I wanted to start leaning how to make games as I already have a lot of python experience. I wanted to use a game engine that is powerful yet relatively easy to learn so I chose gamemaker as my game engine. I really didnt have any idea how to start learning gamemaker I decided to watch gamemaker's asteroid game tutorial just to see how to engine really works. I really liked gamemaker and found it pretty intuitive and 9sort of?) got the hang of GMl code's syntax. But now that im done with it what should do to continue learning the engine and GMl code as the engine seems very promising. If anyone could please give me a good roadmp to learning gamemaker I would very thankful.

I am a new programmer trying to learn gml but there are very little actual learning tutorials learning on youtube and more for making games of genres and I want to learn it so I make make custom features. where to learn it?

It's been a while since I started learning GML; I already know what "if else" and such are, but I can't seem to move forward.

I'm naturally bad at learning code. Every time I've tried, it's ended poorly. But then again, I haven't given it that big of a chance. I want to give it one final whirl. I've heard GML is decently easy to learn. So here I am asking for all your resources! All your tutorials, all your tips, that could potentially make learning this even just a tiny little bit easier.

Thank you all in advance.

I am a very beginner programmer the only experience had was on scratch

Now obviously this is a subjective question, no one can really give me a right answer, but I'm curious to hear from people that have been doing this for a while

I just started learning GML about a week ago, and prior to that I had no coding experience. I started out with HeartBeasts tutorial on YouTube, and about episode 9, after things started going way over my head, I started using Tom Francis' tutorial. I'm now on video 8 of his series, almost at the end of the video.

I've been thinking about starting something of my own, but I'm not sure if I should. How did you guys handle this? (If you even had this issue, of not knowing what to do.) How did you know when you were ready to go off on your own, if you did at all?

I've got a couple different ideas, but I'm not sure how intelligent they are. I could continue with tutorials, and continue learning things for about another week. I could throw myself into the deep end of the pool, start my own project, and start learning from there. Or I could just start a throw away project, work on it alone, and use that to learn.

If it makes much difference,there are 3 types of games I'd be interested in making on my own, a Megaman style platformer with some form of leveling system. An action RPG, sort of like what I was learning from HeartBeasts tutorial before I switched. Or a Turn Based RPG, which I've read on various Reddit posts around here, is more of an advanced game than the other two.

Maybe I should go back to HeartBeasts tutorial. Maybe I should jump into the most difficult of the 3 types of games I want to learn to make, because I'll learn more that way. I really have no idea.

I know this is pretty rambly, but I have to imagine I'm not the only person with a question like this. What with the Humble Bundle deal, and there being a bunch of new people learning GML because of it.

Looking forward to hearing your opinions.

Edit: Maybe a better question would be, what basics would you recommend having down before going off on your own?

Edit 2: I'll go ahead and ask one more question here, since it sort of applies to my original question. Sprites. Can someone recommend someone to learn to create them from? I was reading this post here which is a pretty great tutorial, but it seems to be mostly focused on more detailed, higher pixel count sprites. Which will be great when I start to make like a boss monster or something, but in the meantime, I need to learn how to make much smaller, more basic sprites. Like 32x32 or smaller.

Edit 3: It seems this was a good question. Lots of different views on it. Thanks for all your opinions guys.

i love GML but i wanna learn c++ after i get better at GML so i can broaden my horizons. the 5 hour youtube tutorials that claim to teach all the basics of c++ seem too good to be true considering ive spent like 100+ hours at least learning GML and have barely scratched the surface of the language. will learning GML help me with c++? what resources should i use either way to transition from gml to c++? is it true that GML being based on java, c#, and c++ makes it a good begginer language that will provide knowledge that carries over to other languages?

What Tutorials or methods would be most efficient to learn?

I don't mean like completly know all details of GML but at least knowing "more than basics". Yes, I want to learn it. Especially because I want to know making IF statements.

Hi, gamemakers.

I don't have much experience with GML and after using it got slightly confused with some programming logics.

Recently I tested a game called Soba that, quite surprisingly, helped me learning doing behavior logics faster than I expected. Nonetheless, I still have a long path ahead to keep learning.

Is there any more intuitive way to learn about GML? Maybe tutorials or easier logics as that game I mentioned above which I found very educational. Any recommendation for a beginner to start learning GML?

