Best Game Programming Books in 2026

Daisy
Last Updated: Feb 7, 2026

At a Glance: Our Top Picks for Game Programming Books

Game Programming Patterns
#TOP1
Game Programming Patterns
9.8
PM SCORE
Coding Games in Scratch: A Step-by-Step Visual Guide to Building Your Own Computer Games (DK Help Your Kids)
#TOP2
Coding Games In Scratch: A Step-By-Step Visual Guide
9.7
PM SCORE
Roblox Game Development in 24 Hours: The Official Roblox Guide
#TOP3
Roblox Game Development In 24 Hours: The Official
9.6
PM SCORE

* PickSmartly editors independently research, review, and endorse the top products through comprehensive data analysis. We may earn a commission for qualifying purchases made through our product links.

Summary of the Best Game Programming Books of 2026

Market Overview
Game Programming Books Reviewed
  • Reviews Analyzed: 4142 Items
  • PM Avg. Rating: 8.0 / 10
16 Products Evaluated
  • Highest Price: $70.11
  • Lowest Price: $13.49
  • Avg. Price: $27.54

Game Programming Patterns

GENEVER BENNING
BLACK & WHITE ILLUSTRATIONS
7.50 X 0.80 X 9.25 Inches
1.60 Pounds
SELLER SELLER SCORE AMAZON FULFILLED PRIME FREE SHIPPING
eCampus_ 9.39

Features

Brand New in box. The product ships with all relevant accessories

Coding Games In Scratch: A Step-By-Step Visual Guide To Building Your Own Computer Games (Dk Help Your Kids)

DK CHILDREN
7.75 X 0.64 X 9.25 Inches
1.50 Pounds
SELLER SELLER SCORE AMAZON FULFILLED PRIME FREE SHIPPING
Amazon.com 9.68
#TOP3

Roblox Game Development In 24 Hours: The Official Roblox Guide

SAMS PUBLISHING
7.01 X 0.63 X 9.21 Inches
1.50 Pounds
SELLER SELLER SCORE AMAZON FULFILLED PRIME FREE SHIPPING
Amazon.com 9.68

Video Game Storytelling: What Every Developer Needs To Know About Narrative Techniques

AUDIBLE
SELLER SELLER SCORE AMAZON FULFILLED PRIME FREE SHIPPING
Audible, Inc. (US) 3.10

Code Gamers Development: Essentials: A 9-Week Beginner’s Guide To Start Your Game-Development Career

5.50 X 0.51 X 8.50 Inches
0.59 Pounds
SELLER SELLER SCORE AMAZON FULFILLED PRIME FREE SHIPPING
Amazon.com 9.68

Beginning C++ Through Game Programming(Design May Vary )

CENGAGE LEARNING PTR
21962513
7.50 X 1.00 X 9.00 Inches
1.86 Pounds
SELLER SELLER SCORE AMAZON FULFILLED PRIME FREE SHIPPING
Books Unplugged 9.71

Features

Beginning C Through Game Programming

Beginning C++ Game Programming: Learn To Program With C++ By Building Fun Games, 2Nd Edition

PACKT PUBLISHING
7.50 X 1.68 X 9.25 Inches
2.78 Pounds
SELLER SELLER SCORE AMAZON FULFILLED PRIME FREE SHIPPING
Tome Dealers 9.62

C#: 3 Books In 1 - The Ultimate Beginner, Intermediate & Advanced Guides To Master C# Programming Quickly With No Experience (Computer Programming)

7.00 X 0.78 X 10.00 Inches
SELLER SELLER SCORE AMAZON FULFILLED PRIME FREE SHIPPING
Amazon.com 9.68

Developing 2D Games With Unity: Independent Game Programming With C#

APRESS
52595763
6.10 X 0.92 X 9.25 Inches
1.37 Pounds
SELLER SELLER SCORE AMAZON FULFILLED PRIME FREE SHIPPING
Amazon.com 9.68

Multiplayer Game Programming: Architecting Networked Games (Game Design)

SELLER SELLER SCORE AMAZON FULFILLED PRIME FREE SHIPPING
Amazon.com Services LLC 0.00

Learning C# By Developing Games With Unity: Get To Grips With Coding In C# And Build Simple 3D Games In Unity 2022 From The Ground Up, 7Th Edition

7.50 X 1.04 X 9.25 Inches
1.73 Pounds
SELLER SELLER SCORE AMAZON FULFILLED PRIME FREE SHIPPING
Amazon.com 9.68

Game Programming With Unity And C#: A Complete Beginner’s Guide

APRESS
7.01 X 1.36 X 10.00 Inches
2.27 Pounds
SELLER SELLER SCORE AMAZON FULFILLED PRIME FREE SHIPPING
Amazon.com 9.68

The Little Book Of Adventure Game Programming: Program Retro Text Adventures In C# (And Other Languages)

7.50 X 0.30 X 9.25 Inches
SELLER SELLER SCORE AMAZON FULFILLED PRIME FREE SHIPPING
Amazon.com 9.68
#TOP14

3D Game Programming For Kids: Create Interactive Worlds With Javascript

PRAGMATIC BOOKSHELF
7.50 X 0.77 X 9.25 Inches
1.41 Pounds
SELLER SELLER SCORE AMAZON FULFILLED PRIME FREE SHIPPING
Amazon.com 9.68
#TOP15

Python Game Programming By Example

SELLER SELLER SCORE AMAZON FULFILLED PRIME FREE SHIPPING
Amazon.com Services LLC 0.00
#TOP16

The Little Java Book Of Adventure Game Programming: Learn Object Oriented Programming – Advanced Coding Techniques (Little Programming Books)

7.50 X 0.44 X 9.25 Inches
SELLER SELLER SCORE AMAZON FULFILLED PRIME FREE SHIPPING
Amazon.com 9.68

Top 10 game programming books Brands on Amazon

Here is the list of top-rated brands that were evaluated by PM.

Brand Count
7
Apress 2
Audible 1
Cengage Learning Ptr 1
Dk Children 1
Genever Benning 1
Packt Publishing 1
Pragmatic Bookshelf 1
Sams Publishing 1

Top 10 game programming books Brands Pie Chart


We've carried out a comprehensive analysis of 4,142 reviews on game programming books, using our selection criteria to identify the best options in the children's books. Our findings reveal that most customers typically select game programming books priced around $27.54, with top brands including apress, genever benning, packt publishing, cengage learning ptr, audible, sams publishing and pragmatic bookshelf and dk children

Our team of expert editors reviewed these high-quality items and handpicked the top 16 game programming books for your consideration. We've also done extensive research on numerous sellers, identifying the best ones in the children's books category. These include amazon.com, ecampus_, tome dealers, amazon.com services llc and books unplugged and audible, inc. (us) .

We are dedicated to assisting our users in finding the right design Products based on their needs, saving them considerable time when choosing which game programming books to buy. We take pride in the number of satisfied users we've helped through our thorough and insightful reviews.