--- title: What's C++ like in gamedev? | daily.dev description: C++ remains entrenched in game development due to platform vendor APIs, massive legacy codebases, decades of compiler optimization, and cross-platform... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/tosppgpy5 twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: What's C++ like in gamedev? | daily.dev og:description: C++ remains entrenched in game development due to platform vendor APIs, massive legacy codebases, decades of compiler optimization, and cross-platform... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/tosppgpy5 og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/toSppGPy5.png og:image:alt: Post cover image og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # What's C++ like in gamedev? **[Master Yoda](https://daily.dev/sources/biixj2rltcrx7bbvxfw0d)** · [@pump1it](https://daily.dev/pump1it) · 56 upvotes · 6 comments ## Summary C++ remains entrenched in game development due to platform vendor APIs, massive legacy codebases, decades of compiler optimization, and cross-platform requirements. The industry operates across three C++ levels: low-level hardcore code for performance-critical systems (physics, rendering), mid-level common C++ for architecture and libraries, and high-level meta C++ for reflection and code generation. Modern C++ standards (C++20/23) won't reach gamedev for years as studios remain stuck between C++14/17. While scripting languages and visual programming (blueprints) shield designers from C++ complexity, they sacrifice 50%+ performance. Hot reload capabilities and reduced crash risk justify this tradeoff, but the core engine will remain C++ for at least another decade. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Community discussion Top comments from developers on daily.dev. **@zeeshanqaswar36** · 7 upvotes > Avoid choosing game dev as a career, do it as a hobby. ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [C\+\+ survey finds AI use rising, though trust is in short supply](https://daily.dev/posts/c-survey-finds-ai-use-rising-though-trust-is-in-short-supply-06pdagri9) · DEVCLASS · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Software taketh away faster than hardware giveth: Why C\+\+ programmers keep growing fast despite competition, safety, and AI](https://daily.dev/posts/software-taketh-away-faster-than-hardware-giveth-why-c-programmers-keep-growing-fast-despite-comp-qzv1ihirv) · Sutter's Mill · 55 upvotes · 5 comments --- Tags: [#c++](https://daily.dev/tags/c++), [#game-development](https://daily.dev/tags/game-development), [#performance](https://daily.dev/tags/performance), [#unity](https://daily.dev/tags/unity), [#unreal-engine](https://daily.dev/tags/unreal-engine) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/tosppgpy5) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"DiscussionForumPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https://daily.dev/posts/tosppgpy5","headline":"What's C++ like in gamedev?","text":"Shared: What's C++ like in gamedev?","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/tosppgpy5","datePublished":"2026-01-13T07:18:07.931Z","dateModified":"2026-03-15T08:04:45.746Z","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Master Yoda","url":"https://daily.dev/pump1it","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--QoEA3qeD--/f_auto/v1739976473/avatars/avatar_BiIXJ2RLtCrx7bbvXFw0D","interactionStatistic":{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"EndorseAction"},"userInteractionCount":2700}},"image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--0_ODbtD2--/f_auto/v1722860399/public/Placeholder%2008","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":56},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":6}],"sharedContent":{"@type":"WebPage","url":"https://api.daily.dev/r/QIUusHx7J"},"comment":[{"@type":"Comment","text":"Avoid choosing game dev as a career, do it as a hobby.","datePublished":"2026-01-20T12:35:49.884Z","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/toSppGPy5#c-0rkkDaZHq","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Zeeshan Qaswar","url":"https://daily.dev/zeeshanqaswar36","image":"https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/a/ACg8ocJt-kqHGaLn7FeTN7xS1rCILK13uUUv3omHQ1WFk28jWkN5s84=s96-c"},"interactionStatistic":{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":7}}],"isPartOf":{"@type":"WebPage","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/biixj2rltcrx7bbvxfw0d","name":"Master Yoda"}} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Master Yoda","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/biixj2rltcrx7bbvxfw0d"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"What's C++ like in gamedev?"}]} ```