Ever wondered how to develop video games? Fret not! We bring you the latest blog provides a complete guide focusing on video game development including the development costs and factors affecting it.
Video games have been entertaining us for decades. Almost everybody has played a video game once in their life. We all remember our favourite video game and if get a chance to play now, we won’t remain behind. Due to advancements in technology video games have changed the way of gaming and focus more on delivering immersive and realistic experiences. The success of video games has led to a push in video game development in the industry.
Investors find it beneficial to invest in the video game industry. The global market for video games was $269.01 billion in 2023. The revenue from in-game purchases is estimated to account for over $74 million by the year 2025.) By going through the numbers, we are sure you must have an interest in developing video games.
Before getting into the core of this blog, let us know the types of video games without any further delay!
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Table of Contents
We will get to the specifics of game development, but before that let’s understand some of the aspects of games like features and their types. First, we will list down all the things that are known as the features of a video game, and after that, we will talk in-depth about the types of video games.
The graphics of video games have taken a leap and we see AAA games use real-time ray tracing technology to provide photorealistic visuals. Through these technologies, developers make ultra-detailed environments, and it has become the new norm.
One of the features of games being developed in 2025 is the use of AI in their gameplay. The Non-playing Characters used in the game are developed leveraging Artificial Intelligence so that they behave more like humans and not bots. Procedural content generation is also done through AI in video games in 2025.
Arguably the most crucial feature, cross-platform play is something that you will witness in most online video games. Cross-platform play lets players experience their favorite games on any device of their choice. You can experience the gameplay of your favorite game on a PC, console, or mobile.
AR and VR are two of the standing-out features of video games in 2025 as these two technologies make the video game experience life-like. You won’t be able to tell the difference between the virtual world and the real world when you use a VR headset.
It has become essential for video games to add multiplayer options so that they can foster an online community. It is an essential feature as players feel more connected and communication gets better.
Video games are generally classified into four major categories. These categories are AAA games, AA games, Indie Games, and III games. All these categories are different and so are the average video game costs. The costs may differ, but the required programming skills are more or less the same. Let’s discuss the major types of video games in depth:
These games are developed by big publishers. Developing an AAA video game app requires a large developer team and involves huge development costs. These games are large-scale, integrated with a variety of features, and feature realistic gameplay that comprises several virtual elements. The cost of developing such games is skyrocketing as it has a high level of complexity.
Examples: Grand Theft Auto V, Red Dead Redemption 2, etc.
Indie Games are simple games with limited features and easy gameplay. These games are developed by independent developers and released on online platforms like Steam, Epic Games, and the Nintendo e-Store. The development cost of Indie games is far less than AAA games and AA games.
Examples: Minecraft, Tetris, etc.
AA games are similar to AAA games when compared with quality. The main difference is that these games require a small developer team with a limited budget due to less complexity. You can say that AA games are better than Indie games and less complicated than AAA games.
Examples: A Plague Tale: Innocence, Life is Strange, etc.
III games are developed by independent developers but with a bigger budget than Indie games. It isn’t like they have fewer skills than AAA game developers, but they are not recognised as AAA developers as they don’t hail from big publishers.
Examples: The Witness and Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey
2025 offers a plethora of development tools for developers. Game development has become very accessible and using the latest tools and technology, you can curate a world-class game.
Unity is a game engine where you can seamlessly develop 2D or 3D games. It can also be used for personal usage, and the pro version starts at 150 dollars monthly. It is a versatile engine known for its extensive asset store and strong community.
Unreal Engine is considered one of the best game engines out there, many AAA games have also been developed using this engine. The game engine is free of cost but charges a royalty fee after your game crosses 1 million dollars in earnings. It is known for cutting-edge graphics and advanced physics.
Godot is a free and open source that is highly recommended to indie developers. It is a lightweight alternative to Unity and Unreal. Godot has made a firm stand in the market due to its ease of use and flexibility.
Other notable game engines are CryEngine and GameMaker Studio 2. CryEngine is known for developing games with the use of advanced AI tools. Other tools help in character animation and detailed world-building tools.
