You may be ready to create your own video games. However, there comes the burning question what programming language should you learn to code the game? Though most programming languages can create games including high-level languages, no doubt, with some choices, you will get more benefits than others. At the same time, choosing the right framework is also a tough task that is going to affect the development process. Overall choosing the right programming languages can be a stressful endeavor.

However, this blog intends to cover the top 5 programming languages for game developers that may help you decide. So, if you’re ready to jumpstart your game development, let’s dive into the best programming languages for games!

Related post – Top Programming languages for Android app development

1. JavaScript

One of the core pillars of web development – JavaScript, first appeared in 1995 and is suitable for the new ECMAScript specifications. The scripts were attempting to standardize the web and web browsers. Today we can’t think about web development without JavaScript. Whatever interactivity you want to bring in your web development, JavaScript can provide that. Besides, with the emergence of HTML5, JavaScript has also become the core pillar of HTML5 game development in terms of programming languages. Interestingly, JavaScript supports object-oriented and event-driven systems for web user interaction, making it the perfect choice to extend for games. 

Additionally, as the Flash is now being obsolete, HTML5 games are rising up while becoming the mainstay of browser-based game development. Also, HTML5 games are based on the web, so JavaScript makes it easy to make browser-based games simultaneously with mobile games. JavaScript-based frameworks like Node.js and Express can contribute to multilayer game creation as a core part of the web. You can directly host HTML5 based games on a website as JavaScript is less resource-intensive for game development. So, you can develop games without even a powerful computer. Some of the relevant engines and frameworks of JavaScript for game development are Phaser, PixiJS, Babylon.js, ImpactJS, GDevelop, etc.

2. C#

The general-purpose language C# was created in 2000 by Microsoft, making it compatible with.NET the framework. It is the best combination of C++ and Java and an easy-to-read object-oriented programming language with cross-platform capability. Besides, it is business compatible, so you can easily use it for software development. The language is efficient for game development along with its stability. It is the default programming language for the popular Unity engine, where all modern Unity libraries are built around the language. Unity is widely used in the game industry, which gives a tight hold to C++ in this regard.

One of the main advantages of using C# is it is pretty easy and beginner-friendly. It has a feature of automatic memory management, so you don’t need to deep dive into trivial aspects and focus on game development. Furthermore, as developed by Microsoft, it is a great choice for Windows PCs. However, it works on most modern systems. Another C# feature-based advantage is it is a type-safe language, so your games remain more secured and escape unexpected behaviors. Since it is scalable and efficient, it is ideal for creating game projects. Some of the relevant engines and frameworks of C# are Unity, CryEngine, Godot, MonoGame, Microsoft XNA Game Studio, Stride, etc.

3. C++

 Originally called “C with classes,” C++ was created to follow modern principles, like object-oriented programming, along with combining it with the low-level features of  C. To do that, it allows users to more easily create their programs with readability while maintaining advanced features such as memory management.

With its general-purpose nature, C++ has, all around, become one of the most widely used programming languages. It has applications for software as well as games. In fact, many modern engines, like Unreal Engine, are built on the language. Hence, learning to code C++ is considered key by many professional developers. Among the gaming programming languages C++ can be considered one of the most commonly used in general.

It has the largest community and tutorials to support since it is widely used around the world. You can greatly control game performance since the language has a handy feature of memory management. It is scalable and suitable for small and large games. It is platform-independent, so you can develop the game on one platform and port it into another platform. Some of the relevant engines and frameworks are Unreal Engine, CryEngine, Cocos, Godot, Simple and Fast media library (SFML), etc.

4. Java

Create for general computer programming; Java was created in 1995. The design principle behind the language requires as few dependencies as possible –compared to other programming languages at the time and even now. Java is platform-independent. So programs created with Java could efficiently run on different systems as they are independent of the underlying computer architecture.

This cross-platform nature of Java makes it fairly extensive for application development. However, in the world of game development, also it finds a place. Though not as extensively used as other programming languages on this list, quite a number of desktop games are still made with Java. In addition, as the top choice programming language for Android devices, Java is commonly used by a number of developers for mobile games and apps.

For mobile games, Java is well suited since it is the foundation of Android devices. You can expect better game performance for Java’s multithreading feature. Java is also well-suited to server development so that you can develop multi-player games with it without extra libraries. Some of the relevant engines and frameworks are jMonkeyEngine, libGDX, LITIengine, Lightweight Java Game library, etc.

5.HTML 5

Do you know a vast majority of mobile games you play nowadays are coded using HTML5? HTML5 has become one of the most common game programming languages for the web. With the collaboration with JavaScript, you can create a sophisticated web-based game using HTML5. The language is easy to learn and does not necessarily require complex programming knowledge of algorithms to learn, and so is becoming a popular option for game developers.

Conclusion

There are more programming languages for game development, and most importantly, we can’t say a particular language is right or wrong for game development. All of them have different features, different platforms, and different sorts of development features. In this blog, we tried to give you some of the best programming languages you can opt to learn when it comes to game development. That does not mean you will not explore elsewhere as well, as you may find other languages easy to learn and expand your skills. Many others of the best programming languages still find usage in games, and there are lots of engines and frameworks available that make use of the different programming languages available.