You can absolutely learn to make a video game from scratch as an adult. Pick one engine (Godot is light and free, Unity is very widely used, Unreal is built for high-end 3D), finish its official tutorial and build three small, finished games in 90 days. On day one, what matters is not the perfect engine but a small project you actually complete.
Game development draws many adults: some return to a childhood dream, some are considering a career change, some just want to release one small game of their own. All three goals are realistic if you judge the scope correctly from the start. This guide gives you an honest plan with the numbers that apply in 2026.
To be upfront: we don’t run a game development course at our school in Tbilisi. The plan below is built on free official resources, and at the end we point to the related skills you can learn with us.
Unity vs Godot vs Unreal: which engine should you choose?
All three engines are free to start, and successful games have shipped on each. The differences are language, difficulty and licence. As of October 2026:
| Godot | Unity | Unreal Engine | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost and licence | Free, MIT, no royalties | Personal free up to 200,000 USD | Free up to 1M USD, then 5% |
| Language | GDScript, C# | C# | C++, Blueprints |
| Best for | 2D, small 3D | 2D, 3D, mobile | Realistic 3D |
| Difficulty for beginners | Low | Medium | High |
| Version in 2026 | 4.7 stable | Unity 6.3 LTS | 5.8 |
Godot is an open-source engine under the MIT licence: your game is entirely yours and the engine asks for nothing. GDScript resembles Python, and the engine is light enough to run comfortably on an ordinary laptop. If you are learning to program for the first time and want a 2D game, it is the easiest start.
Unity is very widely used in mobile and indie games, with a huge amount of learning material. Unity Personal is free while your revenue and funding stay under 200,000 USD a year. In Unity 6 the splash screen is optional, and the Runtime Fee was cancelled in 2024.
Unreal Engine is especially strong at realistic 3D graphics. It is free until a product’s lifetime gross revenue passes 1 million USD; above that, a 5% royalty applies, and sales through the Epic Games Store are royalty-free. Code is written in C++, but beginners can use Blueprints, a node-based visual scripting system.
Our advice: if you don’t code yet, start with Godot. If you know some C# or want a job in the industry, choose Unity. Pick Unreal when you already have 3D art experience and a powerful computer.
A 90-day plan: how to make a game from scratch
The plan assumes about 1 hour a day, so 90 hours in 90 days. That is roughly one evening of TV, every day.
| Weeks | What you do | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | Finish the engine’s official tutorial | A working tutorial project |
| 3–4 | Game 1: Pong or Breakout | A finished clone |
| 5–7 | Game 2: a one-screen platformer | One level, menu, sound |
| 8–10 | Game 3: your own small idea | A finished original |
| 11–12 | Polish and publish on itch.io | A public page, playable in the browser |
| 13 | Portfolio and a first game jam | Three games and a jam entry |
The official tutorials are free. Godot’s documentation includes “Your first 2D game” (Dodge the Creeps), where the player dodges enemies and scores points. Unity Learn has free pathways: Unity Essentials takes about 2 weeks and Junior Programmer about 12.
AI assistants (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini) are helpful while learning: they explain error messages and suggest where to look for a problem. Two cautions, though. First, don’t paste whole scripts, or you will have a game but no skills. Second, AI often suggests code for an older engine version, so check that the advice matches your version and confirm it in the official documentation.
Your first three games: why so small
The most common beginner mistake is an open-world RPG as the first project. It never ends, and the person concludes they “can’t make games”. Three small games teach different things:
- Pong or Breakout. Keyboard control, collisions, score, game over. One screen, one week.
- A one-screen platformer. Physics and jumping, an enemy, level building, a menu, sound. Here you learn to organise a project into files and scenes.
- Your own idea, with a strict limit. One mechanic, 5–10 minutes of play. The key skill here is scope control: what to cut so the game gets finished.
Finish every game properly: a menu, a game-over screen, a restart button. A simple finished game counts for far more in a portfolio than an ambitious unfinished one.
Don’t start with graphics. In the first weeks your hero can be a square and the enemy a circle. If the game is fun with shapes, it will be more fun with good art. If it isn’t, beautiful art won’t save it.
