Once you have a general idea of the platform that will be supporting your mobile game, then you should start looking for a development language.
The list of platforms is pretty long, but to make it simple, there are basically two big hitters: Android and iOS. The rules for developing on both these platforms are pretty straightforward, but even so, there are some details that make it hard to get a grasp on the entire picture.
C# PROGRAMMING
Visual C# .NET for Microsoft Platforms only.
This is a Microsoft language that uses the ideas from Java. For instance it uses a virtual machine and a garbage collector. The main difference is that the intermediate code (CLI = Common Language Infrastructure) is not so closely tied to C#, so the virtual machine can be used by other languages.
C# is a modern object-oriented programming language and is widely used for mobile games that are mostly programmed using Unity game engine. C# is a high-level language and developers are at ease using it as it abstracts away many of the most complex tasks. Since the language itself is statistically-typed, the code is checked before it is turned into a game application. So, it becomes easier to find errors which in turn saves time. Talking about C#’s syntax, it is more consistent and logical than C++, but as C# is more on the side of a complex language, it may take some more time to master C# than some other simpler languages like Python. For how popular C# is, approximately 31% of all developers are using it regularly.
There are different ways to write code using C# such as:
- Use the open source Mono development environment on Linux.
- Use Microsoft Express 2005 edition, this is free for a year (at the time of writing). However it is a very large download and reqires .net 2.0 on any machines which run the code.
Introduction to 3D Game Engine Design Using DirectX 9 and C# (Net Developer)
Tutorial – Using C# to write a 2D game
C++ PROGRAMMING
C++ is another popular programming language used for building Android games. Some popular C++ game engines are Unreal Engine, CryEngine, Lumberyard, Torque3D and Source Engine. C++ is used for making heavy games for smartphones due to better customizability and 1 codebase maintenance. C++ has a smaller memory footprint and has no garbage collection. The compilation, as well as the execution time of a C++ programs, is much faster when compared to most other languages and can be easily mixed with C/Assembly code to improve efficiency. C++ is also closer to hardware than most other programming languages like Python, etc. While higher-level languages like Python, Javascript and C# are used to manipulate the behaviour logic of a specific game, C++ is used to build the underlying systems of applications. Object-oriented programming (OOP) concepts of C++ include classes, inheritance, polymorphism, data abstraction, and encapsulation that allow code reusability and make the program reliable. Fortnite is a very good example of C++ Android game development.
HTML5 PROGRAMMING
HTML5 is popular for creating browser games that can be played on any device. Many HTML5 games have also been converted into cross-platform game apps by using tools like Cordova. Developers only need to do a bit of personalization in the code for each platform and make the game cross-platform. HTML5 goes very well with Javascript and CSS for creating wonderful Android games. Some popular games built using HTML5 are Gamentio, Crosscode and Gods Will Be Watching. These games can be played on major browsers or through mobile apps available on Playstore and the App Store. Game developers quickly shifted to HTML5 after Flash stopped offering support. HTML5 mobile game development has quickly gained steam and developers are now widely using it for games to describe web documents such as forms.
Above were discussed 5 top programming languages which are widely used during the Android game development process. Now, do you also have an Android game idea and want to convert into a reality, but lack of tech know-how is holding you back? Don’t worry! You can outsource the technology burden to countries like India and get your game done from specialists. You can hire android game developers in India to reduce time-to-market and save a big chunk of development cost that goes in quality game development. Logic Simplified is one such reputed Android game developer in India for over 9 years now and has the proven capability to meet complex Android game development requirements and deliver fast. Our development team has completed many Android games using various programming languages and game engines like Unity and Unreal. We are all ears to hear your Android game idea too! All you need is to contact our game design and development studio or write at enquiry@logicsimplified.com to discuss your game idea, and we will get back to you shortly to take your idea to the next level with gaming solutions we are proud of.
Java:
It is another very familiar programming language that game developers tools.
It is a high-level programming language and besides that, it is also known as the object-oriented programming language.
Its developer is Oracle corporation and it was initially developed in the year of 1995.
One of the main advantages of using the Java programming language is that it can be used in numerous areas. Such as with the help of this language you can create mobile applications, games, graphical user interfaces, web-based applications, business applications, etc.
It is also helpful for game programmers because this programming language is multithreading and sockets.
Python:
In recent times Python has become the most popular programming language that programmers choose for their works.
It is also a high-level programming language as well as a general-purpose language.
Its developer is the python software Foundation, it was initially released in the year 1991.
And it can be used in various areas also, as a developer with the help of Python programming you can do lots of things such as – Data Analytics, programming applications, web applications, game development, language development, etc.
Although Python is very slow but tills it is one of the best programming languages because of rapid prototyping, which means that you can create a game by declaring a mall piece of code or prototype.
Kotlin:
At the current time, kotlin has become one of the most preferred programming languages for making android games.
It is a kind of cross-platform and general purpose programming language, you can use kotlin programming language instead of Java programming.
It is not an old programming language it was initially released in the year 2011 and its developer is JetBrains.
One of the most important advantages of using Kotlin over Java is that within the Java programming language you have to write multiple lines of code but within this programming language you can write the same amount of code within a single line.
And besides that, the syntax of this programming language is also very easier for the developers.
Because of that kotlin language emerging day by day for making android applications and games.
Ruby:
Ruby is a high-level and general purpose programming language it was released somewhere around 1990.
It is supported within several platforms and besides that, it also is used for making IOS applications and Android applications.
And in some of the cases, it also can be used for making the games.
Swift:
In our list of programming languages next is Swift programming language.
Peoples are always confused that is it possible to make Android apps, games with the help of Swift programming language? well, I can say that it is possible. And this language works in combination with Unity Game Engine.
It is a general-purpose and multi-paradigm programming language it was developed by Apple and it is a very modern programming language that was initially released in the year 2014 after that it was updated several times and its stable version release in the year 2021.
As I mentioned this programming language is created by Apple, therefore, it is mainly used to create applications for iOS platforms but this programming language can also be used for making android apps and Android applications.
And the modern developers are choosing these programming languages because of one main reason that they can make applications and games for two devices for Android also and also for Apple devices.
PHP:
Well, PHP is a programming language which is mainly used for the web development purpose.
And it is a general-purpose scripting language it was initially released in the year of 1994.
Well many people ask about is it possible to make games with the help of the PHP programming language, I should say that PHP is must preferable programming language for the server portion. It is used in the various game engine also.
However the making of games within this programming language is a very difficult task, and there are other good languages are available for making games. Therefore this language is not used for the making of games.
Conclusion
Is the best programming language for android games C+. Of course, one can try out Java and other languages as well. It is just that Java and C+ has been tried and tested and used for a long time and still produces great output.