JAVA GAME DEVELOPMENT WITH LIBGDX: FROM BEGINNER TO PROFESSIONAL

Dean Guadagno
Nov 6, 2025
2 min read

Updated: Dec 5, 2025

Lee Stemkoski

Design and create video games using Java, with the LibGDX software library. By reading Beginning Java Game Development with LibGDX, you will learn how to design video game programs and how to build them in Java. You will be able to create your own 2D games, using various hardware for input (keyboard/mouse, gamepad controllers, or touchscreen), and create executable versions of your games. The LibGDX library facilitates the game development process by providing pre-built functionality for common tasks. It is a free, open source library that includes full cross-platform compatibility, so programs written using this library can be compiled to run on desktop computers (Windows/MacOS), web browsers, and smartphones/tablets (both Android and iOS).

Beginning Java Game Development with LibGDX teaches by example with many game case study projects that you will build throughout the book. This ensures that you will see all of the APIs that are encountered in the book in action and learn to incorporate them into your own projects. The book also focuses on teaching core Java programming concepts and applying them to game development.

What You Will Learn

How to use the LibGDX framework to create a host of 2D arcade game case studies
How to compile your game to run on multiple platforms, such as iOS, Android, Windows, and MacOS
How to incorporate different control schemes, such as touchscreen, gamepad, and keyboard

Who This Book Is For

Readers should have an introductory level knowledge of basic Java programming. In particular, you should be familiar with: variables, conditional statements, loops, and be able to write methods and classes to accomplish simple tasks. This background is equivalent to having taken a first-semester college course in Java programming.

PUBLICATION DETAILS

LANGUAGE	BINDING	EDITION	ISBN	YEAR	PAGES
English	eBook	1st Edition	9781484215005	2015	276
English	Paperback	2nd Edition	9781484233238	2018	433
English	eBook	2nd Edition	9781484233245	2018	433