How Much Does Mobile Game Development Cost in 2024?

Did you know?

The mobile game market generated more than $90 last year and the future forecast for this industry growth is just mind-boggling. People are moving drastically towards mobile gaming, and this trend is not stopping anytime soon. It is convenient, accessible, and does not require any complex process to install and play games. As a developer and game producer, it is a treat to the eyes.

Yet, there is a one-million-dollar question common in the game development industry. How much does it cost to develop a game app? Simply, you can use a cost calculator to get the exact estimate and bring your game development ideas to life. If you want to know, in general, a game application can cost anywhere from $20,000 to $300,000 and maybe more, depending upon the feature complexity and overall scale of the game.

However, if you manage to build a stable and highly engaging game app, you can reap hefty benefits for years. Here are some interesting stats we pulled from the gaming industry worldwide.

Mobile Gaming Statistics

• In 2024, the global mobile games market revenue is calculated to be over $98.7 billion.
• According to Statista, the mobile games market is expected to grow at an annual CAGR of 6.39% to cross $118 billion by 2027.
• In 2024, Call of Duty Mobile was the most popular game on the Google Play Store, with more than 3 million downloads. On the other hand, Monopoly Go! Became the most-grossing app on the Apple App Store, generating more than US $42.9 million in revenue.
• A Statista report shows that, in 2024, 59% of high-spenders in the US and Canada spent money to improve gameplay progression.
• In the US mobile game market, the most popular gaming app publisher in 2024 was AZUR GAMES, with over 6.4 million gaming app downloads.

So, this piqued your interest? Well, game app development is not as easy as it sounds. In fact, there are nine mobile game development stages. Here is an overview of these stages, along with the approximate time each step will take.

Mobile Game Development Stages

If you want to figure out your game app development cost, you must start with the basics. This includes identifying where the cost will go, which you will know by understanding the development stages of a game app.

The game app development includes the following stages:

Now that you have an idea about the time it will take to create a game app, let’s discuss the cost of making a game app.

Overall Mobile Game Development Cost

The mobile game development industry is pretty huge. To understand how much it costs to make a game, you must understand each category individually. Below is the detailed game development cost breakdown.

Overall, the typical cost of creating a game app can be US $5000 to up to $5M and maybe more. It depends on your needs and requirements.

A minimal game app with basic features and a 2D format will be on the lower side of this price range. On the flip side, a high-end AAA game with multiplayer functionality and in-depth graphics will be on the highest end. Also, since multiplayer, MOBA, and games that are constantly evolving require updates and fixes, the costs can keep on increasing forever.

Factors that Affect the Game Development Cost

You can easily use the game development cost calculator to get an exact estimate for your game app idea. However, if you want to understand the total cost of game app development, you must consider the following factors.

●      Depending on the Game Type

The game app cost can vary significantly based on the type of game you want to build. From simple puzzles and moving blocks games to immersive multiplayer action, it is critical to understand each type to get a good idea of the overall cost.

●      Depending on the Region

The cost dynamics also vary based on the region or countries you choose for your project development. Mobile app developers in different regions charge different rates per hour. Here is a breakdown of cost by region.

●      Choice of Platform

The first thing that affects the overall cost is the choice of technical foundation, i.e., iOS or Android. It is the most important factor, so you must select the right one.

Indeed, Android game app development has a wide scope due to the huge variety of devices, screens, and types of development. Additionally, it is the least expensive. On the other hand, working with iOS costs more due to the annual payment system and the lack of device compatibility. However, iOS apps are easy to develop and maintain, and Apple security is top-notch.

The average difference between iOS and Android game app development costs is around 10-20%. Thus, if an Android game app development cost is around $25,000, then the same game will cost around $27,500 – $30,000.

Another option is cross-platform game app development. It allows you to develop a game that runs on both platforms. It simplifies the deployment process because you do not have to develop a separate application for each platform.

●      Skills of the Development Team

It is not only your idea of the game that affects the cost but also the skills and professionalism of the development team. Most importantly, it affects the quality of the work, technical aspects, and speed of the work.

It varies from company to company, and also if you go for outsourcing or freelance game creation teams. For example, a skilled mobile game app development company will create an exceptional game at affordable and satisfactory rates.

So, it is fair to say that the final cost will be decently different depending on whether you choose a new or experienced company. This is another major reason why Trango Tech stands out. With more than 11 years of experience and hundreds of successfully developed projects, Trango Tech mobile app development company Dubai is the go-to choice for many. It is because of the skilled team and affordable prices that we have to offer on top of transparent communication.

