Godot – open source game engine

Getting Started with Mobile Game Development: Why You Should Try Godot

If you want to enter the world of mobile game development quickly, Godot Engine is one of the best tools to start with. It’s completely free, open source, and offers everything you need right out of the box.

Godot includes a built-in physics engine, animation tools, scene system, and cross-platform export options for Android and iOS. You don’t need to install dozens of plugins or write complex setup scripts — everything is integrated and ready to use.

The engine supports both 2D and 3D games, and its GDScript language is easy to learn, especially if you already have some programming experience. For developers familiar with C# or C++, those languages are supported as well.

Here’s a simple example of a 2D character movement script written in GDScript:

extends CharacterBody2D

const SPEED = 200
const JUMP_VELOCITY = -400
const GRAVITY = 1000

func _physics_process(delta):
	var direction = Input.get_action_strength("ui_right") - Input.get_action_strength("ui_left")
	velocity.x = direction * SPEED

	if not is_on_floor():
		velocity.y += GRAVITY * delta
	else:
		if Input.is_action_just_pressed("ui_up"):
			velocity.y = JUMP_VELOCITY

	move_and_slide()

extends CharacterBody2D

const SPEED = 200
const JUMP_VELOCITY = -400
const GRAVITY = 1000

func _physics_process(delta):
	var direction = Input.get_action_strength("ui_right") - Input.get_action_strength("ui_left")
	velocity.x = direction * SPEED

	if not is_on_floor():
		velocity.y += GRAVITY * delta
	else:
		if Input.is_action_just_pressed("ui_up"):
			velocity.y = JUMP_VELOCITY

	move_and_slide()

This short script gives your player basic movement and jumping physics:

• extends CharacterBody2D means the script is attached to a character that moves and collides in 2D space.
• SPEED, JUMP_VELOCITY, and GRAVITY define how fast the character moves, how high it jumps, and how strong gravity pulls it down.
• Inside _physics_process(delta), the script checks which direction the player wants to move (ui_left and ui_right are default input actions).
• The horizontal movement is controlled by changing velocity.x, while vertical movement (jumping and falling) uses velocity.y.
• move_and_slide() finally applies the calculated velocity to the character, making it move smoothly and interact with the environment.

With just a few lines of code, you get responsive player movement and realistic gravity — proof that Godot gives you all the essentials to start building your mobile game right away.

Here’s the link to sample project StickBoy on GitHub

Feel free to let me know if you’d like help setting it up in Godot Engine, customizing it, or extending it for mobile platforms.