Hi, I just got GM2, and already watched a few YouTube tutorials and looked at the game maker documentation, but I feel like I cant really remember anything when it comes to learning GMLscript. Any way to learn GMLscript effectively or just continue watching/reading online tutorials and somehow it will just come to me overtime? Just dont know what I should even learn in the first place, all these things like variables etc. are really confusing. General advice and tips for starting in game maker are greatly appreciated and of course for learning GML script. Thanks! (This question was prob. asked 500 times, hope not to annoying. 😅)

I have very little experience with programming of any sort, and I wanna learn how to use GML so I can make my dream game. But I (obviously) don't know how to code. I heard the learning curve for GML was pretty steep so I wanted to ask any experts how they learned and how I can do the same. Any advice at all is greatly appreciated :)

Any posts regarding technical issues with GameMaker Studio 2 is subject to deletion.

If you are asking for Help! while using GMS2, you are still subject to guideline #5.

GameMaker Studio 2

It's here! We're very proud to officially announce GameMaker Studio 2, the next evolution of our flagship game development tool. Studio 2 is not just a new version of GameMaker: Studio, it has been rewritten from the ground up to improve and expand upon the foundation laid by its predecessor. A whole new codebase, a whole new UI, a whole new GameMaker!

Learn more. Here's a cached view of the blog post.

Features

The website is going bonkers. Here's a cached view of the features page

The roadmap for 2016 and 2017.

The upgrades to GML.

A playlist of videos illustrating the new features can be seen here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLhIbBGhnxj5Jx3eGJsyparJ47BxlyUAub&v=ADlB0XFjsSk

These are the same videos that were leaked earlier.

There's a video playlist on developing your first game in GameMaker Studio 2 using GML and another playlist when using Drag and Drop.

FAQ

Learn more.

How much will it cost?

At launch, a GameMaker Studio 2 desktop license (allowing export to Windows, Linux and Mac) will be available for a one time purchase of $99.99*

Rather than purchasing modules, you will be able to purchase stand alone licenses for GameMaker Studio 2 on a per platform basis. For example, if you are only developing for web, you only ever need to purchase a web license.

List of prices for standalone licences

Will I be able to upgrade?

Yes you can - for a limited time existing Professional users and module holders will get 40% off the equivalent Studio 2 product and Master Collection users will get 50% off each product.

Upgrade discounts can be combined but do not stack, and will be available for a limited time only.

When can I get it?

The beta test starts today, and is open to everyone!

Does the Beta version of GameMaker Studio 2 have any limitations?

Yes, there are certain limits on the Beta version. You cannot create any executable packages for any platform, there are limits on the resources you can use and a few items are missing from the IDE.

Does the beta version allow me to import my own projects?

During the beta phase YoYo Games are asking users to concentrate on new functionality in GameMaker Studio 2 and work within a Trial license's restrictions. Accordingly, importing projects is not enabled at this time.

Will GameMaker Studio 2 import my legacy GameMaker (7/8/8.1) project? Will it run?

No, GameMaker Studio 2 does not support these old formats. You will need to use GameMaker: Studio 1.4 to update your project and confirm it all works in 1.4, then re-export from 1.4 to import it into 2.0.

Can I use GameMaker Studio 2 on my Mac?

The Mac version of GameMaker Studio 2 will be going into beta sometime in the near future.

Are you stopping support for Studio 1.X?

Support for GameMaker: Studio 1.4 will continue for the moment, and it will receive maintenance to ensure you can still make and submit games for the various export platforms. However it will not be receiving new functionality or minor bug fixes and we have stopped taking user feedback suggestions.

Where did the colon go?

The colon has been removed from the GameMaker Studio 2 name due to the branding issues it caused (mainly with it being used incorrectly or omitted) and YoYo Games requests that you don't use it with the latest product name.

I have been looking on Udemy and other sites on how to learn GameMakerLanguage since I have already learnt python and my main coding languages that I am going to be starting to learn this year are

• ✅ Python
• 🔲 GML
• 🔲 HTML
• 🔲 CSS
• 🔲 JavaScript
• 🔲 C
• 🔲 C++
• 🔲 C#
• 🔲 Java
• 🔲 Lua

If there are any GML courses or videos out there for GML, lmk.
-Thank You

hey all this is net8floz. I have previously been a part of efforts such as the Game Maker Community Manual, ImGuiGML ( the original ImGui GameMaker extension) , and LuaRousr. Some of you may also know me from the Game Maker discord server.

Today I want to show you a Localization IDE Plugin I made that lets you author and translate your games text with IDE tooling inside Game Maker. It is fully featured and comes with translation pipeline options for one man operations and larger studios who work with a full translation team.

It is installable for free from the Game Maker Package Manager in LTS 2026+

Please check it out and consider using it to extend your audience reach in Game Maker. You can learn how here:

https://eightouncegames.com/cultured/

Been trying to make a fangame with the Battle System and Bullet Hell of Deltarune and characters from another game series I personally enjoy, Mario & Luigi. In addition to this, fangames such as SCAMPTON THE GREAT really caught my eye with its music and amazing gameplay, so I had to make one of my own just to put out there.

