Programming is an essential part of game designing and no matter how much you try, you cannot escape this fact that coding is something which shapes the game completely. Well, for your surprise there are thousands of programming languages out there but we need to know about the best programming language for games.
The main aspect considered while designing games is the flexibility and benefits offered by the coding language and this later on affects the upgrades added to the games as well. From basic to advanced, coding shapes a lot of aspects for games and for entry-level designers, it is really important to get acknowledged with the best programming languages.
Top 10 Programming Languages for Games
The thing about programming languages is that they can be perfect for one purpose and disastrous for another. And of course, game designers always thoroughly go through a lot of struggle to make the perfect games for you. Well, if you are interested in the same, then there are some options of best programming language for games given below.
1. C++
Website: http://isocpp.org/
C++ is one of the most basic, primary and simplest kind of programming language and hence it turns out to be the first choice while looking for the best programming language for games. It is especially more beneficial when you are just a beginner at game designing.
C++ is an object-oriented coding language and actually very to the point too. It also has a very rich function library so you can add a variety of commands and features in your game.
C++ is quite powerful and hence highly recommended for 3D based games. It is also ideal for real-time strategy games as it is compatible for quick and real-time simulations. C++ is also quite a fast language as compared to other ones and hence it is best for fast-paced games.
And finally, if people think that you can design modern day games in a single language then you are completely wrong, there are actually various layers in it. However, using C++ for major designing always remains beneficial.
2. Java
Website: http://oracle.com/java/
There are a variety of game engines that operate on Java and the most popular out of them are jMonkeyEngine and LibGDX which are used for 3D and 2D gaming respectively. Rather than console based games, Java is used for Android and other app based gaming.
So, Java is amongst that programming language for games which are used for more straightforward games rather than the complex ones.
However, Java is still quite slow as compared to C++ especially when you compare Unreal Engine of C++ and jMonkeyEngine of Java. Moreover, The Java Game Library is quite lightweight and not as rich as C++ but this makes this programming language ideal for simple and lightweight games for sure.
The major issue with Java is that you cannot use 3rd party libraries with it and hence it restricts the number of sources utilized. You can still consider Java amongst the best programming language for games as it supports a variety of operating systems but somewhere lacks as compared to C++.
3. Python
Website: https://www.python.org/
To be true, you cannot match the level of C++ no matter what kind of programming language you use for the game development. No matter how hard you try but other coding languages always turn out to be slower as compared to the object oriented language.
However, the major advantage of picking Python as one of the best programming language for games is that it is much easier to work on.
When compared to Java, you will find that Python has richer libraries like Pygame, Tkinter, and PyOpenGl etc. Over the time the speed issues have been overcome a lot and I think for a longer run, Python can turn out to be a better option than most of the other coding languages for game development.
The major advantage of using Python is that it has a library called Pygame which is entirely dedicated to game development only. So, you won’t have to rely on 3rd party libraries as everything comes handy here. Thankfully, Python supports both 2D and 3D game development.
4. C#
Website: https://docs.microsoft.com/dotnet/csharp/language-reference/
The next inclusion here in the list of best programming language for games is C# or C Sharp. Although both C++ and C# are object oriented programming language but it is much simpler to learn C# as compared to C++. However, you get more options and more tutorial guides with C++ but once you get in the flow of C#, it is simpler to design games in it.
If you are at the initial stage of game programming and wants to learn from the start then C# is the right option for you mainly because it won’t take long to understand this language.
Thankfully, the script of popular Unity engine for gaming is written in C# so you can make out really well that this language is good for game development. The major advantage that comes with C# is that it manages memory allocation for you but it can be a drawback when you want to customize certain things.
I won’t say that C# is the best coding language for games but it is surely the best option to start your game development journey from.
5. Ruby
Website: http://www.ruby-lang.org/en/
If we see it as a comparison then I would put Ruby at par with Python. Both of them makes a better choice for server based games and not console based ones. The reason behind it is their speed. Ruby is simpler to learn but slow to process and this is why it is better to stick to the server based games when it comes to game design with Ruby.
Ruby is flexible for a new user and if you are looking forwards towards experimenting with the variety of games type then I think you can proceed with it.
Well, of course, Ruby is not the best choice you can make for game development but still it won’t be bad to consider it. My suggestion would be to use Ruby with other languages in order to make layers if you wish to develop a better game.