●      Testing and Analysis

Monitoring, analysis, and testing are crucial for every mobile application and not just the gaming app. It is an important part of the mobile game app development life cycle, and QA engineers make sure it goes smoothly. Here are some things to check:

• Does the game perform ideally?
• Is the game stable?
• Does the audience like the game?
• Are all the game features accessible and user-friendly?
• Are all the game files appropriate?

There is a lot of pressure on the tester. If you decide to give it to the coder or do it yourself, you may miss some things and end up with a game with multiple issues. These may include:

• Failure to run the game on older OS versions.
• Some weird bugs or texture issues with the level boss that make it impossible to beat it.
• Unverified monetization or security issues where users’ data leaks out.

Quality assurance and testing are mostly included in the initial development cost. So, you do not have to act out of ego or swag and leave it out. Customers may wait for a good game rather than play a bug-filled one early.

●      Marketing and Promotion

Hundreds, if not thousands, of games hit the market every day, week, and month. If you do not have proper marketing and promotional strategies, your game will most likely go unnoticed.

So, to ensure your game does not get lost in the crowd, you need to include the marketing component. You must decide whether you want to advertise your game yourself or give the responsibility to the same company you collaborated with for development.

Actually, working with a game development company is favorable in more ways than one. Their skilled team can help with SEO and ASO optimization, marketing campaigns, and advertisement strategies in one full-service package.

The marketing services are not included in the initial plan and cost of game app development. However, you can discuss this with your development partner and avoid adding the marketing cost as an extra. It is really helpful for AAA games and not very effective for small or casual medium-sized games.

How Much Did Popular Mobile Games Estimate Cost?

Now that you have an idea of the total mobile game development cost, here are some examples of popular mobile games’ costs and the revenue they are generating. It will help motivate and inspire you that if you put your mind and hard work into an idea to build a game app, you will definitely get desirable results.

Cost of the Best Game App Development Technologies

 

Games are made through a diverse range of app development platforms, tools, and technologies. Each gaming engine and development platform has its own pricing models and overall costs that various according to their functions.

To choose the right one, you must understand the project objectives, genre and type of game, deployment platform(s), and target market. Here are the top and most popular game app development tools to build stunning applications.

01. Unity 3D

Best Features	Supported Platforms	Games Using or Built With The Software
●       Cross-platform support.   ●       Huge asset store with templates, renders, and tutorials.   ●       Multi-language compatibility.	●       iOS   ●       Android   ●       Oculus VR   ●       PlayStation VR	●       Pokémon Go   ●       Call of Duty Mobile   ●       Shadow Fight 3

With more than 3.6 billion downloads per month of Made with Unity applications, Unity is a very well-known and powerful game app development platform. It supports more than 20 platforms and billions of devices. Moreover, Unity offers end-to-end tools and services for building, launching, deployment, and maintenance tools.

Still, Unity may seem expensive to some users. The pricing plans are as follows:

Unity Student and Unity Personal – Free to download and use.

Unity Pro – Pricing starts from $185 per month.

Unity Enterprise – Contact Unity Support for pricing.

Unity Education Grant License and Unity Educator – Free to apply for and learn.

Unity Industry – Pricing starts from $450 per month.

For information and pricing about Unity services, tools marketplace, support, and learning, visit Unity Plans and Pricing.

02. Unreal Engine

Best Features	Supported Platforms	Games Using or Built With The Software
●       Supports photo-realistic digital environment rendering.   ●       Multi-Platform support.   ●       Best for AAA game app development.	●       iOS   ●       Android	●       Injustice 2   ●       Life is Strange   ●       After Pulse

Built by developers for developers, Unreal Engine is the most open, advanced game app development tool. Unreal Engine offers tons of features, including world-building, character animation, rendering, simulation, and many more. In short, it provides powerful performance and platform-specific tools and guides for building stunning applications.

Unreal Engine pricing plans are as follows:

Free plan – For game developers, royalties start after US $1M gross product revenue. For individuals and small businesses with less than US $1M annual gross revenue. For educators and schools, no revenue limits.

Royalty-based – for games and applications that want engine code at runtime and are licensed to third-party end users, no need to purchase seats. Cost applies on all $1M above lifetime gross revenue and is subject to 5% royalty revenues.

Seat-based – for commercial projects with over $1M in the past year and does not rely on engine code at runtime. The cost is $1,203 per seat per year.

For more information and prices, visit Unreal Engine Pricing and Plans.

