Following How To Choose A Game Engine For Educational Games, I am exploring and researching what are the ways or resources to learn the Godot game engine (increasingly popular). I found quite some that should compile nicely into a list for the benefit of aspiring Godot learners.
If you like a preview of how working in Godot interface and GDScript (Godot’s programming language) looks and feels like, How To Create Player On Platform With Godot (Free).
Good ways to learn the Godot game engine (free & paid)
Free
- BornCG YouTube
- UmaiPixel YouTube
- GDQuest YouTube
- Godot Tutorials on YouTube
- GDQuest email course
Paid
- Udemy courses
- Skillshare courses
- Amazon Kindle/books and Google Play books
- GDQuest Mavenseed Courses (10+)
Note: I am looking for more comprehensive resources or courses (basics and/or advanced) rather than just a random tutorial or YouTube video.
BornCG
BornCG has one of the longest or perhaps the most comprehensive free Godot (v3.1) tutorial series I found, spanning at least 32 long videos. Some people connected with these tutorials and posted very positive feedback in the comments. The series starts from the beginning with a friendly tone. Assets are also provided as the tutorials move along. Another reason why I like BornCG’s Godot series is that he guides the students through practical 3D game creation.
UmaiPixel
UmaiPixel YouTube has 3 Godot playlists: Beginners, tutorials, and platformer. The quality of the Godot game outlook and instructions appears to be really good or even better than some paid courses.
GDQuest YouTube
GDQuest YouTube has a lot of videos. In particular, these 2 playlists may be useful to beginners to benefit from Getting Started WIth Godot Game Engine In 2021 (covers creating the first complete both 2D and 3D games) and Make Your First 2D Games With Godot. Both lists do not overlap and will guide beginners to create their first Godot game.
Godot Tutorials
Godot Tutorials has 5 courses spanning more than 25+ hours of YouTube tutorials all for free! The 5 YouTube playlists are here.
Please note the tutorials are geared towards basics only. However, getting a good footing in the basics is essential for more advanced or quick and practical game development.
GDQuest email course
Do you prefer or learn better with daily emails? Here are the free 7 days Godot email course for beginners.
Udemy courses
After scouting around Udemy, I found these 2 paid Godot courses that may be well worth the time for beginners to take. Both are high-rated with reviews.
Skillshare courses
These 2 Skillshare Godot courses are selected for their relatively high number of students.
RPG with Godot is a short 34 minutes class that gets the student started on RPG with GDScript.
Make games without programming using Godot by Alfred Reinold Baudisch is a short course that covers the basics, Visual Scripting, and making 6 mini-games. This 1-hour 25 mins course can prove to be useful for those who strongly prefer to start with visual scripting (no code) for quick learning.
Amazon Kindle/books and Google Play Books
There are a few Godot game engine books on Amazon and Google Play Book.
Released in Apr 2021 (241 pages) with good reviews, Godot from Zero to Proficiency (Beginner), this affordable book is the most updated for beginners of the 3 listed but it is available as a physical book (not Kindle) on Amazon.
The Google Play book alternative at ~$3.85 for the beginner book can be found here. Also for this book series: Foundation ~$3.85 the intermediate ~$3.85, advanced ~$5.49, and proficient ~$5.49.
Github resources for this Kindle book can be found here, thanks to one of the relentless reviewers. There is also a physical book that may have a CD accompanied.
Please note this 2018 Godot book (432 pages) will likely take more than 24 hours with some outdated information that may require more research to fill the gaps. However, like me, some people may still like the consistent pace with the layout of topics within a certain time frame, even if it needs some background work to complete.
The Google Play Book costs about $20.50.
This 2018 Kindle Godot book (physical copy here) of 302 pages guides the reader to build 5 Godot games. Some reviewers reported errors while others praised it.
The Google Play book costs about $22.70.
GDQuest Mavenseed courses
GDQuest Mavenseed has more than 10 courses (for beginners and experienced) currently listed. Their prices are not cheap but good quality game creation information can be worth it for serious developers, especially when compared to expensive academy game institutions.
The advantage of taking GDQuest Mavenseed courses is that they can be more updated with the latest new course releases e.g. content updates once or twice a month. They do have an Ultimate Bundle that students have access to for all current and future courses. Their FAQ can be found here.
Depending on your location, you may get a discount for the courses e.g. 50% off.
I would encourage you to take some of their free sample lectures in a course to decide if their teaching style is for you e.g. Learn to code from zero with Godot.
Learn GDScript From Zero is a free part of Learn to Code From Zero With Godot.
Does GDQuest have a free Godot course?
Yes. It seems to be hidden away from the main page and I only discovered it after weeks into their flagship paid course. It is a free 5-week Godot course. Beginners who are on the fence about signing up for their paid course can give it a shot here, though I would rather spend my time on a more comprehensive paid course.
Bonus:
Here is another YouTube intro video where the programmer goes over what and why he is doing it when creating a Godot game in less than an hour, with some useful pointers or feedback in the comments section.
Is Godot good for beginners?
From what I gathered, Godot is the best for starting according to an experienced engineering dean of a German game school. Incidentally, it also has one of the most support for programming languages e.g. 5 including Visual Scripting. The recommendation is GDScript which complements and later C++ for the more advanced.
Conclusion
Godot is an increasingly popular open-source game engine with a vibrant community and active development on Github.
UmaiPixel and GDQuest YouTube playlists are good and free engaging video series for learning Godot, hobbyists and those evaluating may find these useful. GDQuest’s Godot email learning series is also free to sign up for.
For free Godot learning resources, my vote goes to BornCG’s Godot 3.1 tutorial series for its comprehensive coverage and well-made user-friendly videos. It is for 3D game creation which may not be what some people want.
Paid video courses on Udemy and Skillshare may be good alternatives to free YouTube videos for a structured learning process.
If you like to learn from books (or ebooks), Amazon Godot books that are researched and written well can be a viable option e.g Godot Zero From Proficiency (Beginner) – I found it a bargain on Google Play Book for about $3.85 only. Those who appreciate and realize the importance of planned consistent daily learning for effective results may consider the Godot 24 hours book (though it is not the latest Godot book released). Both have their advantages but with books, what happens when you run into problems? Who can you turn to (not if but) when you are stuck with questions? Will there be an update release? Is cheap really going to cut it?
My top recommendation for paid resources is GDQuest Mavenseed courses e.g. Learn to Code From Zero With Godot, for their comprehensiveness and ongoing content updates and contact in different ways for support, albeit not the cheapest but within a reasonable price range for most. Evaluate with their free GDScript course first. GDQuest paid course/s can be the most ideal learning resource for hobbyists and serious developers alike willing to spend the time and energy on game development (remember to apply local discounts if any).
GDQuest can be better suited and far more affordable for practical serious new game developers than expensive game school academic courses with heavy theories learning complex/costly game engines. I believe the current game market climate for entrepreneurial solo game creators is moving towards creative smaller or mini-games with limited marketing e.g. pixel art games.
Not to forget Godot’s own official docs if you prefer.
Be wholesome.
More Information
How to create our own game assets?
GSQuest released a free 49 videos series (Learn Krita From Zero) on Krita (a free open-source professional digital painting program for Windows/Linux/Mac) to create modern digital 2D assets for our games.
Where to find good and free game assets?
How to use my Ipad as a drawing tablet?
Both can replace your Wacom tablet.
How long does it take to learn Godot?
This can be subjective according to one’s abilities and background e.g. programming background and time spent per day – part-time or full-time. Depending on the learning resource, a short Skillshare class can be finished watching in less than an hour while an Amazon Godot 24 hours series book will take around that or more.
