The development of mobile games for iOS devices has become an increasingly popular career choice for software developers. To pursue this path, finding a high-quality online course that offers comprehensive instruction in iOS game development is crucial. However, with numerous options available, it can be challenging to identify the best course for your needs. This article aims to provide a comprehensive guide to help you find the top-rated iOS game development courses available online. By examining key factors such as course content, instructor expertise, and student reviews, you will be better equipped to select an online course that offers the knowledge and skills needed to launch a successful career in iOS game development.
Here’s a look at the Best Ios Game Development Courses and Certifications Online and what they have to offer for you!
10 Best Ios Game Development Courses and Certifications Online
- 10 Best Ios Game Development Courses and Certifications Online
- 1. Become an iOS/Android Game Developer with Unity 2017 by Dragan Neskovic, Jasmin Skamo (Udemy) (Our Best Pick)
- 2. The Complete iOS Game Course Using SpriteKit And Swift 3 by Awesome Tuts (Udemy)
- 3. Unity Basics: A Monetised Android/iOS Game in 4 Hours. by David McDonald (Udemy)
- 4. DIY iOS Games: A Developer Guide – Anti Candy Crunch by Alex Nagy (Udemy)
- 5. The Complete iOS Game Course – Build a Flappy Bird Clone by Eliot Arntz, John Omar, Jed Hastwell (Udemy)
- 6. Publish your own Candy Crush* iPhone Game Today. iOS Code by Yohann Taieb (Udemy)
- 7. iOS / OSX Game Development – From Start to Store in Swift by Neil North (Udemy)
- 8. Introduction to iOS Game Development with SpriteKit & Swift by Timothy Meixner, Johannes Ruof (Udemy)
- 9. Learn how to build a Chess game in iOS 10. by Mammoth Interactive, John Bura (Udemy)
- 10. Build & Publish a Word Search Puzzle Game for iOS, no coding by Yohann Taieb, Marius Rott (Udemy)
1. Become an iOS/Android Game Developer with Unity 2017 by Dragan Neskovic, Jasmin Skamo (Udemy) (Our Best Pick)
The course titled “Become an iOS/Android Game Developer with Unity 2017” is instructed by Dragan Neskovic and Jasmin Skamo. The course aims to teach participants to re-create the most popular mobile games and publish them to App Store / Play Store using Unity and C#. The games that will be taught in the course are Cut The Rope, Flappy Bird, and Color Switch. The course will start with Cut The Rope, which will be recreated using the built-in Unity components to help participants get comfortable with the engine. The next game, Flappy Bird, will teach participants how Rigid bodies behave and how to create the illusion of an endless runner. In the final game, Color Switch, all the concepts learned so far will be applied to create the game, which will then be published to both iOS and Android devices.
The course will also cover the deployment of the games to Android and iOS devices using xCode. Participants will learn the importance of xCode when it comes to developing for the App Store. The course will also teach participants how to earn money with free games using Advertisements (Video Ads) and how to publish their games to the App Store and/or Play Store.
The course content and sections include creating a Color Switch game, creating a Cut The Rope replica, advertisement in Unity, building for Android/iOS, deploying for the App Store with xCode, and creating a Flappy Bird clone.
2. The Complete iOS Game Course Using SpriteKit And Swift 3 by Awesome Tuts (Udemy)
The Complete iOS Game Course Using SpriteKit and Swift 3 is a course that teaches the fundamentals of game development. The course is structured to start slowly and build on basic concepts, with each video covering more fundamentals of SpriteKit game development. The course takes a practical approach to teaching, where students build real-world games that they can play after building. The course instructor is responsive to student questions and provides project files for personal and commercial use.
