What Video Game Porting Is, How It Works, and How Much It Costs

The console gaming market saw sales of 35.1 billion dollars in 2020, followed by the PC gaming market with sales of 37 billion dollars. The smartphone gaming market, however, was the clear winner with an estimated value of 63,6 billion US dollars at the time. Although accurate projections for 2021 are not yet available, it is obvious that gaming is large right now and that the majority of successful gaming initiatives are present in all three markets at once.

If you have a game on one of these platforms, you can join them by thinking about game porting. The game is being “translated” from one platform to another.

In this article, you will find exhaustive information on the game porting process, its stages, difficulties that are encountered often, and finally, its cost.

Why Do You Need Game Porting?

There are many reasons why you might need game porting. For example, you may want to port your game to a new platform to reach a new audience, or you may need to port your game to a new platform to take advantage of new features or capabilities. Additionally, game porting can help you improve performance or fix compatibility issues.

How Does Porting a Game Work?

Porting a game means taking a game that was built for one platform and making it work on another platform. This usually involves re-writing some of the game’s code to work with the new platform’s quirks and capabilities. Sometimes, games are ported from one console to another, or from PC to mobile, or from one generation of consoles to the next.

Understanding the Main Types of Porting

Now that you are familiar with how game porting functions, let’s examine the various types of game porting that are divided into groups based on the platforms and technologies used.

Types of Game Porting Based on Platforms Involved

Game porting can fall into one of these categories, depending on the platforms involved:

The most popular kind of porting, from PC to mobile, may be very difficult. However, a lot of developers and publishers still do that, including Blizzard, Sports Interactive, Asper, and Rockstar. In comparison to other platforms in the business, mobile games have the largest viewership and the highest revenue:

Porting Games into Different Technology

Porting to Unreal Engine. It uses C++ and supports console platforms, PC, and mobile game development. Porting can be a difficult and time-consuming process, but it can also be very rewarding. Seeing a game that you love running on a new platform can be a great feeling, and it can also give you a new appreciation for the game itself. If you’re thinking about porting a game, there are a few things you should keep in mind. First, make sure that the game is still fun to play on the new platform. Second, make sure that the game is still visually appealing on the new platform. And third, make sure that the game runs smoothly on the new platform. Porting a game is a lot of work, but it can be a great way to bring a new audience to a game you love.

Video Game Porting to Mobile Is of Many Challenges

The challenges of porting video games to mobile are many and varied. One of the most significant is the difference in screen size and resolution. Mobile devices have much smaller screens, which can make it difficult to port games that were designed for larger screens. Another challenge is the difference in input methods. Mobile devices typically use touchscreen controls, while most video games are designed for use with game controllers or keyboards and mice. This can make it difficult to replicate the gameplay experience on mobile. Finally, there is the issue of performance. Mobile devices typically have much less powerful processors than gaming PCs or consoles, which can make it difficult to run demanding games on mobile.

Final Words

Game porting can be a difficult and challenging process, but it can also be a very rewarding one. It can be a great way to take an older game and give it new life on a new platform, or to bring a new game to an older platform. It can also be a great way to learn about game development and the process of game porting.