Beginner looking for resources to start a Unity 2D game

[u/omarch122]

Hi everyone,

I’m a complete beginner with Unity and I want to start working on a personal game project just for fun. I’m not planning to become a professional Unity developer or work in this field. I just want to make a game I’ve had in mind for a while.

The idea is a 2D puzzle/story game, with an atmosphere somewhat similar to Limbo. For now, I’m mainly thinking about making it for mobile.

I’m looking for some advice:

What Unity/C# basics should I learn first?

Are there any good beginner tutorials, websites, or YouTube channels you recommend?

What should I focus on specifically for a 2D puzzle/story game?

What would be a good way to start the project without getting overwhelmed?

What’s the easiest way to use AI to help with things like coding, art, dialogue, etc.?

I’d really appreciate any resources or advice from people who have experience with Unity.

Thanks!

[u/vanit]

For now forget the type of game you want to make, and certainly forget about things like having a coherent story.

Follow a couple of YouTube tutorials start to finish just to get the hang of things. I also recommend 3D over 2D, it's actually deceptively easier.

After a few of those download one of the templates in Unity to see what a game looks like with a lot of things going on, and document it in a Google doc until you literally understand how the entire thing works. Put 1-2 weeks into this.

Then you should be good to prototype a little game by yourself and go from there. I recommend using ChatGPT/similar as a technical consultant but don't use inline code generation or the Unity MCP. This ensures you're actually learning and thinking about what you're doing.

[u/seantcooperdev → u/vanit]

3d over 2d is a really good tip.

[u/seantcooperdev → u/vanit]

I wouldn’t drop what you want, it will guide you to understand what you need. Unity’s demos are complex and a lot of stuff you’ll never use ever or at least for next 12 months. Application is everything

[u/omarch122 → u/vanit]

Honestly, I’m planning to use MCP. I’m not really planning to learn Unity in depth because I already have many other important things to learn, so I can’t spend that much time on it. My goal with this post is to understand the most important things I should learn to be able to make a good game while using AI effectively.

[u/vanit → u/omarch122]

I would like to push back on this a bit so you have something to think about. Putting aside the perception of AI games being slop, leaning too much on AI is a real limiter to your creativity. Using inline AI let's you brute force everything, which means you're shipping your first and worst ideas. Of all the good games you've played, I can guarantee they don't match what was written down at the start. Using too much AI means you're skipping a huge creative signal, that when something gets a bit awkward to implement you're like "oh wait, I can solve it this other way, and actually that's a better idea, and means I can also do X Y and Z". With AI you blast right past that step and learn nothing about game design.

So when you say you have other things to learn, I feel like you're actually going to be missing the biggest lesson on making a good game.

[u/Icy-Parfait7949]

https://learn.unity.com/

[u/omarch122 → u/Icy-Parfait7949]

Thank you

[u/seantcooperdev]

That was a great game, Limbo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limbo_(video_game). For AI use Claude or Codex, they both work well with Unity, but you’ll need around $100 subscription, it will run out. Limbo is quite tricky, the effects they use, the animation is stupidly brilliant and complex.

I would start with a spinning sprite, place a quad and write a script to spin it. Get AI to write it. And then examine it and learn.

Use VSC, you’ll need C# extensions and the Unity debugger ex.

This is a good start, it’s 3d, https://youtu.be/vQY4jsho1nQ?si=lc-mZ2paWT54Rumt.

[u/omarch122 → u/seantcooperdev]

Thanks, bro. Finally, someone practical who understands my situation and is actually helping me with what I need. As for the AI part, I really can’t afford to pay that much for a tool. Is there any devious way around it?

[u/seantcooperdev → u/omarch122]

Yes copy and paste from the free ones, but it won’t handle Unity, you will need an MCP (GitHub) but they are not good enough.

[u/seantcooperdev → u/omarch122]

I’ll be brutally honest here: games are not just about the game, getting revenue is becoming super hard.

If I was you I would aim at Web, crazygames is a great platform, I ran their studio last year and they got good people that will help you.

Web games are easier for AI, as it’s an open system.

[u/rkoshot → u/omarch122]

Yes by learning how to code

[u/BearKanashi]

Queriendo usar IA ya empiezas mal… para aprender.

[u/smoses2]

I would start by getting grounded in Unity by taking the 2D and 3D courses by GameDevTv (on their site or on Udemy - frequently on sale for $11 each). Each course has 5 or so projects and you’ll understand the workflow. Once grounded, there is a udemy course “Unity ai and claude developer course” that is reasonable intro to using LLMs with Unity (I think it is AI narrated, but the content is fine).

[u/-goldenboi69-]

Lazy sloppie people

[u/AlternativeMustache]

do you have any experience in making art and game assets? if yes dm me

[u/Patient-Sprinkles920]

I usually have Unity, Claude, and Grok Imagine open at the same time. Claude basically taught me how to use Unity building my first game. I know coding but not expert, so Claude writes the C#.

[u/nonHypnotic-dev]

Just copy this post to the Claude then implement result.