This Top 10 List of the Best Programming Languages for Games in 2021 includes updated info on the most in-demand languages for game development, including trending new languages.
Game developers are known for being creative and many of the top ones are programming geniuses. But choosing the best programming language for your games is not about creativity. It’s more about getting it done in fewer lines of code.
SQL: This is one of the ideal programming languages for games for the server’s back-end database function, which allows players to access their logins and do other tasks. It’s a collection of various modern languages, such as libraries and outlines, with a focus on AR, VR, visuals, physics, and gameplay.
UnrealScript: This is one of the natural languages programming languages for the infamous Unreal engine. It has various legacies and powered games, as well as sophisticated OOP methods. All major game platforms, including Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, SteamOS, Android, and PlayStation VR, are supported by Unrealscript.
Rust: One of C’s successors has been called Rust. The Mozilla Foundation created it primarily as one of the systems programming languages. The game’s creation is aided by the language’s object-oriented to data-based approach.
When it comes to games, there are no right or wrong programming languages for game development to learn. They all have their own set of features, target platforms, and types of game developers that like them. However, the selection shown here is without a doubt among the greatest programming languages for game creation that you can study. Many more of the greatest programming languages are still used in games, and there are a variety of frameworks and engines that support the various programming languages for game development.
C++
It should not come as surprising seeing C++ as the best programming language for games in almost every guide you read. The pioneer of modern game programming languages, C++, adds Object-Oriented Programming(OOP) onto its predecessor C. The ability to control very low-level system components has contributed to a very fast running time for C++ programs, a much-needed element in game programming.
Most high-end games that you play today depend on C++ codes in one way or the other. Popular gaming consoles such as the Xbox and PlayStation both utilize this game programming language heavily. C++ is the must-know language if you anticipate yourself developing futuristic games.
C++: C++ is one of the best programming languages that focus on objects. It is one of the most difficult programming languages to learn. It is, nevertheless, the most crucial language for all game creators. C++ allows for greater automated control on hardware and graphics advancements. This language is very crucial for the advancement of the industry. It serves as the foundation for several well-known gaming engines. C++ provides a lot of flexibility in terms of parameter and memory management. This feature improves the game’s performance as well as the user’s engagement with it.
2. C#
One of the best video game programming languages, a thorough knowledge of C# is elemental to every game programmer. It’s often the first preference of many developers to learn C# over other game programming languages due to the high level of convenience. The Microsoft-borne language supports the infamous Unity3D, one of the best game engines currently used in the industry.
C# gives developers the ability to build games of any type for any architecture without extra hassles. The language is also far easier to learn than C++. So, C# is one of the best programming languages for games you’d want to learn.
Despite considered easier than C++, C# is a powerful language. Its XNA framework makes it perfect for building games on Windows and Xbox. Additionally, C#’s game engine Unity3D and Xamarin enables developers to build games on all platforms including iOS, Android, PlayStation and Windows.
C# is as popular in the gaming industry due to its efficiency and scalability.
Java
Java takes a prominent role in the industry and is one of the best programming languages for games and good reasons. It uses the same OOP principle utilized by C++ but offers a broader range of systems to play for. Java codes typically run on the Java Virtual Machine(JVM) and translate into generic bytecodes that can be executed on any system.
So, Java is one of those few game programming languages that gives developers the ability to develop games for any given system. It’s also one of the primary languages used for developing Android games, thanks to an increasing number of open source third-party modules like LWJGL.
Java and C++ both utilize the same OOP value. However, it gives a more comprehensive OOP framework. Java programs run on the Java Virtual Machine and are translated into bytecodes that can run on any machine. As a result, Java is one of the programming languages for games that enables game creators to create games for every platform. This game is written in one of the most trending programming languages for creating high-quality games.
Python
One of the most straightforward yet most versatile programming languages you can get your hands on today is Python. However, do not misinterpret its seemingly easy syntax and semantics inappropriate as a game programming language. Python offers full-fledged OOP(Object Oriented Programming) techniques to developers, just like C++ and Java.
Python: Another best programming language with OOP support in Python. It’s the simplest language to pick up and utilize. This flexible programming language is commonly used by game creators. It comes with a Pygame environment and allows programmers to easily model their games.
The Pygame framework, based on this popular language, is increasing in momentum every day, thanks to its ability to let developers prototype their games insanely faster. Python is gaining its share of glory as one of the best video game programming languages for games, and it certainly wouldn’t hurt you to learn it right now.
Lua
Lua is one of the most widely used and trending programming languages in the video gaming industry. It features a simple linguistic structure and layout. It’s a scripting language that works on a variety of platforms. Lua is the primary game design programming language used by a wide range of modern gaming engines.
A lightweight and multi-platform scripting language, Lua is continuing to gain momentum in the game industry. It has risen as one of the best programming languages for games thanks to its simple language structure and syntax.
