Introduction

The burst in technology development and the rapid adoption of trending new technologies create a notable difference in the mobile development sector. As a result, many game app development companies are working and paying more attention to provide game development facilities to the customers as the demand for mobile game development is raised at a vast level.

Every mobile game apps development company wants to utilize this time productively. So, they can make their market image stronger. We all have seen the changing aspects of the gaming sector in the prior years, attracting gamers worldwide.

We can see the enthusiasm in the market towards game development that every second software and mobile game development company is shifting towards the game app development side. Even the big names like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are developing their creative smartphone games to attract the audience and entertain them with their innovation.

They are forced by the demand to create such games. As the level of demand is increasing in the market. But on the other hand, because of the high mobile game development costs, small companies don’t go for game development.

According to the Statista report, over 3.8 billion smartphone users worldwide, no doubt that the mobile phone sector is booming. Application usage and mobile phone are still increasing with stable growth without the fear of downfall in the future as mobile has become the everyday need for all of us.

By witnessing all these changes in trends, it is understandable that the game developing sector will not slow down as it is the future thing. The global game market competition is very high as every company is busy doing something innovative for their customers by bringing new technologies and resources to their companies.

Now the game developers face a challenge in developing an innovative game that must be unique from others and capture the market. In the ever-changing market, every year there are new tools, features, technologies are announced.

The primary goal of every mobile app game development company is to come up with the best product (channel) that fully satisfies the demands of the customers. Further, hunt the most trending technologies and create a game application for the coming generation that will be lifelong.

The combination of operating (functionality) and design are the two main features that play a vital role in game development. The design should have the ability to attract the player’s eyes and make them feel like they are playing in real. And on the other hand, the functionality must be unbeatable as no one can reach you on this.

Along with this, the cutting-edge features are becoming essential and aid us to change the game and make it more advanced and inspiring. If you want to interact with the players and, along with that, you want to maintain your stronger image in the global market, then you have to add new and advanced features.  On the other hand, you have to use the best mobile game development software of recent time. So don’t worry if you don’t know anything about mobile game development software and tools. If you think that developing a game is a complex task, please go through this post.  In this guide, we have mentioned the top 5 and best mobile game engines and models. It helps you in understanding the game development process. You don’t need to be an expert to create such eye-catching games. We have mentioned some of them below: Here is the list of the best mobile game engines & development platforms.

1. Unity
2. Unreal Engine
3. Solar2D
4. SpriteKit – 2D sprite-based games
5. Construct 3 

Unity

Among all the other mobile game engines, we have to find Unity, a cross-platform mobile game development tool from the best other tools. Unity technologies launched Unity mobile game development tool. This platform enables you to collaborate with your team and create your own game using unique 2D and 3D development features. In addition, Unity allows you to import assets from various 3D apps, such as Maya or Blender.

On the other side, it also offers a large library of components purchased directly from their store. Furthermore, if you are developing a game first time, don’t panic; Unity is one of the most popular developments or programming platforms. It offers tutorials and tips to assist you. Unity is the best mobile game engine and one of the most well-known game creation software among other mobile game development tools.  

Supported platforms:

• iOS
• Android
• Windows Phone
• Tizen OS
• Fire OS

Pricing:

• Free for students and personal use
• $40/ month for a Plus edition
• $150/ month for a Pro edition
• $200/ month for Enterprise edition

Some popular games developed using Unity are Lara Croft Go, Angry Birds 2, Pokémon Go. On the other side, there are some of the most downloaded games have been developed using Unity.

Unreal Engine

This tool got some advanced features. For example, if you are not an expert developer or a newbie in development. Unreal Engine is the perfect platform for you because its user-friendly features eliminate the need for programming knowledge or skills. So, you can easily work on it.

Moreover, this platform enables you to make improvements, and it also allows you to update your game without knowing how to program, or you don’t need to edit the code. On the other hand, the other benefits of this platform include the ease with which you can work with the interface, and it can test your game within the platform. So, a developer can create stunning 3D graphics by using Unreal Engine software and keep your players engaged in your game!

Supported platforms:

• Windows PC
• Sony PlayStation 4
• Xbox One
• Mac OS X
• iOS
• Android
• VR platforms
• Linux
• SteamOS
• HTML5

Pricing:

• Free publishing and creators licenses
• Custom license to a custom price
• Enterprise program for $1.000 per seat/year

Some mobile games are developed using Unreal Engine: Heart at Attack, Lineage II: Revolution, ABC Augmented Reality.

Solar2D

Solar2D, previously named Corona SDK 2D Game Engine, is a cross-platform game engine that uses the Lua scripting language, which is simple to pick up or learn and can be used without any hassle. You may use its 2D features. On the other hand, the Corona Marketplace has a lot of plugins or extensions. Solar2D is famous because of its easy-to-understand documentation and its active and supportive community. It also contains a real-time simulation to let you visualize how your app will look once modifications are made.

Supported platforms:

• iOS
• tvOS
• Android
• Android TV
• macOS
• Windows
• Linux
• HTML5

Pricing:

• Core functionalities are free to use

Some mobile games are developed using the Solar2D tool Grow Beets Clicker and I Love Hue.

Spritekit – 2d Sprite-Based Games

SpriteKit is Apple’s game engine for creating 2D games. In simple words, Apple have the rights to this game development engine.  This platform supports both Swift and Objective-C and provides developers with various tools to aid developers in developing high-performance  2D games.

So, if you’re thinking about making an Apple game, it is the right platform for your game development project. Keep in mind that if this tool comes under Apple support, then it indicates that you won’t have to download any additional libraries or sources. You can be sure that it will properly meet and suit all of Apple’s new innovative technologies and products.

