Today, literally anyone can make their own game any — even if you're not a programmer or an artist. Thanks to engines like Unity and Unreal Engine, the process of creating games has become as accessible as possible: you don't need to write thousands of lines of code to animate a character or build a world.
Let's figure out how these engines differ and how to choose the one that is worth starting with for a beginner 👇
What is a game engine?
The game engine is the "skeleton" of the game. It combines graphics, physics, sound, interface, and logic. Without the engine, the developer would have to write all this from scratch — from collisions to texture mapping.
Unity and Unreal Engine take on these tasks so you can focus on the idea and gameplay.
Unity is flexible and beginner-friendly
Unity is the perfect start for those who want to see results quickly.
Why choose Unity:
Easy to learn - even without code you can build a simple game using visual tools;
It works almost everywhere — Android, iOS, Windows, WebGL and even VR;
A huge community and thousands of ready-made assets in the Unity Asset Store;
Suitable for 2D and 3D games, especially mobile ones.
Unity uses the language C#, but you can also start with ready-made templates — for example, a platformer, racing or shooter.
Unreal Engine — power and realism without code
Unreal Engine is what they make it on AAA games, but don't worry, it's suitable for beginners.
Why it's cool:
Visual programming through Blueprints — you can create game logic without writing code;
Cinematic graphics "out of the box";
Completely free up to a certain income from the game;
Often used in cinema, architecture and VR projects.
Cons:
Requires a powerful computer;
The interface seems complicated at first, but the logic is intuitive.
How to start from scratch
Choose an idea.
A simple arcade or simulator - the main thing is that you can finish.
Install the engine.
Unity Hub or Epic Games Launcher — installation will take 10–20 minutes.
Take a free tutorial.
There are a lot of tutorials on YouTube on “Unity for Beginners” or “Unreal Engine Blueprint Basics”.
Collect a demo.
Even a jumping square is already your first game.
Don't chase after graphics.
First, the mechanics, then the beauty.
Unity vs Unreal — a brief comparison
Criterion | Unity | Unreal Engine |
|---|---|---|
Language | C# | C++ / Blueprints |
Start difficulty | Simple | Average |
Graphics | Good | Photorealistic |
2D games | Perfect fit | Not the main focus |
3D games | Good | Perfect |
License | Free (up to $200k in revenue) | Free (up to $1 million in revenue) |
Community | Huge | Professional |
Don't wait for ideal conditions. Even the most popular games once started with simple prototypes created by one person. With Unity, you will quickly learn the basics of logic, and with Unreal, you will understand how a cinematic world is born.
And then everything is in your hands (and in a couple of mouse clicks).
If you want to learn how to program from scratch and then create your own games, download the application Code. Everything is simple and step-by-step: from Python and JavaScript to creating your own mini-projects. Games, logic, AI — it all starts with the first lines of code.
And we also have an active Telegram channel, where we discuss cool ideas, share experiences and analyze tasks together — learning becomes not only useful, but also fun.