The course covers the development of three games: Jack the Giant, Flappy Bird, and Cowboy Runner. Each game covers different aspects of game development, such as creating menus, implementing background music, saving game progress, and much more. The course covers basic, intermediate, and advanced Swift programming, importing and organizing assets, animating sprites, creating menus, creating cool animations, understanding and using SpriteKit’s physics system, saving game data using NSKeyedArchiver and NSKeyedUnarchiver, using game controllers to control the workflow of your game, playing music in your game, and using basic and intermediate features of SKActions.
The course is designed to equip students with the knowledge to plan, design, and develop their own games using SpriteKit or any other game development framework. While it does not cover every aspect of SpriteKit, it provides enough knowledge to continue improving in the field of game development. The course offers a full refund if the student is not satisfied with the content. The course is divided into six sections: Introduction, Swift Basics, SpriteKit Basics, Jack the Giant, Flappy Bird, and Cowboy Runner. There is also a bonus section for those serious about game development careers.
3. Unity Basics: A Monetised Android/iOS Game in 4 Hours. by David McDonald (Udemy)
The course titled “Unity Basics: A Monetised Android/iOS Game in 4 Hours” is designed to teach beginners to intermediate level students how to create a simple mobile game using Unity, with basic 3D game design and C# coding. The course will cover topics such as mobile setup, variables and functions, materials and 3D models, player and camera movement, project management, prefabricated objects, score system, procedural level generation, curved world shader implementation, object memory management, menu systems, saving and loading data, and Unity Ads.
The course is inspired by the success of mobile games like Flappy Bird, which earned $50,000 a day in ad-sense revenue, and other games that have earned over 1 million dollars a day in micro-transactions and ad-sense revenue. The course aims to help students create a simple but addictive mobile game that can be monetised with ads in just 4 hours.
The course will start with installing and using Unity, followed by mobile setup, variables and functions, materials and 3D models, player and camera movement, and adjusting player models. It will also cover project management, prefabricated objects, grouping prefabs, score system, procedural level generation, object spawning, randomised game design, curved world shader implementation, object memory management, menu systems, menu layouts, menu animations, pause menu, saving and loading data, Unity Ads, and monetisation design principles.
The course is divided into four sections – Introduction, Game, Polish, and Conclusion. The Introduction section will provide an overview of the course, while the Game section will cover the main topics and skills needed to create the mobile game. The Polish section will help students refine and improve their game, and the Conclusion section will wrap up the course with tips on how to continue learning and developing their skills.
4. DIY iOS Games: A Developer Guide – Anti Candy Crunch by Alex Nagy (Udemy)
The “DIY iOS Games: A Developer Guide – Anti Candy Crunch” course is focused on teaching app developers how to reskin and submit their own version of the Anti Candy Crunch game to the App Store. The course comes with the latest source code of Anti Candy Crunch and offers video tutorials on how to set it up. The game features a revolutionary MATCH-4 gameplay, Facebook integration, virtual currency pack in-app purchases, and ad support from AdMob and Chartboost. The source code has been updated to support iOS 12, Swift 4.2, and Xcode 10.
The course provides an opportunity for developers to add a unique game to their app portfolio instead of reskinning the same old MATCH-3 source codes. The Anti Candy Crunch gameplay offers a new twist with the ability to match 4 candies or more instead of 3. The source code also includes features such as user data saved into Firebase, Game Center leaderboard, achievements, 108 levels, and more. The course instructor, Alex Nagy, has already submitted a reskin called Anti Cookie Crunch to the App Store, which can be downloaded to preview the source code’s potential.
The course includes a changelog that highlights the updates made to the source code over time. Users can access hands-on video tutorials and learn how to put their own reskin of the game on the App Store. The latest update (12.0.0) includes updates to iOS 12, Xcode 10, Swift 4.2, and Firebase, as well as a feature to reset stars count for a level upon replay. The course features a bonus section that showcases Jungle Smash Mania, an app created by a previous course enrollee, Luca Petrucci, that was featured in the Italian App Store under “New and Noteworthy” in October 2016.
In summary, the course provides a unique opportunity for app developers to add a new gameplay to their portfolio.