Supported platforms:

• iOS

Pricing:

• Free

Several titles or games were developed by using SpriteKit: Squashy Bug, Trestle, and Accelebot.

Construct 3

Construct is also a 2D game development framework, which is based on HTML5. It’s really simple to use because you don’t have to code. In simple words, no coding is needed. On the other hand, it offers a lot of features that will aid you in creating a visually stunning game in a short amount of time. Moreover, it also supports multi-platform export. So, you can launch your project on multiple devices simultaneously.

Supported platforms:

• iOS
• Windows Phone

Android

• Web platforms: NewGrounds, Kongregate, itch.io

Pricing:

• Startup: €12,51 / seat per month
• Business: €33,26 per month

Individual: €16,49 per month

• Gambling: Price define by contacting the company

Games or titles developed via Construct 2: The Next Penelope, Airscape: The Fall of Gravity, and Cosmochoria. So, we have discussed the top 5 game development engines widely used by almost everyone in the market.

Several Android game makers and other companies use several tools in their game development process to offer their users a great gaming experience. Now let’s move further and discuss some other factors.

General Process Of Design & Development

If you have never done this previously, the process of developing games isn’t complex to imagine. However, several people think it’s a difficult process. So, they ask multiple questions, like how to make a mobile game, and on the other hand, some people don’t even know about cross-platform development. So, they ask what is cross-platform mobile game development is.

That’s why a company should create a section and name as faqs: mobile game engines it would be helpful. So, a customer can directly get in touch with the company’s representative.  Usually, it begins with the visualizations: simple artistic representations, more complex design, and 3D modeling of graphics and visualizations. Animation, coding, and evaluation are all included in this.

Yes! No doubt these are complex and challenging processes, but they’re relatively simple to describe. Furthermore, such visual design methods effectively provide the digital content required for each video game. So, the actual game development begins after that. This step requires using a development engine (such as Unity 3D, Unreal Engine, or maybe even HTML5) and entails the real programming of a playable game.

After then, it’s just a matter of evaluating, modifying, and enhancing the product with more design in the shape of graphic rendering and animation. However, this simply outlines the broad process of game design and development. However, today’s designers use various game development models to help and guide these processes and produce efficient and successful outputs.

What Influences Your Model Selection?

Let’s examine some of the aspects that decide between the two models before getting to the models themselves.

• Game Complicatedness

When you start exploring this concern in-depth, you’ll soon understand that some models have more stages and a greater focus on details than others. To some point, a designer’s choice of model can simply represent how specifics they are or how organized the development project should be. However, a more complicated gaming project may function well with one model, while a basic or simpler design will work excellently with another.

For example, you might notice that the so-called Spiral Model (which we’ll go over in more detail ahead) entails multiple testing and prototyping processes. But the Waterfall Model (which we’ll go over in more detail too below) is more about establishing a broader sequence of steps. Again, the difficulty of a game development project will aid dictate which one of these models is most appropriate.

• Structure of the Organization

Given that a more complicated structure demands additional layers of clearance for multiple phases in the development process, organizational structure plays a role in deciding on a model. Therefore,  combining one of the more complicated models with a sophisticated company structure. As a result, a complex system might lead to an inefficient process, while a basic layout will result in faster (and few) permissions, making it more suited to manage any model.

In this respect, we have an example of a huge corporation deciding, somewhat suspiciously, to divide game development as a segregate — and easier — business entity. If we see  Sony, they have formed a new firm called Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC only a few years earlier. The purpose of developing this business was to manage research, game development, and publication. The announcement had observers in the gaming industry twisting their heads at the time.

It’s tough to say for sure what Sony was going for with this decision. Still, one consideration is that an LLC provides a simpler company structure, enabling more versatility in development models. In a relevant field, a study on company structures for new app firms points out that choosing an LLC offers several advantages in terms of structural simplicity — especially when there are several owners and stockholders.

A corporation can use this approach to create a natural structure for authorizing various steps within even more complicated development models. Businesses with more complex structural arrangements, on the other hand, may have to adhere to simpler models.

• Time

On a more basic level, time could be an important aspect! It won’t be wrong if we say that more sophisticated development processes take more time. As a result, if you need to get a game to market quickly, one of the easier approaches will be sufficient. Developers have more freedom to choose a model based on personal preference when time is less of an issue.

Various Development Models

There are numerous types of development models, and we have listed a few of them here. However, there are a few that are frequently used and can be highly useful.

Spiral Model

The Spiral Model has four key components: defining objectives, detecting and mitigating risks, developing and testing the design, and organizing the next iteration. It’s called a “spiral” since these four processes are designed to be followed in order once, twice, and as many times as compulsory to complete the development process or cycle. In addition, evaluations are supposed to be undertaken between each lap through the circle, thus allowing for prototype evaluations until the final, more in-depth development phase is finished.

Agile Model

The Agile Model for game development is based on Agile project development ideas in general. These entail breaking down the development process into smaller features or tasks to make faster progress toward a functional version. As you might expect, this strategy is best suited for mobile games and games that largely rely on DLC.

Waterfall Model

Another fascinating alternative is the Waterfall Model, which is frequently positioned as opposition to agile development. It’s less dynamic, but it’s a lot easier to understand, and it successfully represents a linear approach or strategy to the development.

Every step in the process is finished before moving onto another. Therefore analysis and ideas lead to design, coding, and many more, with no overlapping projects or ambiguity. Of course, the technique isn’t appropriate for today’s more complicated game concepts, but it can still be useful for smaller projects or businesses with limited resources.

Final Notes

Game development requires careful planning, and preferences and possibilities can shift based on the type of firm or product. However, game designers’ success is frequently aided by the adoption of development models in general. The models break down the development in simple but effective ways, allowing for more thoughtful, intentional design and assessment – and, in the end, it brings great results.