14 Best Game Development Online Courses to Take in 2023

There’s no shortage of career options, but game development is a timeless career option that will only explode in the future. Read on to learn about the top online game development courses.

If video game development comes to mind as a career, you’re not wrong.

According to Statista , the global video game market is expected to reach $268.81 billion in 2025. There are countless statistics about the video game industry, but they all converge on one sentiment: games are profitable, and they definitely are.

And the good news is that there are plenty of free game development courses you can use to get ideas and access things that interest you.

Before we list some of the best online gaming courses, let’s take a look at what game development is all about.

What is game development?

Simply put, game development involves steps such as planning, designing, developing, and testing various game components.

And conceptually, any collection of interactive audiovisual elements can be called a game.

So, can you develop your own games? yes! But most of the time, games developed by a single individual end up being very simple endeavors.

And the more complex ones, like Halo Infinite and Final Fantasy VII, require an army of developers consisting of programmers, audio artists, visual designers, testers, and more.

Surprisingly, the programming part is handled (partially or completely) by a game engine (Unity, Unreal, Construct, etc.). A game engine is a set of tools that help you develop games with little or no code.

Therefore, you don’t need to be computer savvy to get involved in game development. There are many different paths to building a career in the gaming industry.

Let’s move on to some of the main options for learning game development.

Unity and Unreal are two famous game engines. These tools remove most of the complexity, but can be frustrating at first.

Udemy has courses to help you get started with these two robust game development solutions.

C# Unity Game Developer 2D

This game development course is perfect for starting from scratch with C# on the Unity game engine. Additionally, you will become familiar with 2D game development using Unity infrastructure.

You can also choose the C# Unity Game Development 3D module as your next step.

Unreal Engine 5 C++ Developer

This is a slightly more advanced course to learn C++ and develop within the Unreal game engine. This course also integrates with Epic games for real-time learning.

Both of these courses are taught in English and have lifetime access. It also has subtitles in multiple languages, including Spanish, Italian, German, and Portuguese. A certificate of completion will also be issued.

Introduction to game design

This is a theoretical module covering various strategies essential to game development. It’s best to complete this short game design course before moving on to the advanced development segments. It takes only about 6 hours and you will receive a certificate of completion.

C# for Unity game development

This is also a beginner-level course to learn C# programming related to the Unity engine. This is a 5-month module offered by the University of Colorado. You will be given a hands-on project and will receive a certificate of completion upon completion.

Registration for both courses is free, but you can get the certificate only after paying the fee. Notably, you can also apply for financial aid.

Introduction to game development for CS50

This 12-week video game development program lets you explore designs for popular titles like Angry Birds, Super Mario Bros., and Pokémon. This course is currently free, but there are some optional paid upgrades.

Learn how to use popular game engines like Unity and LÖVE 2D. Additionally, programming languages ​​such as Lua and C# are also covered.

Computer science for game development

Edx’s game development course provides a professional certification in computer science for game development. It takes a more traditional approach to immersing yourself in the game.

It covers theoretical concepts that are useful for gaming and also helps you gain some expertise in C, Python, Java, HTML, CSS, etc. This 6-month course is bundled with the previous course for a total price of $313 USD.

Both of these courses are offered by Harvard University.

Learning Unity

Unity learn is a learning platform that anyone can use. We cater to everyone from beginners to experts. This will help you understand the Unity game engine from scratch and start creating as a senior developer.

If you’re a fan of swords and shovels , you’ve come to the right place. Unity teamed up with Pluralsight to provide an in-depth look at the development of Swords and Shovels.

You can also book paid 1:1 sessions with experts from the Unity community. There are also premium Unity certification programs where you can choose specific skills and gain experience.

Finally, this is primarily aimed at people interested in developing 3D games within the Unity ecosystem.

Create a video game with Phaser.js

This is a beginner’s course provided by Codecademy to help you create web-based games. We begin with lessons in Javascript and utilize Phaser’s HTML5 game framework.

This paid module is specialized for browser-based 2D games.

Introduction to game programming

Abertay University’s Video Game Programming course teaches you the basics of game programming with a focus on 2D games.

Key topics include game loops, rendering, collision detection, object-oriented programming, and more. You can start for free and upgrade for several additional features including certifications.

Master Class: Learn from Will Wright

Masterclass gives you the chance to learn from Will Wright, the visionary behind The Sims.

This course highlights Will’s approach to designing games. This includes creating game mechanics, exploring player psychology, designing interactions, and more.

To learn from Will, you need to sign up for the Masterclass. Currently worth $15 per month, billed annually.

Game development HTML5 and JS

Allison’s game development courses are available for free, with the exception of paid certifications. In this course, you’ll learn how to create maps, load sprites, add characters, set up collisions, and more.

Course modules taught by Microsoft experts can be completed in less than 3 hours.

Pixel art game using Unity

If you’re interested in 2D shooting games , Bitdegree’s Pixel Art Games course is for you. There are very detailed sections on 3D elements, character building, environments, enemies, and just about everything you can think of about pixel art games.

It uses Unity Game Maker and requires advanced skills to participate. Get a free certification when you pay for the course upfront. As of this writing, this course is available on BitDegree for $4.99 USD.

Create Tetris using Javascript

Educative has text-based courses that let you learn and code in real time. Participating in this module requires some programming expertise.

This will help you learn the basics of HTML canvas, setting up game logic, building loops, and more. Eventually, you’ll be able to build a fully functional Tetris-like web game.

This course will take approximately 6 hours to complete and you will receive a certificate of completion. Start a 7-day free trial or purchase a year’s worth of access to just this course for $23 USD.

visual storytelling

Captivating visuals are at 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 to develop eye-catching instances for video games and movies.

Don’t worry, no programming skills are required to succeed with this module. You can study for free, but certifications are available to paid subscribers ($20 per month).

conclusion

Game development 🎮 is a promising career option. And with a little patience, you can be sure that you won’t see exponential growth.

All of these courses are perfect for specific use cases. You’re free to join with anyone, but it’s best to check the requirements before signing up. Additionally, I hope you are wise enough to not stop learning with just one program.

I wish you great success!

You may also be interested in dedicated game servers.