Video gaming is a sprawling market. As such, there are a galore of great tools available to develop video games of all forms and genres. Unity is among the leading gaming engines. Before discussing the best Unity courses, let’s first know a little more about gaming engines and Unity.
What is a Game Engine?
A game engine is a software framework aimed at facilitating the development of video games. For the same, it comes with a galore of libraries and support programs.
Often, a video game engine is a proprietary software that comes with multi-tier licenses. Popular examples of game engines are Amazon Lumberyard, GameMaker, RPG Maker MV, Panda3D, Unity, and Unreal Engine.
What is Unity?
Unity is one of the best cross-platform gaming engines in the business developed by Unity Technologies. It was introduced to the world in June 2005 at Apple Worldwide Developers Conference.
In addition to desktop and mobile platforms, Unity also provides support for many consoles and VR platforms. Among Us, Dr. Mario World, Garena Free Fire, Marvel Strike Force, Pokemon Go, Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality, and Wasteland 3 are some of the most famous games developed using Unity.
In addition to video game development, this popular game engine finds use across various industries, including architecture, automotive, construction, engineering, and film.
10 Best Unity Courses
Here is a list of the best online Unity courses from leading course providers that educate you on using Unity from scratch for developing games.
1. Complete C# Unity Game Developer 3D
Highlights
By - Udemy
Level - Beginner
Udemy is one of the most popular online platforms to learn and master new expertise. Naturally, it is also one of the leading platforms to seek great Unity courses. Complete C# Unity Game Developer 3D is one such course.
In addition to the Unity Engine, the course details C# programming, how to transfer knowledge to .NET and other platforms, and video game design. The course uses Unity 2017 to teach learners how to develop 2.5D and 3D games.
The Complete C# Unity Game Developer 3D course has a run time that is slightly above 30.5 hours. The entire beginner-level Unity course is divided into 8 sections and 204 lectures that you can go through at your own speed.
It is one of the best -seller Unity courses on Udemy right now with almost 180k students and 4.8 stars out of 5, which is averaged over 34k ratings. The course is put together by Ben Tristem, GameDev.tv Team, Gary Pettie, and Rick Davidson.
Key Highlights :
- It is one of the top-rated Udemy courses used by big firms, such as Eventbrite, Nasdaq, and Volkswagen.
- The course discusses good coding and design patterns.
- It explains using version control to efficiently develop software.
- It is available in 8 languages, including French and German.
- This is an ideal course for newcomers to video game development.
2. Introduction to Video Game Development with Unity
Highlights
By - edX
Level - Intermediate
This is a great Unity course for intermediate-level learners. Offered by edX, Introduction to Video Game Development with Unity is a self-paced video gaming course that requires approximately 6 weeks to complete when 3 to 4 hours are spent on it on a weekly basis.
Being an intermediate Unity game development course, it is essential for candidates to possess knowledge of fundamental programming. The entire syllabus of the video game development course is divided into 6 units:
- Introduction to the environment
- Unity Basics
- Introduction to the game engine
- Unity and the different platforms
- Scripting
- Unity in action
The introductory course to Unity game development educates learners about the various aspects of the popular gaming engine with easy-to-understand examples. The course explains the Unity interface and basic elements of the Unity Engine.
There are two ways to enroll for the course, namely Verified Track and Audit Track. While Audit Track is free to opt for, it doesn’t offer a shareable certificate of completion and doesn’t include graded assignments and exams.
Verified Track charges some fees but offers all the features that Audit Track lacks, including post-completion access to the learning material. The instructor for the intermediate-level Unity course is Jordi Linares Pellicer. He holds a doctorate in computer science and is a professor at the Polytechnic University of Valencia.
Key Highlights :
- A free option is available.
- Learners can choose their own pace to complete the course.
- It covers a brief introduction to C#.
- It will help you to develop your first game with Unity.
3. Unity Physics Fundamentals
Highlights
By - Pluralsight
Level - Beginner
This Unity course details using physics in game development. For doing the same, Unity Physics Fundamentals explains colliders, joints, ragdolls physics, rigidbody parameters, and triggers. After learning this course, individuals will be able to create rich and interactive experiences with Unity.
The end goal of this Unity course is to build a car with wheel colliders. It is put together by Joshua Kinney, who is a devoted game author at Pluralsight. The total duration of the course is 157 minutes.
Key Highlights :
- It is a part of the Unity Game Dev: Fundamentals learning path.
- This course is ideal for learning the Unity physics engine.
4. The Ultimate Guide to Game Development with Unity (Official)
Highlights
By - Udemy (and Unity Technologies)
Level - Beginner
The Ultimate Guide to Game Development with Unity (Official) is a comprehensive Unity course that’ll help you kickstart your journey of learning Unity game development. The course is prepared by Jonathan Weinberger, an Authorized Unity Instructor, and Unity Technologies.
It is a bestseller course that has already benefited 78k+ students and flaunts a flashy rating of 4.4 stars out of 5 stars averaging over 16k ratings. The entire content of the course is divided into 36 sections and 301 lectures that have a total run time of 21+ hours.
The Unity course helps learners to master beginner concepts in C# programming that includes arrays, if statements, and variables. It details:
- Applying shaders for transforming game backgrounds.
- Creating power-ups such as laser beams, shields, and triple shots.
- Deploying background music, particle effects, and sound effects.
- Enemy creation with basic AI behavior.
