GameMaker Tutorials

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Tutorials on Using GameMaker Software

All tutorials on this page require GameMaker software from YoYo Games. You should install the GameMaker Software from the YoYo Games website and download the GameMaker Resource Pack to your desktop and watch the video on How to Use the Tutorials. If you haven't done those things, please do them before continuing. Make sure you have chosen Advanced Mode from the file menu of GameMaker after you install. Please note that the tutorials currently posted use GameMaker version 7, which is available for download HERE. The link above and the current version of GameMaker is version 8. The tutorials will all work in version 8. Times listed are the length of the video--it will take longer to make your game. Click the name of a tutorial to view it
Complete Game Tutorials
How to Make a Racing Game (Beginner) Length: 1 hour, 23 min	Click the icon to download an example of this game	This tutorial walks you through all the steps to create your own racing car game with GameMaker. You will race against a computer (opponent) car, design a track, add a mini map and a car radio! This tutorial is appropriate for beginners and has no guns or shooting
How to Make an Arcade Game (Beginner) Length: 1 hour, 37 min	Click the icon to download an example of this game	This tutorial is for all skill levels, including beginners. The tutorial will walk you through the steps needed to create a game where the player gains points by destroying enemies and picking up bonuses. You will learn how to warp to a new level, show health and lives, and keep score. This game involves cartoon shooting of objects.
How to Make a Memory Game (Beginner) Length: 1 hour, 5 min	Click the icon to download an example of this game	This tutorial is for all skill levels and teaches how to make a fun memory game, where the player has to remember what the last object added was. You'll learn about using variables, keeping score, giving options for difficulty levels, and drawing shapes through programming.
How to Make a Platform Game (Intermediate) Length: 2 hour, 7 min	Click the icon to download an example of this game	This tutorial is for those who have already completed a beginner tutorial or in some other way have used GameMaker software to make a game. This game involves shooting, health, lives and score, but there is no violence and no blood. You will learn how to make a platform game similar to the older Mario Brothers games! You will learn how to track health, lives and score and display them on the screen. You will make player, enemy and boss attacks, track boss health, use paths, squish enemies and make a drawbridge.
How to Make a Fantasy Adventure Game (Advanced) Length: 2 hour, 24 min	Click the icon to download an example of this game	This tutorial is for those already familiar with GameMaker. While the tutorial guides you through each step of making the game, you should already have made some games before attempting this one. This game involves magic attacks and swords, but there is no violence and no blood. You will learn how to make a multi-level game that involves getting a quest, traveling through different areas and collecting a treasure.
How to Make Space Tek, Part 1 (Advanced) Length: 2 hour, 24 min *NEW*		This tutorial is for those already familiar with GameMaker. While the tutorial guides you through each step of making the game, you should already have made some games before attempting this one. This game has no violence and no blood. You will learn how to make a multi-level game that involves launching a rocket, repairing the Hubble telescope, and returning to Earth. We will keep adding new tutorials to this game as it is open-ended, so you can add more missions. This is Part 1, the Launch.

Shorter Tutorials
Using Tiles to Build a Racetrack (Beginner) Length: 9 min	This tutorial teaches how to create a custom racetrack using tilesets for use with the Race Car Game. This technique will allow you to make as complex of a track as you want.
Using Tiles To Improve the Looks of a Platform Game (Intermediate) Length: 16 min	This tutorial shows how to use Tiles to improve the looks of a platform games. Rather than all the platforms looking the same, tiles allow us to have our platforms be clouds, grass, dirt, etc. This same technique can be used in other games as well.
How to Create & Use Custom Icons (Intermediate) Length: 8 min	This tutorial teaches you how to use a custom icon, rather than the red ball, for your GameMaker standalones. You learn how to use existing icon files and also how to use a piece of software to create your own custom icons.
How to Create a Standalone Version of a Game (Beginner) Length: 2 min	This tutorial demonstrates how to create an EXE version of your game. This creates a standalone file that can be played on any Windows computer, without needing to install GameMaker first.
How to Make Your Game Play in Full Screen Mode (Beginner) Length: 5 min	This tutorial demonstrates how to set GameMaker games to play in full screen mode, either scaled or at 100% size, so that nothing else can be seen on the computer except the game.
Adding an Inventory System to Your Game (Advanced) Length: 63 min	This tutorial shows how to add an inventory system to your game. The example is for the Fantasy game but you can use the same techniques for other games. The system will optionally display the number of items picked up and shows how to pick up coins and use them for health, how to pick up keys and use to warp to a new room and use a special weapon to defeat a boss.