A vast number of modern game engines utilize Lua as their primary game design programming language, which includes but is not limited to CryEngine, Corona SDK, and Gideros Mobile. If you’re a hard gamer like me, chances are you’ve already played games built on CryEngine. It’s the engine used by the famous German company Crytek and has produced games like Farcry and Enemy Front.
Objective C
This is the best programming language for games on the iOS platform. Objective C blends the syntax of Smalltalk and C and offers convenient solutions for building iOS games. It also comes with the ability to program in an Object-Oriented approach, much required for faster rendering time.
It powers game engines like Core3D, Cocos2D and enables C developers to develop their games in an OOP style. Although not suitable for the most futuristic games, Objective C is a pretty viable choice if you want to get your hands dirty with an easy-to-grasp game design programming language.
JavaScript
One of the most well-known cornerstones of web development is JavaScript. It initially debuted in 1995, and it was created to work with the new ECMAScript specifications, which aimed to standardize the web and web browsers. While HTML determines online layouts and CSS determines web aesthetics, JavaScript is one of the real computer programming languages that gives websites life, allowing for the majority of the interaction you see daily.
Although it was not meant for developing large-scale games, JavaScript is turning the convention as days pass. It’s one of the most-used languages of the web and integrates pretty easily with any web application. As we continue to progress more and more towards a web-based industry, online games are becoming familiar every day.
JavaScript is definitely the best video game programming language for games for building interactive online games. The ability to integrate JavaScript codes easily with conventional web technologies like HTML and CSS also contributes rapidly to an increasing number of cross-platform mobile games.
HTML5
Despite your struggle to believe, HTML5 has become one of the most common game programming languages for the web. A vast majority of mobile games that you play today utilize this markup language. You can easily create a highly sophisticated web-based game blending HTML5 with JavaScript for interactivity and WebGL for graphical components.
It is one of the most widely used programming languages for game development. This markup language is used in a broad range of mobile games currently. HTML 5’s inclusion of JavaScript will assist you in creating a sophisticated web-based game. It is one of the simplest languages to learn for beginners. The language does not need any advanced programming skills or methods. As a result, HTML 5 is the platform of choice for game creators.
HTML5 games are also increasing exponentially as developers don’t require complex theoretical knowledge of advanced data structure and algorithms. As things are going pretty smoothly for HTML5, we can easily anticipate it to become one of the best programming languages for games shortly.
Papyrus
One of the newest game programming languages, Papyrus, was developed by Bethesda Studios for use with their Creation Engine. It powers games like The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim and Fallout 4. Papyrus is a scripting system that utilizes advanced programming techniques such as functions, objects, events, and variables.
A Papyrus script usually revolves around events and calls pre-specified functions whenever a particular event is triggered. If you want to utilize the mighty Creation Engine for developing your next game, Papyrus could be one of the best choices for you.
Cg
Short for C for Graphics, Cg is a high-level shading language developed by famous GPU manufacturer Nvidia with collaboration from Microsoft. It’s based on the C programming language and shares many similar syntactical components. The language is now deprecated, meaning no additional updates will come.
However, you shouldn’t leave this language unexplored if you want to tackle complex problems associated with GPU programming. Cg has fueled many famous games such as Farcry, Hitman, Battlefield 2, and Doom 3. Sony used this language for developing different graphical components of the PS3.
UnrealScript
One of the revolutionary game programming languages of the past decade, UnrealScript is a native scripting language for the infamous Unreal engine. It supports all major gaming platforms like Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, SteamOS, Android, and PlayStation VR.
The language combines complex features like OOP and multiple inheritances and fueled games like Arkham City, Fortnite, Bioshock, and Devil May Cry. Learning this language is a must if you want to develop your games on the popular Unreal Engine.
Squirrel
A high level, an imperative language with object-oriented programming abilities, Squirrel was another the latest game design programming language to learn in 2018. The language itself is influenced by C++ and Lua and aims at solving complex real-time problems that require high levels of bandwidth.
It tackles complicated problems like tail recursion and exception handling in a pragmatic way. The language has been used extensively in popular games like Left 4 Dead, Portal 2, and Counter-Strike.
AMPL
Short for A Mathematical Programming Language, AMPL saw its inception as an algebraic modeling language in the Bell Laboratories during the early 90s. It aims at solving large-scale optimization and scheduling-type problems and gives developers the ability to program in numerous paradigms, including linear, quadratic, nonlinear, and second-order cone programming.
AMPL is a cross-platform programming language that was influenced by C and AWK. Games like Wolfenstein and The Evil Within utilizes this language for solving numerous boundary problems.
Conclusion
We all agree that there are many best programming languages for game development. When you come to compare which language is best for games, then things become very challenging. There are so many factors to consider like easiness to learn, cost, availability of resources like books and tutorials, game development community, game development companies, the libraries of the language etc.