Where to publish your game, and what it costs
itch.io is a platform for independent games where a free account is all you need to create a page. It runs HTML5 games right in the browser, so players don’t need to download anything. It is the best home for your first three games.
Steam is a bigger step. The Steam Direct fee is 100 USD per game; it is not refundable but is recouped once the game earns 1,000 USD in adjusted gross revenue. Steam makes sense once you have several finished games and know how to present a product.
Game jams: how to learn a lot in one weekend
A game jam is an event where a team or a solo developer makes a game on a given theme in limited time, usually 48–72 hours. It is the best practice for beginners: the hard deadline forces you to cut scope and finish.
- Global Game Jam runs every year, usually at the end of January, for 48 hours in each time zone. In 2025 more than 35,000 participants from 97 countries registered.
- The itch.io jam calendar always lists dozens of online jams, including big, popular ones such as the GMTK Game Jam and the Brackeys Game Jam. You can join an online jam from Tbilisi.
Portfolio: what studios and clients look at
If you want to move into game development professionally, a portfolio matters more than a diploma. What it should include:
- 3–5 finished games playable instantly in the browser (an itch.io page);
- a short video or GIF for each, 15–30 seconds;
- your role: what you did yourself, especially in team jam projects;
- code on GitHub for programmers, or an art gallery for artists;
- a short devlog: which problems you solved and how.
Be realistic: one 90-day plan doesn’t guarantee a job. It gives you foundations and an answer to whether you truly enjoy this work. For many people, making games stays a rewarding hobby, and that is a good outcome too.
Related skills that will help
A game is not only code. It needs 2D or 3D art, animation, sound and a trailer, and you can add these skills separately:
- 3D modelling. Game characters and environments are often made in free Blender. Which program suits which job is covered in 3D modelling software compared.
- Video and animation with AI. Trailers, promo clips and style exploration go much faster with AI tools. See AI video and animation and our AI for Motion Designers: Video, Animation and Sound course.
- Other tech courses: the full list is in our guide to tech courses for adults.
If your child is interested too, the tool ladder for kids (Scratch, MakeCode, Roblox Studio) is in game development for kids.
Frequently asked questions
Can I learn game development at 30 or 40?
Yes. Engines, documentation and tutorials are open to everyone, and adults are often better at planning their time and limiting scope. Regularity is what counts: one hour a day for 90 days gives you three finished games.
Unity or Godot for a beginner?
If you don’t code and want a 2D game, Godot is often easier: it is light, completely free and GDScript resembles Python. Unity has more learning material and more job openings, but C# is harder. Both are good choices; the key is to pick one and not switch for 90 days.
Do I need maths to make games?
For your first three games, school maths is enough: coordinates, speed, simple geometry. Vectors and trigonometry come later, and you learn them when a specific problem needs them.
How much does it cost to make and publish a game?
Learning and your first games can be completely free: Godot is free, Unity Personal and Unreal start free for beginners, and an itch.io page is free. Publishing on Steam costs 100 USD per game, recouped after 1,000 USD in revenue.
What computer do I need?
For 2D games in Godot, an ordinary modern laptop is enough because the engine is light. Unity needs more resources, and realistic 3D in Unreal needs a strong graphics card and plenty of memory. Check the engine’s official system requirements before buying anything, and start with what you have.
Do you offer a game development course in Tbilisi?
No, we don’t run a game development course, and we say so honestly. We offer related skills: AI video and animation, and 3D modelling and printing. To learn an engine, its official documentation and tutorial projects are the best start.
Your next step
This week, download one engine and start its official tutorial. Print the 90-day table and stick it on the wall. If you want to know which related skill (AI video, 3D) would help your goal, book a free consultation.
Sources
- Godot Engine license, Godot Engine
- Your first 2D game, Godot Engine documentation
- Unity pricing updates, Unity
- Unreal Engine licensing options, Epic Games
- Blueprint Visual Scripting, Unreal Engine documentation
- Steam Direct fee, Steamworks documentation
- Global Game Jam, Wikipedia
- Game jams, itch.io
