The first question that comes to mind for a person who wants to build a game is “How long does it take to develop a game?”
The answer is, it might take from days to months. It depends on the type and complexity of the game you are going to develop.
Before knowing the exact answer to your question, it is better to understand the factors associated with game development and how they influence the timeline for game development.
This blog walks you through what game development is, the time taken at each step of development for building a game, the key factors that influence the game development timeline, and the strategies to reduce the time taken for game development.
Game development is the process of designing, creating, and programming games using various game engines and game development technologies. It involves various stages, starting from brainstorming ideas to coding and testing.
Game development also involves the process of story writing, character designing, and deciding the sound effects. These elements work together to create an engaging, attractive, and immersive gaming experience for the users.
Generally, a game takes between six to eighteen months to develop, even more it is depending on the complexity and scope of the game to be developed.
Developing a game can usually be achieved in 6 steps, starting from planning to post-launch maintenance. Each stage of the game development requires a different amount of time. Let’s look into the estimated time for game development at each step.
This step involves the following processes:
The estimated time for the discovery and planning step might typically range between 1 and 3 weeks.
This phase involves the following processes:
The time taken for the art and UI/UX design step may range between 2 and 5 weeks, approximately.
The core game development step involves the following processes:
The core game development usually takes about 4 to 12 weeks to complete the entire process.
This step involves the integration of third-party connections, like
The time taken to integrate the third-party connections into the backend architecture of the gaming platform might typically range between 2 and 6 weeks.
The developed game will undergo testing and QA. It includes the following processes.
The time taken for performing testing and QA of the developed product ranges between 2 and 4 weeks, approximately.
This step involves the following processes
The time taken for this phase typically ranges between 1 and 3 weeks, approximately.
There is no single average time taken to develop a game. It depends on the complexity of the game that is to be developed. Here is a breakdown of the average time taken to develop a game by its complexity.
The game types can be classified into 4 based on their complexity.
2D hyper casual games are a type of game that is short, simple, and highly replayable on mobile. They are usually more addictive and are easily downloadable even on basic smartphones. The time taken to develop a 2D hyper casual game usually ranges between 4 and 8 weeks, approximately.
Casual mobile games are the type of games designed with simple rules and simple gameplay mechanics. They are designed for everyone and have a very low barrier to entry. Unlike other game types, these games don’t require a high level of investment and time. The time taken to build a casual mobile game typically ranges between 2 and 4 months.
3D mid-core games are the type of game designed to have a balance between casual and hardcore gaming. It is exclusively designed for individuals who enjoy more depth and challenges. Usually, the time taken to create a 3D mid-core game is between 5 and 8 months, approximately.
Real-money games or blockchain games are the type of game that provides a real-time gaming experience for the users and enables players to earn actual cash or valuable rewards.
The time taken for developing a real-money or blockchain game might range between 6 and 12 months or even more.
Understanding the key factors influencing the game development timeline is vital for effective game development planning.
Here is a list of key factors influencing the game development timeline you should look for before planning your game development.
The game scope and type of the game to be developed play a major role in influencing the game development timeline.
A game with simple mechanics can be developed really quickly, whereas a game with intricate storylines, multiple characters, and an expansive gaming environment might take much longer.
The game engine and tech stack used in the game development play a key role in influencing the time taken for the game development.
Usually, game engines with pre-built assets and robust tools can minimize the development timeline. On the other hand, a custom-built game engine or the use of complex technology in the game development can significantly increase the game development time.
This phase involves game planning that involves creating storylines, developing characters, and designing gameplay mechanics. This phase helps in streamlining the game development process.
The pre-production phase is a key factor in influencing the game development timelines, because the more you plan, the more time it takes. This results in maximizing the time taken for the game development process.
Developing a game for multiple platforms, like PC and mobile, might increase the development time, as each platform requires specific optimization and additional testing to ensure the compatibility of the game across various platforms.
The development team size is also a key factor that influences the time taken for game development.
A smaller team may take a longer time to develop, whereas a larger team with sufficient developers, designers, and testers might minimize the time taken for game development.
Game development might get delayed due to several unplanned factors that arise during the game development process. The rise of such factors consequently delays the game development timeline.
Let’s look into some of the unplanned disruptions in game development that maximize the development timeline.
As the game development progresses, new ideas and feature expansions often occur from both the development team and the client side. This mid-way request can expand the development timeline.
Even with an experienced team, technical challenges can arise during the game development process. Resolving these issues often delays the development process, thereby increasing the game development timeline.
Game development requires a significant investment in time, money, and resources. The process of developing a game involves story writing, character designing, and deciding the sound effects.
The time taken for the game development process significantly depends on the complexity of the game, the tech stacks used, and the development team.
Choosing an experienced and trustworthy game development service provider like Fourmindz can help you in creating an attractive, scalable, and immersive gaming platform.
So, I guess businesses and individuals looking to develop a game have now understood the game development timeline and the importance of planning the development process.
Among various programming languages, C++, C#, Python, and Java are widely used in game development.
The main stages of game development include planning, pre-production, production, testing, pre-launch, launch, and post-launch.
The factors affecting the game development timeline are game type, game scope, game engine, tech stack used, and development team size.
There is no single time for building a game. They depend upon the type of game developed, its complexity, and gameplay.