03. Mixamo

Best Features	Supported Platforms	Compatible With The Software
●       Automatic character rigging.   ●       Support motion-capture animation construction.   ●       Offers ready-to-use 3D models.	●       iOS   ●       Android	●       Unreal Engine   ●       Unity 3D

If you want to build creative 3D characters, skeletal rigs, and powerful animations. From there, the characters are ready to use in film, games, and complete interactive illustrations and experiences. Moreover, it offers automatic character rigging, motion-captured animations, and compatibility with 3D & AR tools.

The best part of Mixamo? It is completely free and does not require any extra purchases or subscriptions.

04. Flutter

Best Features	Supported Platforms	Games Using or Built With The Software
●       Offers code reusability ease.   ●       Best for 2D game app development.   ●       Easy to learn and use.	●       iOS   ●       Android	●       Tap Hero Game   ●       Scuba Sweep   ●       Tissue Box

Powerful, open-source, and cross-platform game app development are the highlighting features of Flutter. It offers tons of packages, integrations, and features. Moreover, Flutter Gems provides an extensive range of templates and guides for stunning developments.

It is one of the best mobile game development tools and is absolutely free of cost.

05. Swift

Best Features	Supported Platforms	Games Using or Built With The Software
●       Best for native iOS game app development.   ●       Easy and reliable to use.   ●       Much easier vector calculation.	●       iOS   ●       iPad   ●       VisionOS	●       Angry Birds   ●       Color Switch

Swift is the native app development language only for Apple devices. It is an easy-to-use, open-source, and highly fast & efficient programming language. Moreover, you get real-time feedback, the utmost safety, and the ability to create rich app experiences. As claimed by Apple, it is up to 2.6x faster than Objective-C and up to 8.4x faster than Python 2.7.

Finally, Swift is free to use for developers, educators, and students under the Apache 2.0 open-source license.

06. Cry Engine

Best Features	Supported Platforms	Games Using or Built With The Software
●       Supports VR and multi-layer navigation mesh.   ●       Helps establish more realistic environments and dramatic scenes.   ●       Allows animating 3D skeletal.	●       iOS   ●       Android	PC games: ●       Crysis   ●       FarCry   ●       Ryse: Son of Rome   Usable in mobile games as well.

CryEngine is one of the best tools for PC games and has been used for many highly successful games like Crysis 3. However, it is also great for mobile game app development. It offers tons of features for AI & animation, audio, physics, and performance, among others, with powerful visuals and stunning graphics.

Although CryEngine is free to use, a 5% royalty applies when you move on to ship your project.

07. FMOD Studio

Best Features	Supported Platforms	Games Using or Built With The Software
●       A powerful, handy plugin for Unity and Unreal Engine.   ●       It is also available to integrate into CryEngine through third-party plugins.   ●       Allows users to create custom audio effects.	●       iOS   ●       Android	●       Creaks   ●       WarRobots

FMOD is another powerful and diverse game development supporting tool. Also, FMOD Studio is one of the best audio plugins available, with professional controls, instant iteration, and user-friendly processes. Moreover, it provides learning resources, so users can easily start their game and audio development journey.

Here are the FMOD Studio licensing plans.

Indie – under 600K development budget – Free or $2000 fee per game.

Basic – From $600K to $1.8M development budget – $6000 fee per game.

Premium – Over $18,000 development budget – $18,000 fee per game.

For complete details and information on features, visit FMOD licensing.

08. Construct 3

Best Features	Supported Platforms	Games Using or Built With The Software
●       Compatible with multiple browsers.   ●       Offers more than 70 WebGL-based pixel shader effects.   ●       Extensive support with fully documented guides, tutorials, community, and asset store.	●       iOS   ●       Android   ●       Web-Based Games	Web-based Games: ●       There is no Game   ●       Mad Jack   ●       MineCart   Also, it is usable for mobile games.

With powerful technology and the right magic, Construct 3 is the choice of platform for quality game app development of more than 250,000 users. It offers powerful visual scripting, JavaScript support, and multiple publishing options. Not only that, it is easy to use, routinely maintained with updates, flexible, and comes with a range of tools.

Construct 3 offers the following pricing plans.

Personal Plan – for individuals and hobby workers – US $32.85 when paid annually.

Business Plan – for commercial organizations – US $124.62 per seat when paid annually.

Education Plan – for teaching institutions – US $11.33 per seat when paid annually.

For more information and features comparison, visit Construct Pricing Plan.

09. React Native

Best Features	Supported Platforms	Games Using or Built With The Software
●       Ideal for light and easy 2D mobile game creation.   ●       Cross-platform compatibility and rapid development.   ●       Friendly and easy to use.	●       iOS   ●       Android	●       Words with Friends 2   ●       Call of Duty Companion App

React Native brings native cross-platform development with the best-in-class JavaScript library for building stunning mobile applications. It offers file-based routing, extensive developer tools, components, and APIs.

