Ludography
75/100
Players341 ratings
80/100
Critics1 review
More scores
Metacritic21 critic reviews
68/100
Metacritic usersuser score
79/100
GameFAQsJust Right
3.64/5
Player reviews
95% positive40,410 reviews
Steam Deck
Playable
Runs on
Windows, Mac, Linux
Price
US$9.99

Where to get it

Game Dev Tycoon cover

2012 · Greenheart Games · Business simulation · Indie

Game Dev Tycoon

Nintendo console exclusive

In Game Dev Tycoon you replay the history of the gaming industry by starting your own video game development company in the 80s. Create best selling games. Research new technologies and invent new game types. Become the leader of the market and gain worldwide fans.

Released
10 December 2012
Platforms
AndroidLinuxNintendo SwitchWindowsiOSmacOS
Genres
Business simulationIndieSimulationStrategy
Developers
Greenheart Games
Publishers
Greenheart Games
Modes
Single-player
Perspective
Bird view / Isometric
Themes
Business
Country
Australia
Age ratings
ESRB EGRAC ALLUSK 0PEGI 3ACB G
Languages
Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Czech, Dutch, English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Korean, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil) and 6 more
Time to beat
8.5hmain story26hcompletionist

About

Game Dev Tycoon is a 2012 business simulation video game developed by Greenheart Games released on 10 December 2012. The player creates and develops video games. Game Dev Tycoon was inspired by the iOS and Android game Game Dev Story (by Kairosoft), and many critics find substantial similarities between the two games. Game Dev Tycoon was created by Greenheart Games, a company founded in July 2012 by brothers Patrick and Daniel Klug.

Players say

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The player starts out in a garage in the early 1980s during the golden age of arcade video games with no employees, limited money, and limited choices for the first game. As new games are created, new options are unlocked. When the first game engine is built, the player's game development skills improve. New consoles will also be released, and the player will be able to buy licenses for certain consoles, such as the GS, PlaySystem, mBox, Vena Oasis, TES, and grPad which parody real life consoles and devices with different names due to trademark regulations.

As the player progresses through the game further they have the opportunity to move to new offices and hire staff. After that further expansion is available, with players given the opportunity to open an R&D lab when reaching certain requirements that host major projects, allowing the player to unlock things they wouldn't be able to otherwise, such as MMOs and online game shops similar to Steam, Ubisoft Connect, App Store etc. The player may also open up a Hardware Lab to create consoles and devices.

Reception

On Metacritic, Game Dev Tycoon received mixed reviews on Windows and positive reviews on iOS and Switch.

Releases by platformdates and regions as published

PlatformReleasedRegions
Windows10 December 2012Worldwide · North America 29 August 2013
Linux29 August 2013North America
macOS29 August 2013North America
iOS28 November 2017Worldwide
Android31 January 2018Worldwide
Nintendo Switch8 October 2020North America · Europe 8 October 2020

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Collections2 collections

Description adapted from its source, CC BY-SA 4.0.