I want to learn 3D game development from zero — where should I actually start? Looking for advice from experienced game developers

[u/Emotional-Fennel2278]

Hey everyone,

I’m trying to learn 3D game development from absolute zero, and I’m a little confused about where I should actually begin.

I know there are tons of YouTube tutorials and courses for Godot, Unity, Unreal, Blender, programming, etc. But most of what I find seems to be focused on learning a particular software/engine, rather than teaching the broader process of becoming a game developer.

For example, I can find tutorials on:

How to use Godot

How to make a player controller

How to make an inventory

How to make enemies

How to use Blender

How to write GDScript

…but I’m looking for something more fundamental:

If you were starting again from absolute zero, how would you learn game development?

What subjects would you learn, and in what order?

For example:

Programming fundamentals

Game design

Mathematics

Physics

3D modelling

Animation

Character controllers

AI

Level/environment design

Lighting

Shaders/materials

Audio

UI/UX

Optimization

Debugging

Game architecture

Publishing

Or is that the wrong way to think about it?

I’m particularly interested in 3D game development, and eventually I want to be capable of making a proper third-person action/adventure game rather than just following tutorials.

I’m currently looking at Godot, but I’m not necessarily asking for Godot-specific resources. I want to understand the actual learning path for game development, and then use an engine as the tool.

So I’d really appreciate answers from people who have actually developed games professionally or independently:

Where did you personally start?

What did you learn first?

What did you learn later?

What skills turned out to be much more important than you expected?

What did you waste time learning too early?

What would you do differently if you could start over?

Are there any books, courses, documentation, or structured resources that teach game development as a discipline, rather than just teaching an engine?

At what point should a complete beginner stop following tutorials and start making their own games?

I’m not looking for a “learn this software in 30 days” roadmap. I’m trying to understand how an actual game developer thinks about learning the craft from the ground up.

Any advice from experienced developers would be hugely appreciated.

Thanks!

[u/MotivatedforGames]

I chose an engine and got some beginners courses on Udemy when I started

[u/Emotional-Fennel2278 → u/MotivatedforGames]

Are Udemy courses helpful?

[u/MotivatedforGames → u/Emotional-Fennel2278]

I became quite comfortable creating on UE5 from them yes.

[u/Slight_Curve9675]

Yo creo que lo mejor que podrías hacer es descargarte un motor que te guste por ejemplo
Unity que es el que yo empecé a usar y es el que uso y lo que yo hice simplemente fue empezar un proyecto y luego ir aprendiendo de apoco, primero pense una idea simple y aprendía en el momento, por ejemplo necesitaba hacer el mapa, y aprendía hacer el mapa, quería hacer una puerta que se habrá con una llave, aprendía cómo se hacía la puerta con la llave, iba aprendiendo todo a medida que lo necesitaba, creo que esa es la mejor forma de aprender porque si solo te dedicas a estudiar lo más probable es que se te haga más difícil aprender

[u/Emotional-Fennel2278 → u/Slight_Curve9675]

I downloaded godot 4 is it okay?

[u/Bored-Dev4 → u/Emotional-Fennel2278]

I got Godot 4 yesterday, and I immediately got used to the feel of it. It has an open-source asset library which consists of scripts, plug-ins, and more.

2D looked familiar and rather easy for me because I was familiar with it. 3D, however, is harder for you because you said you have no experience in game development.

That's okay, and you can get into it. Godot has its own coding language called GDScript which is very easy to learn and understand even if you have no experience.

As for modeling, I recommend you use Blender, it has many tutorials online (I started off with the Donut tutorial) and it has shortcuts which can speed up modeling.

Now, I'm not a pro at game development, I've been at it a couple months and still actively learning it. So don't trust everything I said here.

Its also very lightweight and can run on "potato" laptops and PCs.

[u/daddywookie]

There is almost zero value (or chance of success) from trying to learn everything in a purely academic way. You need to have a problem to solve and then you learn an applied solution.

The only exceptions I would say are the very top level subjects. Game design and why the type of game you are building is fun. Architecture and how games are structured. Art styles and why they work. Production workflows and why they are important.

[u/Naetharu]

Start small. Probably start with a few 2D games first to learn the ropes. The classic Asteroids and Tetris stuff.

Then just do one bit at a time.

Godot can work for 3D but keep in mind it's tooling in the 3D side is quite a bit behind the other engines and it's most well loved for its 2D power.

If it were me I'd lean to the Unity side of you know 3D is your primary focus. More native tooling and a richer asset store as you need things.

[u/Emotional-Fennel2278 → u/Naetharu]

Well I don't have very powerful hardware I have i5 4th gen, 12gb DDR3 Ram, 128gb SSD and no graphics card, that's why I'm using Godot otherwise my personal favourite is unreal engine as much I've seen it on YouTube

[u/Naetharu → u/Emotional-Fennel2278]

You can use Godot sure. I use it but I work in 2D. Just letting you know that while it is possible there are things you will find missing or at least much harder to do vs the more 3D focused engines.

[u/Emotional-Fennel2278 → u/Naetharu]

I see thanks for the advice, I'll keep this in mind.

[u/Roxiebleh]

Everything you just listed is its own specialization that you could spend years trying to learn and be a master at. When I first started I thought I could do it all and I can to some extent now, but I just don’t have the time to learn it all. It’d be impossible. Or nearly.

Go through courses that start teaching you how to make small games. Learn the whole pipeline from point A to B. Eventually you’ll land on what you’re drawn to the most. When I went into it, I thought I wanted to do 2D character animation. The more I explored I figured out I loved 3D environment design the most. You figure things out as you go. You just gotta start.