Alto’s Adventure, Firewatch, Assassin’s Creed Identity, Ghost of a Tale, Pillars of Eternity, Praey for the Gods, Temple Run, and Wasteland 2 are just a few of the famous – and unique – games powered by Unity.
Game development is one of the trendiest professional paths. It isn’t an easy task, but it is, without a doubt, a fruitful one. Overcoming problems and establishing new achievements/benchmarks are central to video gaming. The same mentality is at work in the creation of video games.
So, to help you power up your Unity game development talents – or to plunge into the Unity games development moshpit – here are our top ten Unity books.
10 Best Unity Books
1. Unity Game Development in 24 Hours
From – Mike Geig
Latest Edition – Third
Formats Available – Kindle and Paperback
Publisher – Sams
The book Unity Game Creation in 24 Hours seeks to educate readers about game development in 24 sessions over 24 hours. The book uses the Unity 4 game engine to illustrate game production at its best, with examples such as Temple Run.
The Unity game production book begins with the fundamentals of video game programming and gradually progresses to the fine art of animation and game physics. Each chapter in the Unity Game Development in 24 Hours book builds on the principles introduced in the previous chapters.
Mike Geig, an experienced game developer and seasoned instructor with several years of experience teaching game design and production at Stark State College and the Cleveland Institute of Art, wrote Unity Game Development in 24 Hours. Aside from being jam-packed with activities and quizzes, the book flaunts:
Caution – How to recognize and avoid typical gaming development mistakes.
Notes – Interesting/additional information on a video game development concept (s).
Tips – Simple methods for doing specific tasks.
After finishing the Unity book, readers will be able to work with Unity game components, add shaders and textures to 3D objects, alter a desktop game for mobile platforms, exploit device accelerometers and multi-touch displays, and much more.
Topics covered:
- Unity GameObjects.
- Unity graphical asset pipeline.
- Unity Mecanim animation system.
- Unity Shuriken particle system.
- Game deployment.
- Game user interfaces.
- Scripting video game tasks.
2. Unity in Action: Multiplatform Game Development in C#
Publisher – Manning Publications
Latest Edition – Second
From – Jesse Schell and Joe Hocking (Foreword)
Formats Available – Paperback
Manning Publications’ best-selling Unity game development book is Unity in Action. The book covers everything from game coding through video game deployment using the Unity game engine. It is an excellent book for app developers who want to switch to video game production.
With the purchase of the Unity in Action book, purchasers will receive a free ebook in ePub, Kindle, and PDF formats. The book includes a lot of hands-on practice tasks with Unity’s easy workflow tools and rendering engine. The second edition of the book comprises a new chapter on creating 2D platforming games with Unity’s extended 2D toolset.
Unity in Action is a practical game creation guide written by Joe Hocking, a software engineer and Unity specialist, covering all game production areas, such as generating custom AI scripts and constructing accessible UIs. The video game creation book is excellent for novices because it requires no prior game programming knowledge to gain from it.
Topics covered:
- Basics of the Unity game engine.
- Connecting games with the internet.
- Game deployment.
- GUI development.
- Unity’s 2D functionality.
- Working with graphics.
3. Unity 5.x Cookbook
Publisher – Packt Publishing Limited
Latest Edition – Third
From – Matt Smith and Chico Queiroz
Formats Available – Kindle and Paperback
Packt Publishing Limited is unrivaled when it comes to detailed publications on video game production. As a result, it boasts a plethora of flawless titles ideal for showcasing various parts of the Unity platform. The Unity 5.x Cookbook is one example.
The Unity 5.x Cookbook is designed for anybody who wants to study and work with a wide range of Unity scripting and multimedia features. The game creation book also offers simple remedies for common difficulties experienced when developing games. It is, without a doubt, a great Unity reference for a rapid proof-check.
Matt Smith is the book’s author. He is an Irish computing expert who also dabbled in music – yes, he was in a band and recorded the audio cassette’s B-side, including the Confusion game – and is an avid game creator, among other stuff.
Naturally, the book takes an experimental, exploratory, and entertaining approach to teaching. This is a Unity book for everyone, from skilled developers who want to try their hand at Unity game production to artists with rudimentary Unity abilities (and a little C# experience).
Topics covered:
- Standard game development pitfalls and how to avoid/fix them.
- Programming in C#.
- Game design.
- Unity basics.
- Unity game scripting.
