How to make a mobile game

A store-ready mobile game needs an engine, a real test phone, developer accounts and a store review. That path takes weeks at minimum. If you just want a mobile game your friends can play, there is a much shorter route.

The full path to the App Store and Google Play

1. Pick an engine. Godot is free and open source (MIT license). Unity Personal is free up to $200,000 in revenue and funding. Both export to iOS and Android.
2. Build for touch from day one. Big buttons, thumbs at the bottom corners, nothing important under the notch.
3. Test on a real phone. The computer preview lies about speed and control. Test on the cheapest phone you can find too.
4. Make developer accounts. Google Play is a one-time $25. The Apple Developer Program is $99 a year, and iOS builds need Xcode on a Mac.
5. Prepare the store page. Icon, screenshots, a short description, an age rating and a privacy policy.
6. Pass review and update. Both stores review apps. Plan to ship fixes after launch.

Design rules for a phone game

Rounds should be short. People play in a queue or on a bus, so a run of one to three minutes feels right.

Show the goal in the first second without text. Use one-thumb or two-thumb controls, never a keyboard layout squeezed onto glass. Give a reason to come back: a best score, an unlock, a daily goal.

The shortcut: a mobile game inside Roam

Roam is a free iPhone app where you describe the game in a sentence, or start from a photo, and it comes back playable with world, art, sound and rules. You change it by asking, then play it solo or with friends who have Roam.

You do not get your own store listing this way. You get a playable mobile game the same day, which is the best way to learn if the idea is fun before you spend weeks on the full path.

Play it on Roam

Create your mobile game with Roam

Describe it on your iPhone and play it there. Fix it by talking, then play it with friends.

Try: "one-thumb runner on train roofs, swipe to dodge signals, coins buy a faster train, friends can race me"

Create it with Roam See Roam

Questions people ask

How do I make a mobile game app?

Build it in an engine like Godot or Unity, test on real phones, then publish through Google Play ($25 once) or the App Store ($99 a year, Mac needed).

Can I make a mobile game on my phone?

Yes. GDevelop has phone apps for iOS and Android. Roam is a free iPhone app where you describe a game and play it.

What is the best engine for mobile games?

For beginners, Godot or GDevelop. Unity is widely used for mobile games. All three can build for Android and iOS, and iOS builds go through Xcode on a Mac.

Keep exploring

More on Roam: All Roam games Games to play, by kind