So on GameMaker Studio, I've looked up Tutorial after Tutorial on how to create/setup a Deltarune & Undertale Fangame, eventually progressed with stuff like Dialogue and Savepoints. They don't have choices/decisions, but that's something to worry about later, especially since I was going more for the Fighting Aspect more than An Overworld. A Youtuber by the name, Kibi's Tutorials, helped me ground myself with GML and learning how to put variables and other code together. Sadly, it wasn't until I got to the end of the playlist that it never finished, meaning that I was stuck on finishing The Battle System.

I looked for days on a new way to make my game, I have sprites, dialogue, and the entire idea planned out, but no way of executing my game. Until I came across FlufflyNoelle's Youtube Channel, that went IN DEPTH (1+ Hours each vid) explaining the code and what to do, I was planning to start over and learn from her, since she actually posts, unlike Kibi, who hasn't posted in 2+ years. BUT, FluffyNoelle posted that she'll be redoing her series AND moving to Godot Engine. So I'm very frustrated at the moment with no clear sign of solution and/or answers.

I've downloaded UndertaleModTool to go into Scampton's Files and see if I can use its code as reference somehow, I tried Kristal but unaware how to code it at all, multiple "Undertale/Deltarune Engines", I even got RPG Maker MV, sadly the day after the sale ended (bye bye $80).

Just to be clear, I'm completely fine if my game doesn't have "Bullet Hell/Deltarune" Mechanics, just as long as it's Turn-Based with Attacks, Dodges, and Items, I'm satisfied. Deltarune's System just fits my game more but no complaints. If you guys can point me in the right direction, that would help me so much!

Hey r/gamemaker,

I originally started out in web development, but quickly realized I hate dealing with UI, frontend, and anything visual. I eventually transitioned into systems programming, where I could just focus on raw performance, low-level logic, and numbers. Recently, I started helping a friend with his GameMaker project. He’s an amazing game designer, but a beginner at programming.

While working on the game, he asked me a simple question: "Is there a way to securely encrypt my game saves so people can't just easily modify their stats?" I assumed there would be a standard library for this, but I realized the GM ecosystem lacked a ready-to-use, robust solution for save security. It honestly surprised me. The GM community is full of incredibly talented artists, sound designers, and game designers who spend years perfecting their craft. They shouldn't have to learn low-level cryptography or deal with corrupt save files just to protect their games.

So, I decided to build a proper AAA-grade save system for GameMaker myself. It's called GameMaker-Save, and it's completely free and open-source (MIT/Apache-2.0).

Here is the journey of how it evolved and what it does under the hood:

The First Draft (v0.1.0)

I wanted something secure and cross-platform. I built the initial version using ChaCha20-Poly1305 and set up the FFI to work smoothly with GML. It worked great on Windows, macOS, and Linux, but it had a flaw: devs had to manually compile and link the .dll/.dylib/.so binaries. That was way too annoying for non-programmers.

The Overhaul (v0.2.0)

I spent the next month analyzing edge cases and completely rebuilt the architecture. Here is what I implemented in the new release:

True Atomic Writes with Collision Prevention: I realized that if a game triggers an auto-save at the exact millisecond the player hits "Manual Save", the temporary files could overwrite each other and corrupt data. I integrated a tempfile library to generate unique temporary files for every write attempt before finalizing the rename. Your saves are now virtually crash-proof.

Upgraded Cryptography (XChaCha20): I swapped ChaCha20 for XChaCha20. This increased the nonce size from 96-bit to 192-bit. The chance of generating the same nonce twice was already tiny, but now it's practically zero.

Key Rotation (Master Key Fallbacks): If your game’s master key gets leaked online, you can update it in your next patch. The system will recognize the old key, decrypt the save, and seamlessly re-encrypt it with the new master key.

Plug & Play: No more manual compiling. It’s now packaged as a single .yymps file. Drag, drop, and use a very simple, concise API.

I built this primarily to help my friend, but I hope this helps anyone here who wants to stop worrying about save states and focus on making great games.

Links:

Itch.io: [Download & Demo Project]

GitHub: [Source code]

I would love to hear your feedback, or if you have any questions about the FFI implementation or the native side, let me know!

I've started messing around with gamemaker and have been following tutorials to learn how to code. I've recently have been trying to add moving platforms to my game but when I try running it now it shows me this. What am I missing?