4. Introduction to Game Design, Prototyping, and Development
Publisher – Addison-Wesley
Latest Edition – Third
From – Jeremy Gibson Bond
Formats Available – Kindle and Paperback
Another excellent book on Unity game production is Introduction to Game Design, Prototyping, and Development. The book, written by Jeremy Gibson, a veteran independent game developer, and professor, focuses on game design theory, solid rapid-prototyping procedures, and computer programming skills.
The book is about learning and mastering Unity, but it is also about understanding and enjoying the overall process of game production.
The book Introduction to Prototyping, Game Design, and Development contains in-depth instruction on eight video game prototypes. It also shows how to learn C# and Unity in the right way, increasing a game developer’s productivity. The game development book also discusses:
- Creating fresh and inventive game design concepts, While debugging the game’s code,
- Moving quickly from design thoughts to functioning digital prototypes,
- Utilizing fast iteration to improve game design, and
- Playtesting games and making sense of the feedback received.
Readers will be able to produce outstanding game design concepts and the clarity and ability to translate those ideas into genuine, playable video games after successfully completing the Unity game development book.
Topics covered:
- Game design theory.
- Programming skills required for video game development.
- Rapid-prototyping practices.
- Scrum and Agile methodologies.
- Unity basics.
- Working with C#.
5. Learning C# from Developing Games with Unity 5.x
Publisher – Packt Publishing Limited
Latest Edition – First
From – Greg Lukosek
Formats Available – Kindle and Paperback
What is the most effective technique to learn game development? It is to do so while simultaneously making a video game. The slogan was used while learning C# and developing games using Unity 5.x. The book on Unity game creation focuses on application rather than theory.
Developing Games with Unity 5.x explains the subtle art of game production by allowing readers to work on an interactive 2D platformer game. This includes C# scripting with Unity, object-oriented programming, dealing with GameObjects, and so on. This book is aimed at new Unity developers who have no prior experience developing C# game scripts or code.
Greg Lukosek, a self-taught programmer, 3D designer, and qualified mechanical engineer, wrote the Unity game development book. Greg uses his multi-decade expertise in game creation to educate students on the craft of video game production in the Unity game development book by presenting real-world scenarios and examples.
Topics covered:
- Basics of Unity game development.
- Fundamentals of C#.
- Game publishing.
- Principles of object-oriented programming.
- Unity GameObjects.
6. Unity 5.x Shaders and Effects Cookbook
Publisher – Packt Publishing Limited
Latest Edition – Second
From – Alan Zucconi and Kenneth Lammers
Formats Available – Kindle and Paperback
You’ll need a proper reference no matter what technology you’re working with. Unity is a complicated and vast game platform with many aspects. One example is Unity’s shaders and effects, or visuals. The Unity 5.x Shaders and Effects Cookbook is an excellent resource for this.
The book is published by Alan Zucconi – an author, motivational speaker, and enthusiastic developer – and Kenneth Lammers – a seasoned expert in the video gaming business – to assist readers in promoting the concept of physically-based shading. It helps game producers in effectively applying realism to a video game.
If you want to learn the art of shader programming, you must have the Unity 5.x Shaders and Effects Cookbook in your library. The book is replete with instructive, practical examples that you can even use to teach the same in your own video games. It is the greatest book for learning how to create professional post-processing effects for video games.
Topics covered:
- Interactive game script designing.
- Unity graphics.
- Maths underlying the most common lighting models in video gaming.
- Shader programming.
- Physically-based rendering.
- Unity 3D.
7. Developing 2D Games with Unity
Publisher – Apress
Latest Edition – First
From – Jared Halpern
Formats Available – Kindle and Paperback
Unity is a powerful platform for creating 2D games. Unity 2D games include Reform’s Adventure, Night In The Woods (NITW), and Unity Creator Kit. The Unity game development book is divided into eight chapters:
Gaming History and Evolution: Discusses the history and evolution of the video game industry—a quick examination of the subject.
Introduction to Unity: Provides an overview of the Unity game creation platform to the reader. Discusses basics and other ideas, mostly in the context of 2D game creation.
Foundations: This chapter discusses the fundamentals of video game production.
World-Building: Discusses the process of creating video game settings.
Building the Gameplay: Gameplay design is discussed in this section.
Beyond the Fundamentals – Moving on to the intermediate and advanced levels of video game production.
Polish, Polish, Polish – The key to success is practice.
What to do next – How to improve your current video game creation talents.
The book takes the reader through the full process of creating a 2D game with Unity in a detailed and well-paced method. Developing 2D Games With Unity isn’t an improved Unity book; you should go elsewhere for that.