It is a top-rated course for big businesses like Box and NetApp to offer Unity learning to their employees. The course also teaches learners to activate and use Unity’s Team Collaboration service. As part of the project work, it discusses deploying your game to more than 20 mobile and web platforms.
Key Highlights :
- The course is available in 9 languages, including Dutch, Indonesian, and Spanish.
- It offers full lifetime access.
- The course details an effective way to solve problem statements.
5. Game Design and Development with Unity 2020 Specialization
Highlights
By - Coursera (and Michigan State University)
Level - Beginner
This Unity course trains learners in designing and developing 2D and 3D games. At 4 hours a week, this course requires 5 months to complete. In this Unity specialization, learners need to work on 4 projects (courses), which are:
- A 2D shooter
- A 2D platformer
- A first-person shooter
- A 3D platformer
The course involves a capstone project where the learners need to put their learning to use and create an original game. This specialization is based on the Michigan State University game program.
Key Highlights :
- You can enroll for free for this specialization.
- Financial aid is available.
6. C# Programming for Unity Game Development Specialization
Highlights
By - Coursera (and University of Colorado)
Level - Beginner
Offered by the University of Colorado in collaboration with Coursera, C# Programming for Unity Game Development Specialization is another popular beginner-friendly Unity course.
It is a 100% online course that lets you set deadlines as it suits your flexibility. At a rate of 7 hours a week, the Unity course requires 7 months to complete. Unlike Unity courses on your list, this is a specialization.
This simply implies that instead of a single course, it is a collection of courses. C# Programming for Unity Game Development Specialization offers the following 4 courses:
- Introduction to C# Programming and Unity
- More C# Programming and Unity
- C# Class Development
- Intermediate Object-Oriented Programming for Unity Games
Each course comes with 10 to 20 exercises that teach you many aspects of Unity and C# programming. Moreover, being a specialization, it comes with a hands-on project that candidates need to complete in order to receive a certificate of completion.
Dr. Tim Chamillard is the instructor for the course. He is an Associate Professor in the Computer Science department of the University of Colorado.
Key Highlights :
- It comes with a flexible schedule.
- Candidates get to develop many C# console applications, Unity prototypes, and two complete games during the course.
7. Arm & Unity Presents: 3D Art Optimization for Mobile Applications
Highlights
By - Unity Learn
Level - Intermediate
This is a Unity game development course offered by the developer of the popular gaming engine, i.e., Unity Technologies. Intended for content creators and technical artists, this intermediate-level Unity course educates learners about performance-optimized 3D assets and scenes for mobile apps.
Arm & Unity Presents: 3D Art Optimization for Mobile Applications covers optimization in geometry, lighting, materials, and textures. The total duration of this course is a little over 10 hours. Instead of just giving out information on Unity, the course on Unity game development includes projects for each topic that boosts the learning experience.
The Unity course also provides an option to connect with an expert to resolve all your queries. Pricing for the same starts at $1/minute. Although you can opt for the course without signing in with a Unity ID, doing so allows you to track your progress and have personalized recommendations.
Key Highlights :
- It is a free course.
- The course is offered by Unity Technologies itself.
- It comes with a Groups feature that allows learners to connect with the Unity community.
8. LEARN UNITY - The Most BASIC TUTORIAL I’ll Ever Make
Highlights
By - Imphenzia (YouTube)
Level - Beginner
Unlike other Unity courses on this list, this is a YouTube video from Imphenzia. The 124-minute video is an excellent crash course for beginners. It details creating your first C# script to get user input, fixing bugs, and refactoring code to improve it.
The YouTube video on Unity game development covers the user interface, components, game objects, prefabs, and transforms. It also explains how to collect coins in video games using the OnTriggerEnter() method and Destroy() game object.
Key Highlights :
- The video has 2.1 million views at the time of writing this article.
- It is completely free to have.
9. Jr Programmer: Learn to Create with Code Pt. 1- Spring 2022
Highlights
By - Unity Learn
Level - Beginner
Jr Programmer: Learn to Create with Code Pt. 1 is a free, 4-week Unity course to educate learners about the fundamentals of Unity and C# programming. Offered by Unity Learn, this course focuses on creating interactive real-time 3D games.
The Unity course is available as a combination of self-paced learning and live, 1-hour classes from Unity experts. The total duration of the course is 380 minutes, which covers player control, basic gameplay, sound and effects, and gameplay mechanics.
Key Highlights :
- It is a free course.
- Signing in with your Unity ID lets you get personalized recommendations.
10. Game Development for Total Beginners - Free Unity Course
Highlights
By - freeCodeCamp
Level - Beginner
Game Development for Total Beginners is a free Unity course offered by freeCodeCamp. It is a free 7-hour YouTube video course. Developed by AwesomeTuts, the course begins with installing Unity and then moving on to cover the basics of C# programming.
The free Unity course involves learners to create a game using Unity from scratch. All the assets required for developing the game are freely available with this course. The course covers:
- Accessibility modifiers.
- Creating a new project in Unity.
- Creating the game background.
- Enemy spawner.
- Events and delegates.
- Introduction to the Unity interface.
- Introduction to variables.
- Moving character with code.
- Player movement.
Key Highlights :
- It is a free Unity course.
- This course is ideal for complete beginners.
Conclusion
With that, we sum up our list of the 10 best online Unity courses. You can choose one or more of these Unity courses based on your level of proficiency in Unity game development and personal preferences. Along with the aforementioned courses, you can also consider reading the best Unity books to gain a thorough knowledge of the subject.
If you have any questions or feedback, do let us know via the comments section.
We wish you all the luck!
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