5. The Complete iOS Game Course – Build a Flappy Bird Clone by Eliot Arntz, John Omar, Jed Hastwell (Udemy)
The Complete iOS Game Course – Build a Flappy Bird Clone is an online course with three instructors–Eliot Arntz, John Omar, and Jed Hastwell–that guides students through the process of building 8+ different applications using Sprite Kit. The course has over 350+ videos and combines videos, notes, collaborative discussion forums, and challenging assignments to have students build real apps. The course covers topics such as game development, Sprite Kit, Sprite/Texture Creation, Animation, Physics Bodies, and more. The course will include over 120 hours of content, including 30 hours of video plus notes and challenges, an active discussion forum, and multiple fully coded example projects that students can download.
Reviews from previous Code Coalition courses show that students find the courses helpful and engaging. Students are encouraged to take the course to become a junior game developer in three months. The apps created in this course can be used on a portfolio and on the app store. Course Content and Sections include Sprite Kit Concepts, Build a Space Cannon Shooter, Bouncing Balls Challenge, Particle Effects and Explosions, and more. The course offers a challenging and rewarding learning experience for beginners and aspiring game developers.
6. Publish your own Candy Crush* iPhone Game Today. iOS Code by Yohann Taieb (Udemy)
The “Publish your own Candy Crush* iPhone Game Today” course is designed to provide a comprehensive guide for anyone interested in entering the iPhone app industry. Through a step-by-step approach, the course aims to help participants publish their own iPhone game mechanics inspired by Candy Crush in just one day. The course includes the necessary source code and covers all aspects of game development, from setting up the computer for development to becoming a licensed iOS developer.
The course begins with the installation of the game from the source code and running it on the simulator. Participants will then modify the graphics and sounds to create a customized “match 3” game of their own. Additionally, the course covers setting up three advertising channels to ensure a steady flow of revenue. Finally, the course guides participants through the process of publishing the game to the Apple app store, ensuring a real product is available for purchase.
Unlike other courses that focus solely on theory, the objective of this course is to provide a practical and hands-on approach that leads to the creation of a real product in the app store. The course has helped numerous students create reskins of the app, and the instructor, Yohann Taieb, is available to answer questions and provide assistance. The course content is divided into five sections: Introduction, Initial Setup, Reskinning Process, Apple App Store Submission, and Conclusion. Participants are also provided with information on how to level up their business after completing the course.
7. iOS / OSX Game Development – From Start to Store in Swift by Neil North (Udemy)
This course, titled “iOS / OSX Game Development – From Start to Store in Swift,” is instructed by Neil North. Students will learn to create games using the SpriteKit framework and Swift 2.x language. The course covers the entire process from starting a new project to publishing on the AppStore, and even includes marketing strategies. Students will receive full source code built to current Swift standards and a template to assist in game development.
Section 1 of the course teaches students about key SpriteKit functions, game architecture, and design patterns through informative animated videos and real code examples in Xcode. Section 2 covers a 10 step process of game development, from initial design to submitting to the AppStore. Students will create a full game from scratch and learn how to research competition and set up a marketing plan.
The course was updated on April 14, 2015 to the Swift Version 1.2 and on March 30, 2015 with lighting videos added. The most recent update includes Swift 2.0 and GameplayKit, with 90% of the course rewritten for maximum quality and tvOS compatibility.
The course is designed for those who are tired of courses that take too long or instructors who are unprepared. It is also for those who want to learn coding techniques that are scalable to create great products. The course includes sections on Introduction, Fundamentals of SpriteKit, Creating the First Game, Building the App, Finishing the App, and Wrapping it Up. A Bonus Q and A section and Swift 1.0 to 1.2 Legacy Lessons are also included.