Nonetheless, the game development book is good for novices and unskilled programmers. This is due to the absence of sophisticated professional coding terminology and explanations in favor of a full overview/walkthrough of the game development process. On the other hand, this book covers all you need to know to get started with 2D Unity game production.
Topics covered:
- Unity basics.
- A brief review of the video game evolution.
- Gameworld design.
- Basics of video game development.
- Unity 2D game development.
8. Unity Game Development Cookbook: Essentials for Every Game
Publisher – O’Reilly
Latest Edition – First
From – Paris Buttfield-Addis, Jonathan Manning, and Tim Nugent
Formats Available – Kindle and Paperback
Both 2D and 3D Unity game development are covered in the Unity Game Development Cookbook: Essentials for Every Game. It begins with the foundations of Unity game production and progresses to sophisticated ideas such as virtual reality.
The entire book on game creation is separated into two sections:
Part 1 – Examines the Unity game engine and how to utilize it by completing brief activities that concentrate on various Unity capabilities.
Part 2 – A tutorial-style method for resolving common gaming issues and complications.
Paris, Jonathan, and Tim are the authors of the Unity Game Development Cookbook. The trio has decades of video game production expertise, allowing them to communicate game development principles understandably. All three are also published, authors.
The Unity game development book takes a unique – and, honestly, simple – approach to teaching game creation. It entails researching a case, identifying and highlighting the problem, and searching for the best accessible solution (s). The Unity Game Development Cookbook is intended for game creators with beginner to intermediate adequacy in Unity.
Topics covered:
- Features of Unity.
- Game design.
- Gameplay issues and fixes.
- Unity basics.
- Unity game engine.
9. Unity From Zero to Proficiency (Foundations)
Publisher – Independently Published
Latest Edition – First
From – Patrick Felicia
Formats Available – Kindle and Paperback
Another wonderful Unity games development book for extreme novices is Unity From Zero to Proficiency (Foundations). The book takes a simple-yet-detailed teaching method to build confidence and originality in video game producers.
Patrick Felicia’s Unity game development book is used to teach in a streamlined way. This simply implies that each subsequent chapter expands on the material covered in prior chapters. As a result, the Unity From Zero to Proficiency (Foundations) book is an excellent choice for teachers and parents looking to introduce their children and students to Unity video game production.
Unity From Zero to Proficiency (Foundations) is separated into six chapters. Each one focuses on a different aspect of Unity. The Unity game development book is largely concerned with:
- Creating realistic 2D and 3D game environments,
- Mastery of the Unity interface is essential, as well as
- Working with Unity’s main features.
To get started with the Unity From Zero to Proficiency (Foundations) book, no prior experience of Unity or game creation is necessary. Having some prior expertise with the subject, on the other hand, makes the learning process that much simpler.
Topics covered:
- 2D and 3D game world designing.
- 2D platform game development without scripting.
- Basics of Unity.
- Core features in Unity.
- Introduction to video game development.
- Unity interface.
10. Unity UI Cookbook
Publisher – Packt Publishing Limited
Latest Edition – First
From – Francesco Sapio
Formats Available – Kindle and Paperback
The Unity UI Cookbook contains 60+ ready-made solutions, nicknamed recipes, for resolving challenges surrounding complicated video game UI design. The game development book is a wonderful resource for anybody interested in creating dynamic and fully working video game user interfaces.
Francesco Sapio, the creator of Unity UI Cookbook, recounts the fine art of video game production in great detail. He is a brilliant game designer and Unity 3D specialist who entices readers with his explanations by combining logic, mathematics, philosophy, and puzzle-solving. After finishing the book, readers will be able to:
- Animate and vivify UI components,
- Create and deploy 3D user interfaces.
- Handle runtime modifications,
- Implement various counters and health bars, among other things.
The Unity UI Cookbook is designed for game developers that want to create high-quality and interactive video game user interfaces but aren’t sure where to start. Because the book does not cover the fundamentals of Unity, some familiarity with the Unity platform and C# programming is required.
Topics covered:
- Working with Unity graphics.
- Designing functional and interactive Unity-based video game UIs.
- Programming in C#.
- Video game scripting.
- Video game designing.
Conclusion
That ends our list of the top ten Unity books for learning/improving video game production abilities. In addition to reading game development books, you may champion the art of game creation by attending webinars, online presentations, YouTube videos, tutorials, and so on.
