Game Development Cost Calculator
WHAT WILL
YOUR GAME COST?
A realistic 2026 budget in four clicks, using the same ranges we publish from 40+ shipped titles.
How we calculate it
The ranges come from our own production work and match our published guides: the mobile game development cost breakdown, the mobile game timeline guide, porting a mobile game to Steam and how to soft launch a mobile game. What moves a real quote most is art style, content volume (5 characters or 50, 10 levels or 400) and how complete your design document is. If you want to tighten the number, our guide on writing a game design document shows what studios price from.
Frequently asked questions
How accurate is this game cost calculator?
It gives the same ranges we publish from 40+ shipped titles, so it is a realistic starting budget, not a quote. Art style, content volume and how complete your design document is move the final number most. Send us your brief and we reply with a fixed price within 48 hours.
Does building for iOS and Android double the cost?
No. With a cross-platform engine like Unity, the second mobile platform adds roughly 10-15% for store compliance, device testing and platform-specific fixes, not a second build.
What does a soft launch cost?
Plan $5,000 to $40,000 in user-acquisition media depending on genre, run over 6 to 12 weeks in test markets before a worldwide launch. That spend is separate from the build cost.
How much should I budget after launch?
Budget 15-20% of the build cost per year for maintenance: OS and SDK updates, store policy changes and crash fixes. LiveOps content, events and new features are on top of that.
Can I start smaller than these ranges?
Yes. Our 4-week MVP sprint starts at $4,000 and gets a concept to a playable, testable build you can put in front of players, publishers or investors before committing to full production.