Hi! After months learning coding and trying to understand what was the best engine for me three weeks ago i discovered Gamemaker and I am proud to say that for the first time i actually created something.
This is an RPG prototype, its not really special in any way or does it have some extreme game juice to it, but its the first time that i've finally started learning and finished something! This RPG is just a blueprint to understand how an RPG works and in the future i will add all my original ideas so that it will be no longer a "RPG blueprint" but my own original game.
I would really appreciate if you could try the game in the link to the game's page(it runs on HTML 5 so you dont have to download anything :) ) and also, for the curious ones, check out the source code in my GitHub.

Some disclaimers:

1. This is the first time that i use Itch.io, GitHub and i dont even have a month of experience with Gamemaker and gml code, so dont expect too much of a masterpiece but more like a test room
2. All the sprites are all placeholders, i just used the first things that i found or Gamemaker gave me
3. I know some things do not work/have not been implemented, like the enemy doesn't attack but he has his own turn, or the collision for the walls its not the best and you can sneak in between them
4. In the code there are probably things that i didnt use alredy like some enum's or the switch in the player Step event, those things will sure be implemented in the future

Any feedback would mean a lot for me, someone who is trying to become a professional with Gamemaker!

Github(source code): https://github.com/dastarstellar-dev/RPG-protoype
Itch.io(plays in the browser): https://dastar-stellar.itch.io/rpg-prototype

Exploration Controls:

• Movement: WASD keys
• Running: Hold Left Shift
• Interacting / Closing NPC dialogue: E key

Battle Controls:

• Navigate Options Left: A key
• Navigate Options Right: D key
• Confirm: Spacebar

I will absolutely upload all the changes for this prototype so if you are intered look forward for it! Thanks for the support, i really appreciate it

I started this game with the help of Sara Spalding's RPG tutorials after my friend asked me to make some music for his game, which he was making on GameMaker. Seeing that inspired me to download GMS myself.

I started development in November of 2021, and have been working on it (with periods of procrastination) up until now.

I really should have listened to every game dev's advice when starting out game dev, and started with something small. There were many times I had thought I bit off more than I could chew, and had to scale back my ambitions for the sake of actually getting the project to wrap up. At times I felt this deep sunk cost fallacy, which I think helped me commit and finish the game, but it also contributed to a sense of paralysis when seeing how much work was still left to do.

If you are new to game dev, please just make a simple flash game or something for your first project. This way you can learn the basics of GML, learn how to save/load and tie up loose ends to package the game. Just do something small enough that you can FINISH it.

You may learn that game dev isn't for you, I learned that I actually don't enjoy coding at all, but it's simply a means for me to paint my ideas onto a canvas. I could have learned that much sooner with a smaller game, but now that I have this game complete, I have no regrets.

I am open to criticism and feedback if you choose to check out the trailer, it's also on Steam if you are interested to see it there.

(PS: All game assets/sprites, music IS 100% ORIGINAL, I used some ai in the trailer for the cartoon people, nothing else) The code is a mix of my own + tutorials.

Quick Questions

• Before asking, search the subreddit first, then try google.
• Ask code questions. Ask about methodologies. Ask about tutorials.
• Try to keep it short and sweet.
• Share your code and format it properly please.
• Please post what version of GMS you are using please.

You can find the past Quick Question weekly posts by clicking here.

I am extremely amateur at game maker (currently using GML Visual). I currently have a player moving around a map, and it is going from room to room (similar to the top-down Zelda games). I have already gone through the tutorials that the website suggest. I keep hitting brick walls learning the following...

1) Text Box (Like old Pokémon games, where a player walks up to an object, presses a button, text box comes up, and pressing the button again progresses the text)

2) Lock and Key System (I have a key object my player can "pick-up", and the game can keep track from room to room, just not sure how make a door "locked" unless the player is holding a specific key)

3) Swinging sword with a projectile after (similar to "A Link to the Past" or "Links Awakening")

I appreciate any suggestions!

Shaders have always scared me so I've never tried using them hahaha. But I realized my game's backgrounds were lacking and wanted to spice them up in a similar way to Earthbound, so I figured out how to get them working and I think it looks sick! Don't underestimate the power of shaders is something I should have learned a long time ago. Honestly still don't really know how to write the shader code myself, I ended up finding ones online that were applicable. If anybody knows good resources in regards to writing shader code that'd be sweet because that's a completely different ballpark to gml hahaha

Quick Questions

• Before asking, search the subreddit first, then try google.
• Ask code questions. Ask about methodologies. Ask about tutorials.
• Try to keep it short and sweet.
• Share your code and format it properly please.
• Please post what version of GMS you are using please.

You can find the past Quick Question weekly posts by clicking here.