5 Best Programming Languages for Game Development

Programming is one of the most sought-after skills in the job market today. Whether you work in a company or are a freelancer, no sector of human development is free of the need for tech solutions and apps.

As we have covered in previous blog entries, video games are not an exception to this rule. Knowing how to write and optimise code is a core skill in this trade: no matter what part of the assembly line you want to focus on, having a keen eye for programming will always be an excellent complementary skill.

Depending on the game engine or application suite a video game runs in, it's highly likely one or two vital programming languages make it work properly. And while there are several technologies and infrastructures to choose from, the ease of use and industry-standard methodology means employers will always favour some languages over others.

If you want to develop video games and be part of this exciting industry, we bring you five fundamental languages to gain the upper hand.

C++

As one of the most vital programming languages in any video game environment, C++ has been used for decades in the industry for its speed, flexibility, and ability to handle several requirements and tasks.

Many industry-standard game engines, such as Unreal Engine, CryEngine, Godot, Source, and Lumberyard, were created and programmed in C++. Furthermore, most gaming platforms, from entry-level smartphones to top-of-the-line PCs, can run it effortlessly.

C++ operates close to the hardware, allowing for high performance and speed. As a bonus, C++'s time on the market has allowed it to accumulate a rich set of libraries and open-source repositories that make developing programs and games at all stages — from graphic asset creation to bug fixing — a more bearable task.

As the primary scripting and editing tool in Unreal Engine, C+ is the most widely used programming language today.

C#

Compared to C++, C# is a more accessible programming language for most novice or entry-level programmers. Nevertheless, it is one of the most efficient languages in the industry, with the same versatility and platform usability as its bigger cousin.

In video game development, C# is synonymous with one of the most widely used game engines, Unity 3D. Although this engine has been the backbone of countless applications and video games — it was used by 61% of developers in 2021, according to official Unity statistics — it shines the most in mobile phone and virtual reality apps.

C# is also one of the preferred back-end languages for maintenance and communication with online game servers. It is also the most widely used language for programming various scripts within several video games.

Java

Java has been an outstanding instrument in every developer's toolbox. Mobile games and apps — either for iOS or Android — have been created in this versatile and easy-to-use programming language, making it ideal for developers of all kinds, regardless of their experience.

Java has one of the easiest syntaxes to code, run, and clean up in the industry. This feature makes it a beginner-friendly language with a large user base. Also, Java's ability to do multithreading — simultaneous task processing without altering the frequency of hardware components — allows Java-developed games and applications to run on several devices without issue.

Java's trump card? Its native socket programming framework makes it a favourite tool for multiplayer games on several platforms.

Python

Thanks to its flexibility and ease of use, Python has become one of the most popular languages in the tech industry. Although programmers usually pick this language for web design, machine learning, business applications, and even artificial intelligence, one of its many libraries, PyGame, contains several resources and inputs for developing simple video games.

Python's main advantage lies in its syntax, whose simplicity and lack of delimiters or excessive rules make it a fundamental tool for educating new programmers. It runs on several platforms, supports basic graphics, sound, and networking, and can run simple scripts.

In game design, Python is considered a stepping stone to learning GDScript, the programming language behind the popular game engine Godot.

Lua

Although it is probably the least recognised name on this list, Lua is gaining prominence in video game programming thanks to one game: Roblox. As the standard programming language for this popular online game, Lua is giving more and more developers a chance to create mini-games and expansions for this increasingly known platform.

Lua's most significant advantages are its speed and flexibility, which have earned it a place of honour among script and mod developers. Its lightness and low resource requirements also significantly reduce its memory usage and allow it to run on virtual machines without issue.

Lua has been behind the development of massive audience hits such as Angry Birds and Age of Conan. It is also one of the languages used to create and edit scripts within CryEngine.