8. Introduction to iOS Game Development with SpriteKit & Swift by Timothy Meixner, Johannes Ruof (Udemy)
The Introduction to iOS Game Development with SpriteKit & Swift is a course that teaches students how to develop a Jump’N’Run game using the SpriteKit framework and Swift. The course is designed for beginners with no prior experience in game development. Upon completion of the course, students will have a complete game that can be published in the App Store.
The course includes more than 10 hours of video content, in which the instructors provide detailed explanations of the SK Framework and its important components. Students will learn how to use SKTileMapNode and the SceneEditor to create visually impressive worlds and levels without having to write all the code.
The game developed in the course will feature enemies, scores, power ups, collectibles, and other exciting elements. Students will receive all the resources, project files, and source code used in the course.
While it may be helpful to have a basic knowledge of Swift, it is not required to take the course. Students have lifetime access to the course, allowing them to take it at their own pace and re-watch lessons as often as needed. Overall, the Introduction to iOS Game Development with SpriteKit & Swift is an excellent choice for anyone interested in game development.
The course is divided into three sections: Introduction, SpriteKit Crashcourse, and Super Indie Run. The Introduction provides an overview of the course and its objectives. The SpriteKit Crashcourse focuses on the SK framework and its important components. The Super Indie Run section is where students will build the game, incorporating various elements such as enemies, scores, power ups, and collectibles.
9. Learn how to build a Chess game in iOS 10. by Mammoth Interactive, John Bura (Udemy)
This course teaches how to create a Chess game using Xcode and Swift in iOS 10. The course is project-based and requires basic knowledge of programming and Xcode. The video lectures are adjustable in speed to allow for flexibility in learning. The course is intended to provide practical skills and real-world examples that can be added to a portfolio. The instructor, John Bura, has released successful games and apps, and is qualified to teach coding skills. The course is suitable for beginners and individuals who want to improve their technical skills and make money through various methods of passive income.
The instructor, John Bura, is a successful app developer and has been teaching since 2002. He is one of the top 10 highest grossing Udemy teachers and has over 150k students worldwide. The course is intended to teach practical skills and show learners how to leverage their new skills to make greater wealth. The course will cover creating a Chess game in Swift and will contain a bonus lecture that is available to early-bird Kickstarter backers.
Online education is changing the way people learn, and this course is intended to provide a better and more effective learning experience than reading books. The instructor talks about how online education has motivated him, helped his career, and impacted several lives around the world. Learning how to code is a great way to jump into a new career or enhance current skills. It is a valuable skill for future success in a technological society.
10. Build & Publish a Word Search Puzzle Game for iOS, no coding by Yohann Taieb, Marius Rott (Udemy)
This course titled “Build & Publish a Word Search Puzzle Game for iOS, no coding” is designed for beginners who wish to build and publish a puzzle game on iTunes app store. The instructors of this course are Yohann Taieb and Marius Rott. The course provides the full source code of a classic word search game for iPhones and iPads which is iOS7 and iOS 8 beta ready and a universal app. The gameplay is simple and addictive, which are the essential ingredients for making a successful game in the app store. The course is designed assuming that the learners do not know anything or very little about game development.
The course instructor, Yohann will guide the learners through every step they need to take to start building their own game. The source code comes with advertising banners, which provides an opportunity for learners to make passive income from it. Many students who have taken this course, as well as other courses taught by Yohann, have made it to the top iTunes charts and are now making a living by creating mobile games. Learners can create more than one game out of this source code, and the video lectures show how to create a word search puzzle with a Halloween theme.
The course is an excellent starting point for anyone who wants to start a mobile app business and wants to increase their app portfolio. The course content includes initial setup, advertising network account setup, working on main graphics, words to find, launch images, working on icons, screenshots, in-app purchase screen modifications, application settings, in-app purchase settings, misc. settings, advertising network settings, and publishing to the app store.
In conclusion, this course provides an opportunity for beginners to build and publish a puzzle game for the iOS platform without having to write a single line of code. It is an excellent starting point for anyone who wants to start a mobile app business and wants to increase their app portfolio.