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Roadmap · Updated May 2026

The Game Developer trek

C# and Unity from fundamentals to shipped games. 2D, 3D, physics, AI, audio, UI, multiplayer concepts, and publishing on PC, mobile, and console.

Stages
12
Estimated time
8 months
Level
Beginner → Advanced
Maintained by
3 practitioners
01
Stage 01

Game design fundamentals

Before writing code, understand what makes games fun: mechanics, dynamics, aesthetics, player psychology, and the design process.

Game DesignMDABeginner
02
Stage 02

C# fundamentals

Unity runs on C#. Learn the language properly before writing game scripts.

C#ProgrammingBeginner
03
Stage 03

Unity fundamentals

The Unity Editor, the scene hierarchy, GameObjects, Components, and the core Unity workflow.

UnityGameObjectsComponents
04
Stage 04

2D game development

Sprites, tilemaps, 2D physics, animations, and building complete 2D games in Unity.

2DSpritesTilemapsPhysics
05
Stage 05

3D game development

Meshes, materials, lighting, ProBuilder, 3D physics, and building 3D game worlds.

3DLightingProBuilderShaders
06
Stage 06

Game AI & pathfinding

NavMesh, behavior trees, state machines, and building NPCs that behave believably.

AINavMeshBehavior Trees
07
Stage 07

Audio & visual polish

Audio Mixer, procedural audio, particle systems, and the polish that makes games feel alive.

AudioParticlesVFXPolish
08
Stage 08

UI & game systems

Unity UI Toolkit, inventory systems, save/load, and the game systems that hold everything together.

UIInventorySave System
09
Stage 09

Performance optimization

Profiler, batching, LODs, memory management, and building games that run at 60fps on target hardware.

PerformanceProfilerOptimization
10
Stage 10

Multiplayer fundamentals

Netcode for GameObjects, client-server authority, lag compensation, and the basics of building multiplayer games.

MultiplayerNetcodeNetworking
11
Stage 11

Publishing & monetization

Build settings, platform certificates, app store submission, and the monetization models for mobile and PC games.

PublishingApp StoreMonetization
12
Stage 12

Capstone — ship a complete game

Design, build, polish, and publish a complete game. Real players, real reviews, real lessons.

CapstoneAdvancedPortfolio

Trek complete. What's next?

You've walked the full roadmap. Now ship the capstone, write about it, and share the path with the next engineer who needs it.

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