Also, React Native comes with an open-source framework, which makes it free for public use.

10. Solar 2D

Best Features	Supported Platforms	Games Using or Built With The Software
●       Instant update simulator allows fast coding and deployment.   ●       Numerous plugins for features like advertising, analytics, media, and many more.   ●       Lua-based open-source programming that is lightweight, fast, and highly powerful.	●       iOS   ●       Android	●       Hunted Mach   ●       Station 117   ●       Dentures and Demons

The Lua-based game engine Solar 2D is an awesome and powerful tool. It is cross-platform, user-friendly, and supports almost every native library, including C, C++, Obj-C, and Java. Another amazing quality is that it is privacy-aware and does not track users or gather anonymized data. Also, users get a powerful community of thousands of developers for help and support.

Also, with Solar 2D, there are no hidden fees, charges, or royalties, meaning it is completely free, whether you are an individual developer or a large publisher.

How to Manage the Game Development Costs?

Sometimes, a game idea may not seem too costly in the mind, but in actual implementation, it starts going way beyond your expectations. So, it is better to think and manage your expenses from the start. Here is how you can keep the cost within your budget.

●      Plan Ahead of Time

When you are about to start making a game app, make sure you have a well-defined plan. It includes the budget plan, game type, app interface, and everything else to get a clear understanding of the budget.

Create a comprehensive blueprint before executing the project plan. After that, once the process starts, you must track expenses and manage spending to breeze through the development process. If you’re thinking about how to make a Roblox game, our recent blog will help you understand step-by-step guidelines.

●      Focus on Quality of Features

Instead of trying to include everything in the game, focus on core features and prioritize them. You have to make sure that all the important features that impact the gameplay and experience are present.

Focusing on the essential features and critical aspects of the game will give you much more control over the expenses. Also, it will ensure that all those features are well-developed and optimized.

Finally, when everything is complete, make sure to test and iterate every small detail. Addressing any probable issue before the game hits the market can prevent cost delays and maintain a high level of quality.

●      Consider a Top Mobile App Development Company

Finally, last but not least, choosing the mobile game app development company. Although you have multiple options like freelancers, outsourcing, and the in-house team (if you have one), it is better to go with a professional and reliable team.

A professional team will ensure that every technical aspect, strategy, optimization, and final product is up to the mark. They will also help you with post-development maintenance and ensure that the app game performs perfectly for years to come. Ultimately, it will help maintain cost-effectiveness and cost-efficiency.

Why Choose Trango Tech for Your Mobile Game Development?

 

Each game app development project with Trango Tech offers an immersive experience and does not become heavy on the pocket. We fully collaborate with our clients, understand their needs, and deliver exceptional results that matter. Finally, we help ensure the app game development cost remains pocket-friendly and reliable.

Here is why hundreds of customers choose Trango Tech to create a game app.

●      Methodical Working

The Trango Tech team values systematic and goal-oriented working. We thoroughly understand the requirements and collaborate with our customers to propose an efficient and effective strategy. Our fixed methodological approach helps us gather useful data, research effective solutions, and implement game-changing approaches to get desirable results.

●      Skilled Developers

Every Trango Tech team member is carefully vetted and selected based on their skills, experience, and creative mindset. We have over 10 years of experience helping clients develop powerful native, cross-platform, and hybrid applications. Our team is proficient in a range of technologies and tools that help us gain a competitive advantage.

●      Superior Technology

We are well-versed in building customized and scalable applications with integrated automation, AI, ML, and other advanced technologies. We efficiently handle projects, maintain timelines, and organize solutions with the help of technology. We bring the best resources, tools, and platforms to the relevant table, which makes us the best at what we do.

●      Complete Transparency

Trango Tech game development company does everything over the table and practices complete transparency to maintain trust and credibility. We believe in building long-term relationships with every client. For that, we strive to maintain open communication, pre and post-service care, and complete collaboration from start to finish. We keep our customers in the loop at all times. Also, we offer a dedicated app development cost calculator on our website to help customers get a detailed cost breakdown.

Conclusion

The mobile game market is booming. There are around 67% of mobile gamers in the US as compared to 53% of PC, 36% of console, and 12% of VR game players. With the advent of the latest technologies and tools, mobile gaming is becoming more immersive and impressive. The trend of mobile gaming will never stop and will only become more prominent in the future.

So, investing in game app development might just be the best idea you can think of right now to make hefty profits (so much that you will get your game app development cost back in no time). An engaging, detailed, and optimized game can not only bring in players, but you can also add further sources of revenue, like in-app purchases, cosmetics, and advertisements.