Thinking of Switching to Game Dev: Unity vs Unreal?
I'm currently a web developer (3 years in) and thinking about switching to game development, which was my childhood dream. I've heard Unity is more accessible and strong for mobile, while Unreal excels in high-quality graphics. Which one would be better to start with on my own? I'm planning to begin with a simple 2D game as a side project. Would love advice from industry developers.
7 answers
If you have web development experience, Unity will be much easier to adapt to. It's based on C#, so the syntax is similar, and the Asset Store is well-equipped for creating 2D games, making it great for starting out on your own. If you want to see quick results with a side project, I recommend Unity.
With three years of web development experience, you might not be familiar with C#, but Unity allows you to naturally apply C# to game logic, keeping the learning curve low. I chose Unity for similar reasons and released a simple 2D puzzle game within six months. Even professional game developers say Unity has a low entry barrier.
Having tried both, Unity is the clear winner when starting a side project. Unreal takes up a lot of space just to install, and its templates are heavy, making it burdensome to start with a light heart. I recommend finishing a 2D game with Unity first, then using that experience to take on Unreal.
When starting alone, what matters most is the community and the amount of resources available. Unity has plenty of Korean-language materials and makes it easy to ask questions. Unreal is great too, but if a beginner gets stuck, it might take longer to find a solution. For 2D games, quickly experiencing the fun with Unity can help maintain your motivation to switch careers.
I'm also a former web developer who started with Unity. I found it fun learning basic logic like jumping and collisions while making 2D games. Unreal's Blueprint is intuitive, but C++ syntax can feel unfamiliar to web developers. It's not too late to build experience with Unity first and then move on.
If your goal is a simple 2D game on your own, Unity is closer to the right answer. Unreal is specialized for high-quality 3D, so it can actually be inconvenient for 2D work. Try making a prototype with Unity first, and consider Unreal later when you move to 3D.
I actually recommend Unreal instead. It's a bit harder to learn at first, but thanks to the Blueprint system, you can build game logic without coding, making it accessible even for non-developers. Plus, if you get interested in high-quality graphics, it's easy to expand. However, if you're only doing 2D, Unity might be a better choice.