, you will get accustomed to 2D game development with the Unity infrastructure. You can also opt for a C# Unity game development 3D module as the next step.
Unreal Engine C++ Developer
This is a slightly advanced course to learn C++ and develop inside the Unreal game engine. This course also lets you collaborate with Epic games to learn in real-time. Both of these courses are in English and come with lifetime access. They also have subtitles in multiple languages like Spanish, Italian, German, Portuguese, etc. You’ll be getting a certificate of completion as well.
Coursera
Coursera has got you covered for the basics behind game development. It also has a course similar to Udemy’s Unity course.
Introduction to Game Design
This is more of a theoretical module covering the various strategies essential for game development. It’s best to get through this short game design course before moving to the advanced development segments. This will take just about 6 hours to complete and comes with a certificate of completion.
C# Programming for Unity Game Development Specialization
This is also a beginner-level course to learn C# programming related to the Unity engine. It is a 5-month long module offered by the University of Colorado. You will be given a hands-on project, and upon completion, you’ll earn a certificate of completion. Both the courses are free to enroll. But, one can earn the certificates only after paying the fee. Notably, you can apply for financial aid as well.
Edx
Edx has numerous open online courses offered by some of the best names in the education industry, including Harvard, MIT, UCB, Boston University, etc. Here are two elementary courses to get you started in game development:
CS50’s Introduction to Game Development
This 12-week video game development program lets you explore the design of some of the popular titles like Angry Birds, Super Mario Bros, Pokemon, etc. While this course is free at present, this has some optional paid upgrades. You will be learning to use popular game engines like Unity and LÖVE 2D. In addition, programming languages like Lua and C# are also covered.
Computer Science for Game Development
Edx’s Game Development course gives you a professional certificate in computer science for game development. It has a more traditional approach to get you on board with gaming. This covers theoretical concepts assistive to gaming and will also help you gain some level of expertise in C, Python, Java, HTML, CSS, etc. This six-month course is bundled with the previous one and priced collectively at 313 USD. Both these courses are offered by Harvard University.
Other Platforms
Unity Learn
Unity learn is a learning platform for everyone. It has everything from entry-level people to experts. This can assist you in knowing the Unity game engine from scratch to start creating as an advanced developer. And you’re at the right place if you’re a fan of swords and shovels. Unity has paired up with Pluralsight to explain the development of Swords and Shovels inside out. You can also book paid one-on-one sessions with the Unity community experts. It also has a premium Unity certification program where you select and gain experience in specific skills. Finally, this is primarily for people interested in developing 3D games within the Unity ecosystem.
Create Video Games with Phaser.js
This one is a beginner-friendly course offered by Codecademy to assist you in creating web-based games. It starts with lessons on Javascript and takes advantage of Phaser’s HTML5 game framework. This paid module specializes in browser-based 2D games.
Introduction to Game Programming
Abertay University’s video game programming course teaches you the basics of game programming, with 2D gaming at its focus. Major topics include Game loop, rendering, collision detection, object-oriented programming, etc. You can start for free and upgrade for some additional features, including the certification.
Masterclass: Learn from Will Wright
Masterclass gives you an opportunity to learn from the visionary behind The Sims, Will Wright. The course sheds light on Will’s approach to designing any game. It includes creating game mechanics, exploring player psychology, designing interactions, etc. To learn from Will, you need to sign up at Masterclass, currently valued at USD 15 a month billing annually.
Games Development with HTML5 and JavaScript
Alison’s Game Development course can be availed of for free, except for the certification, which is paid. This course teaches map creation, loading sprites, adding characters, setting collisions, among other things. You can complete watching the course modules in under three hours taught by Microsoft experts.
Pixel Art Game Using Unity Game Maker
Bitdegree’s Pixel Art Game course is for you if you’re into 2D shooting games. It has very detailed sections regarding 3D elements, building a character, the environment, enemies, and practically everything you can think about pixel art games. This uses the Unity game maker and asks for advanced skills to join. It has a free certification if you pay upfront for the course. As of this writing, you can get this course for USD 4.99 on BitDegree.
Creating Tetris using Javascript
Educative has this text-based course for people to learn and code in real-time. You must have some expertise with programming to join this module. This lets you learn the basics of HTML canvas, setting game logic, building loops, etc. In the end, you’ll be able to build a fully-functional Tetris-like web game. It takes around 6 hours to go through this course and has a completion certificate. You can start a free 7-day trial or purchase a year’s worth of access to just this course at USD 23.
Visual Storytelling
Attractive visuals are the heart of any video game, and Ringling College’s Visual Storytelling course teaches you just that. It’s about leveraging the power of Adobe Photoshop into developing eye-catching instances for video games and films. You can rest assured that you won’t need any programming skills to thrive in this module. While you can learn for free, the certification is for paid subscribers (USD 20/month).
Conclusion
Game development 🎮 is a flourishing career option. And with a bit of perseverance, there is no doubt you won’t see exponential growth. All these courses are excellent for their specific use cases. While you’re free to jump in with anyone, the best thing is to check the requirements before signing up. Additionally, I hope you’re wise enough not to stop your learning with just one program. I wish you a resounding success! You may also be interested in Dedicated Game Servers.
