Complete Guide To Gaming App Development Cost, Time and Process

Mobile Gaming App Development And Its Market

Undoubtedly, we can say that mobile gaming app development is a booming market. It has generated unexpected revenues in the last few years. In the year 2021 only, the mobile game market is expected to generate a revenue of $106.4 billion. And with the latest technology like AR ( Augmented Reality) and Virtual Reality (VR) this mobile game market will keep growing.

It is also seen that users are more prone to mobile gaming apps than any other gaming type. Users prefer playing games more on mobiles as compared to any other platform. In the U.S there are more than 203 million mobile game users. According to one record, it is noted that the number of mobile game users is highest in the U.S.

 In 2020 only the mobile game revenue has reached 10.73 billion U.S dollars and this amount is expected to surpass $100 billion by 2023. 

With the data mentioned above, we can clearly say that investing money in mobile gaming app development will be of great use and will offer you good revenues in no time.

The Process Involved In Gaming App Development

Whenever you start a new business or any app development process you need to follow a complete process. If you do not plan properly for your gaming app development then it will be quite difficult to take your expectations to the desired height. Therefore if you want to make your business plan work, you need to follow a few points which are mentioned below.

These points not just help you in mobile gaming app development but will be of great help in any app development idea.

Great game idea ( Deciding characters, story, plot)

Any great gaming app includes these three things: best story, plot, and characters. If you want to keep your user engaged with your gaming concept then you need to work on these things. You need to design great gaming characters with interesting stories and plots, for this, you need professional gaming app developers who can understand your requirements. It is advisable to hire expert and professional mobile gaming app developers who can design and create the best characters with a great storyline. ( Just for extra knowledge a popular game planner would charge nearly between $100- $150 per hour).

Creating an attractive gaming concept

In this, we will take care of the target users, different game levels, game environment, and gameplay. This is a very important phase of gaming app development, it requires complete attention and focus. If there is any problem with the gaming app design plan then in later stages your app will experience many technical glitches and bugs.

The designing process of a gaming app requires many professionals like, UI/UX designers, game artists, etc. These gaming app designers and professionals charge $150 – $250 per hour

Deciding different game genres

Now comes the different categories of the gaming app. Once you are done with the above phases. Now it is time to develop a gaming app. Although every process of game app development is crucial, this phase is very important and expensive. Because the cost of the gaming app development majorly depends on the following, whether you are developing a social gaming app, a casual gaming app, or a simulation app. Let us learn about these different genres of the gaming app below:

• Casual 2-D games

These are basic gaming apps with 2-D graphics and a basic soundtrack. It is a small-budget gaming app development idea. Although these casual 2-D games are also very user engaging and will offer you a great chance to scale up. These types of games will cost you near about $50,000 – $100,000.

• Social Games

Such types of games can be played by multiple users on different social media platforms. Social gaming apps are just like browser games and acquire limited user data. These social media gaming apps are usually developed with SDKs ( Software Development Kit) which is provided by social media platforms. The cost required to build such gaming apps is $100,000 – $250, 000. 

• Mini-Games

Mini-games are also known as casual games and users do not need any special skills to play these games. The cost required to develop a mini gaming app is $20, 000 but if you want to add few features and the best graphics then the cost will reach $50,000. 

• Business game apps

In this modern time companies and businesses are taking the help of gaming apps to improve their team-building efforts. They are using gaming apps as a tool to enhance communication and interaction, also to stimulate creativity which will make the work environment more fun and engaging.  

Business simulation gaming apps are developed to engage a large number of people. These are multiplayer games that consist of a great storyline, graphics, animation, levels, soundtrack, and cross-platform compatibility.

Also, mobile games created for small to medium-sized businesses and companies are usually helpful in branding the company in creating leads and sales.

To develop such advanced gaming applications you need the best mobile gaming app development company. The business gaming apps require $250,000 – $550,000 cost for development. 

If you also want to develop a customized app for your business then get in touch with us for help.

• High-Level games

Such types of games require a high amount of cost for development. These consist of high and advanced design, strategy, and plan. It requires a lot of time in development therefore it may take a little longer to launch such apps as compared to other gaming app types that are mentioned. You need to hire very professional developers to develop such gaming apps and the cost required to develop high-level games is $400,000 – 1,000,000.

• Mid-level games

We all are aware of “Angry Birds”, such games come under this category. These require a good storyline, graphics, soundtrack, different levels, and characters. The quality of the game keeps the user engaged as the level increases. Such apps require $250,000 – $700,00 development cost. 

Test the app

Testing the gaming app is one of the most important tasks in the gaming app development process. If the app is not tested properly then it may cause glitches while playing and the gamers never like to play slow games which have bugs. Therefore to keep your user connected, get your app tested with the best gaming app testers.

Bugs can slow down the speed of the game and no one likes to play games that are interrupting and causing issues while playing. That is why it is important to test the app properly to provide your users with the best gaming experience.

Usually, the game app development company provides testing as an integrated part of the app development process, still keep some costs aside for app testing( If required).

Advertisement and promotion

Once the mobile gaming app is developed and tested properly now it is time to advertise it. It is very important to properly advertise your product before launch so that users can know about it prior. If you will not advertise your product or app then it will be a complete drawback from your side and you can not achieve the desired users and growth.

Therefore promote your gaming app on different social media platforms so that everyone can know about your gaming app.

Decide Mobile Game Platform And Game Engine

Different tools and platforms used by gaming app developers are discussed below. These are the popular tools that are used for developing the best gaming app.

1. Unity

2. Unreal Engine

3. Solar 2-D

4. SpriteKit-2-D sprite-based games

5. BuildBox

6. AppGameKit

7. Construct 3

8. Fusion 2.5

9. GameMaker Studio 2

10.Titanium

Factors Affecting The Cost and Time of Gaming App Development

Above we have seen how much it may cost you to develop a different type of gaming app. Every gaming app is different from another therefore their pricing is also different. There are usually three points that increase or decrease the cost of an app. Not just for gaming app development but for every application these three factors affect the cost of the app development. Let us see what are these three factors that affect the cost of the gaming app development:

Design of the app

If the design of the app is complex and advanced then the cost will be high similarly if the app development concept is simple and basic then the amount will drop simultaneously.

Gaming genre

Again if the gaming genre you decide for your gaming app is advanced then the cost will be high. In the above part of “Different types and genre,” it is mentioned how much it will cost to develop an app with the respective gaming genre.

Advertisement

When you advertise your gaming app, during that time you also need money to advertise or promote your app on different platforms. This is an additional app development cost that you have to consider besides the actual app development process.

Conclusion

Though the gaming app development process is too much to ask at the same time it is very interesting too. It will interest you to develop a gaming app with a professional who can give the right delivery to your expectations. 

The cost and time are directly proportional to the number of complexity you add to your gaming app. If the structure and process are more advanced and complex then the time required to develop the app will be quite long as expected. If you want a customized gaming app then get in touch with us and have a trial now.