Video game development is a state of the art itself. As it is not an easy task, it requires extensive hard work and hefty budgets to create a top-notch video game. Whether you are building a big-budget or small-scale game, the first thing is to come up with a unique idea, as everything other is based on initial ideation. Let’s dive in to explore the integral video game development stages:
The first step of the video game development is to start with a bespoke idea that will serve as the main concept of your video game. As there is a plethora of different types of video games in the market, your idea should be unique to make your video game app stand out in the market. When you think of an idea, keep the following things in mind:
Once you have finalised your idea, the next step is to thoroughly research the market that you wish to target. When researching keep the following checks:
After you have successfully researched the market, now you need to have a game design documentation that consists of various information like video game app design, development platform, cost, etc. All this information will help you make a blueprint for your video game which will determine how your video game will look. Make sure you have the following information in your blueprint:
The next step is the video game design. The UI design should be attractive and creative in order to grab users’ attention, as the design is the first thing which a user notices and everything else comes later. While designing your game keep the following things in mind:
After the video game design, here comes the most important phase in video game development where developers create your game with various tools and techniques to deliver you with a striking app. For your game application to be best-in-class you need to hire an experienced development company. In addition to this, don’t forget to:
It is important to test the newly developed video game and find bugs and errors. This is like a working prototype where you only need to check it and if everything is ready, you’re good to go. You must implement the best testing tools and strategies to make your game free from errors and flitches. To attain the highest development quality, it is necessary to:
The final step is to launch your newly developed video game into the app market and promote it through various promotional strategies to expand its reach to a larger audience of your target market. Either hire a marketing agency or hire a video game development company that includes marketing in their services. Make sure to promote your video game using:
A leading video game services provider will provide 24/7 customer support and maintenance services for your video game. Moreover, their video game developer team will also check for the latest trends in the market, and implement ultra-modern features to make your game outshine the competitors which can be delivered through regular app updates.
From hiring developers to the complexity of the project, the video game development cost depends on several factors. You might have come across the question “How much does making a video game cost” and might have an idea of the cost related to the same. Technology stack, On average, the cost to develop a new video game from scratch ranges between $50,000 and $1,00,000 with basic features and functionalities.
It is important to know that developing an AAA game will cost you more money and time as compared to AA games due to the high-end video game design and highly advanced gameplay mechanics in AAA games. The cost of an RNG video game is less than these but depends on several factors. Take a look at the costs involved in developing the following:
In short, the factors affecting the video game development cost:
After going through this blog, we expect that it has helped you learn the various aspects of video game development including types of video games, video game design, the cost to develop them and factors affecting them.
The future of video game development promises great opportunities both for developers and gamers alike. With blockchain-based games, gamers can also benefit and earn while playing games, using the P2E model. Moreover, technologies like AI, VR, and AR are set to change the future of gaming as they will blur the line between real and virtual worlds.
As a leading video game development company, BR Softech excels in developing top-notch video games for worldwide clients. Our in-house video game developer team strive for 100% client satisfaction and excellence and delivers the same through class-leading video game development solutions.
If you are looking to develop creative and robust video games for your business, feel free to contact us and we will be happy to transform your ideas into a reality. Choose us to get:
Ans. Unity, Unreal Engine, and Godot are three of the main engines that you can leverage to make a game in 2025.
Ans. The cost of game development may vary for different game genres and other factors also affect game development like whether a game development company is developing it or an indie developer. Usually, a simple mobile game can cost up to 50,000 dollars and AAA games can cost you more than a million dollars.
Ans. Simple 2D indie games can take up to 6 months to build and deploy. However, AAA games take a lot of time and the project can stretch up to 5 years.
Ans. If you are well-versed with coding and game engines, you can develop your own 2D game. However, developing AAA games requires a big deal and it is impossible for a single person to curate a AAA game as there are a lot of verticals to take care.
Ans. Automated testing, user testing, performance testing, and bug fixes and updates are some of the crucial aspects of game testing that one must be aware of.
Ans. Once you take care of all the bugs and loops, and when servers are optimized you can deploy your game post that.
Ans.There are numerous online platforms available that develop video games for free. However, these games are only a small prototype that you can use as a project and not a full-fledged game.
Ans.To design your own video game, you need to:
Contact the best video game development company
Share your idea with them
Discuss project details and budget with them
Keep yourself updated with the development process
Have your own video game
Ans.Video games are made by writing new source codes, creating in-game assets and characteristics, developing realistic sound effects and graphics, creating different levels, and writing dialogues for cutscenes and NPCs. All these stuff together make a video game.
Ans. Cloud gaming, AI-powered gameplay, AR and AI, blockchain, and player-driven content are some of the latest trends in the video game development industry.