You can go for Java or Python to accompany it as they all are on the same level. Moreover, with this mix-up, it can be considered as one of the best programming language for games.
6. PHP
Website: https://secure.php.net/
PHP is a simple programming language which is suitable for browser based games. In fact, there are various companies present who uses PHP for their online games. Surprisingly, there is no official game engine present which is scripted or programmed in PHP till now.
If you want to improve the quality and controls of the game then you can incorporate Java and HTML5 in the game development along with PHP at the backend.
There is no doubt that PHP is quite a popular language but it is not ideal for real-time functioning. The only point of mentioning PHP amongst the best programming language for games is because it is quite a simple programming language to learn and you can develop a game in pure PHP too.
Ideal for static kind of games, PHP is good for old-school browser games only. For the mix of modern touch, you would have to use another language with it for sure.
7. HTML5
Website: https://www.w3.org/TR/html5/
I am sure you guys would be well-aware with the fact that HTML5 is a markup language used for World Wide Web regarding structuring. So, this clearly tells us that HTML5 is one of the best code languages for games for browser-based and online games.
Apart from browser-based games, you can also consider HTML5 for mobile games too. Interestingly, this programming language gives you the freedom of both cross-platform and cross-browser gaming.
HMTL5 also costs less than other coding languages and hence it is going to be much cheaper to develop a game in this language. What makes it one of the best programming language for games is that it provides automatic updates and user won’t have to manually update the game again and again.
Although there is no official pure HTML5 game engine but you can find a variety of game frameworks for sure like Phaser, Booty5, Turbulez, Construct 2 and many more. And thankfully, most of them are open sources and free to use too.
8. SQL
Website: http://www.iec.ch/
Well, I am sure you would be wondering here that how you can use SQL for game development. But you should better know about the variety of essence in gaming before you make a judgment here. Especially when it comes to modern-day gaming system, controls and commands are not the only things to be considered.
As you know most of the present day games are made on the freemium model which means real-life currency plays an important role here.
You can use SQL for backend designing in games which is mainly responsible for adding your account in the game and keeping up with the transactions timely. Of course, this is not an accomplished programming language and you would be needing other languages to support it.
However, SQL is still an important mention in the list of best programming language for games. If you are able to do other stats related things on server then you should better thank SQL for it.
9. CSS3
Website: http://www.w3.org/TR/1999/REC-CSS1-19990111
Well, CSS or Cascading Style Sheets is not exactly a programming language but a markup language like HTML. So, this language is all about the presentation of the game. Whatever you get to see and most of color schemes are decided through CSS3.
There is also a game engine based on CSS3 which is called DivSugar. This is a 3D graphics engine which mainly focus on improving the visuals you see in the game.
So, CSS3 majorly collaborates for graphics, visuals, 3D effects, animation, color scheme, color balance and much more. Apart from it CSS3 also handles keyboard/mouse input too. It regulates frame based and time based functioning of the game very well.
So, basically, CSS3 is worth being included in the list of best programming language for games. As modern day games are nothing without their visuals, it becomes must to use CSS3 on the backend to develop the game according to modern day requirements.
10. JavaScript
Website: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript
The final pick I made for the list of best programming language for games is JavaScript. Let me make it clear here that it is not a part of Java programming language and quite different from it. However, it is quite a lightweight programming language and should be used for light browser based games only.
To draw a comparison, you can compare it with HTML5 for sure as they both are quite simple and lightweight but somewhere slow too.
But over the time it is evident to see the growing use of JavaScript into game designing. This programming language is used in functions like winning and losing statistics, collision detection in the game, moving images, control mechanism and much more.
You cannot purely rely on JavaScript as the best language to make games in but it can surely be a part of your game development coding. Moreover, when you are using JavaScript as the primary programming language for games, you would have to stick to 2D only because this language does not work for 3D.
Conclusion
Every programming language has its own essence and they also differ on the basis of features and process too. The reason for picking C++ on top of the list is because it is one of the simplest language to learn. So, if you are looking for the best programming language for games when you are the beginner, I think this is going to be perfect for you.
Moreover, other languages are assigned for specific games like HTML5 and JavaScript is mainly used for web based games. Moreover, Java is considered one of the most accomplished programming languages when it comes to designing games. But it mainly depends on your experience about coding while choosing the right language.
