Native vs. Cross-Platform Mobile Games: Which Approach Is Better?
In just a few years, mobile gaming has grown astronomically. The market stands at a projected value of over $420 bn by 2026. Mobile gaming offers ‘everywhere access’ unlike its console and PC counterparts. But the mobile ecosystem is a vast, nuanced, and diverse landscape.
With two primary OSs (Android and iOS) ruling the roost, choosing between the two or building a game that runs on both is a question that has arisen. Read on as we analyze native game development vs. cross-platform game development so that you can ensure that your next game development initiative is a runaway success.
What are Native Mobile Games?
Native mobile games are games that are developed to function only on a specific OS. Depending on the OS you choose for your game, the game will be coded in a platform-specific coding language.
Some well-known examples of native mobile games include-
Native Game Tools
Not only does native mobile game development need OS-specific software development kits (also known as SDKs) it also needs an integrated development environment (IDE). When it comes to Android games, developers will have to use Android Studio or IntelliJ IDEA. For iOS games, developers will need to use Xcode or AppCode as their IDE.
Pros of Native Mobile Games
Native mobile games come with a list of benefits that include-
Enhanced performance
With native app development, you can create and optimize your game for a specific platform. Compilation using the platform’s core programming language and associated APIs also becomes easy. This makes native game development faster, more efficient, and more responsive to user input.
Better Security
Thanks to robust platform-specific code, native mobile games can offer better security in terms of user data. Native games also have access to the platform's built-in security features.
Engaging UX
Native games offer a smoother experience when it comes to the fluidity of user input and output. Given that the game inherits the device’s OS interface, the look and feel of the game remain consistent vis-a-vis the platform it is built for. Developers can choose to follow design guides prescribed by the OS, making the user flow feel a lot more lucid.
Enhanced Feature Access
Native mobile games can access all the features and functionalities of the device. This results in a richer, more intuitive user experience. Native mobile games also have access to services like push notifications which help in engaging with users even when they are not playing your game.
Cons of Native Mobile Games
While native mobile games have many pros, they also have a few cons. Some drawbacks include-
High Cost
Native mobile games are costlier to deploy. If you wish for your game to be available to users with different OSs on their devices, you will require separate teams of developers for each platform. If you want to run your game on Android, you will require development teams proficient in Java or Kotlin. If you want to release your game on iOS, you would require a separate team of Swift/Objective-C developers.
Development Time
Given that you would need a separate team working on Android and a separate one working on iOS, the time taken to ship your game is immediately doubled. Maintenance, enhancements, and Upgrades also require twice the cost, time, and effort making native game development a resource-intensive process.
No Code Reusability
Given that each platform requires its own programming language, SDK and IDE, You cannot reuse code in native game development. Developers will have to create and keep code in separate projects if they wish to target multiple OSs.
What are Cross-Platform Mobile Games
Cross-platform mobile games share a single codebase and can still be deployed to multiple platforms at the same time. The primary goal of a cross-platform game is to target different operating systems with the same project. Cross-platform games can be created with frameworks combining platform-specific SDKs under a unified API. This enables developers to easily access libraries and platform SDKs. Cross-platform frameworks are usually created by private companies. Some of the most popular cross-platform frameworks are-
Cross-platform mobile games are compiled in a way that the app/game can use native UI elements to make the game feel native to the platform. With cross-platform app development, developers can gain access to exposed sensors like GPS, battery level, camera, and microphone.
Well-known examples of cross-platform mobile games include:
Cross-Platform Tools
To deploy your game on Android, developers still need to have the Android SDK installed and a macOS, Linux, or Windows machine. For iOS, you need to have the ioS SDK, Xcode, and specifically a MacOS machine. Here is a list of IDEs that work well with cross-platform frameworks-
Pros of Cross-Platform Mobile Games
Some of the most common benefits of a cross-platform mobile game are-
Reduced Cost
Unlike native mobile games, cross-platform mobile games need just one team of developers. The app also reaches a larger audience offering it the opportunity to test and gain traction in the market.
Extensive Code Reusability
With cross-platform game development, developers only have to draw from one codebase. This results in robust applications and smarter business.
Recommended by LinkedIn
Faster Development
Given that developers have to write code only once and can deploy it everywhere, cross-platform game development translates into shorter development timeframes and a faster time-to-market.
Easier Maintenance
It goes without saying that a cross-platform game is a lot easier to update. The focus shifts again to the single codebase of a cross-platform mobile game which means that all new builds use the same code, thus ensuring consistency.
Cons of Cross-platform Mobile Games
Cross-platform app development was created especially to combat the limitation of native app development. Yet it has its own disadvantages. Some of them include-
Large Digital Footprint
While mobile optimization options are available, cross-platform applications are usually much larger than their native counterparts.
Difficult to Integrate
Integration with device-specific features can be an issue with cross-platform mobile games. Some hardware integrations like using the device’s GPU may need a native approach.
Lower Performance
Cross-platform frameworks require a custom runtime for each targeted platform to communicate with platform-specific services. This translates into an extra layer of computation which may affect performance levels.
Delayed Platform Features
Most SDK releases come with new features and upgrades. In the case of a cross-platform game, you will require a separate update for the framework used to access the SDKs latest features.
Native Vs. Cross-Platform apps: Which is Best for Your Game Development Initiative
The decision between developing a native vs. a cross-platform mobile game is a crucial one. There are multiple scenarios in which one score over the other and vice-versa.
It is therefore crucial to consider your audience, budgets, timelines, performance, and security needs before you make a decision. Here are a few factors to consider before you choose a development method-
Time to Market
For startups, time to market can be a make-or-break factor. But even in the case of larger, better-financed enterprises, shipping a game project as soon as possible is of critical importance.
A faster time to market is also a significant competitive advantage. Cross-platform development makes more sense than native development in such a scenario as it can prove to be time-consuming and a lot harder to maintain.
Security
Security slipups can result in massive damage to brand perception. Losing user trust is dangerous and therefore freemium or pay-to-win and pay-to-play games (types of games that have a monetary element involved) are best built natively.
Native development offers many built-in features that boost security. File encryption and intuitive fraud detection are essentials to security and are best leveraged in native game development.
Performance
Mobile games have high computing requirements. Games require accelerated performance and little or no lag. In such scenarios native game development scores over cross-platform game development, given that native development optimizes app performance for a specific OS thus facilitating efficient and effective runtimes.
Development Cost
The budgets of companies planning to develop a game vary. If development cost is a factor in your game development initiative, then cross-platform game development is the way to go.
As mentioned earlier, cross-platform application development reaches a larger audience, is faster to build, and can bring in better revenues. With it, you can also keep your costs in check thanks to its code reusability.
How Has Cross-Platform Gaming Developed Over the Years?
In the past, cross-platform compatibility was one of the biggest issues of game development. Game manufacturers like Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft produced and funded titles that were often developed in-house and for their own platforms. Halo was only available on the Xbox, Unchartered ran only on the PlayStation and Mario was Nintendo’s territory.
These ‘exclusives’ helped with brand identity. However, players had to choose between platforms if they wished to play a certain game. With the advent of the smartphone, this soon became true for mobile gaming as well. Temple Run was initially an iOS exclusive and only Android users could enjoy Oceanhorn.
The situation today is a lot different as most game companies are choosing the cross-platform route. One of the biggest advantages of cross-platform game development is cross-platform play or cross-play.
This allows users to play multiple titles on a single device. It also paves the way for multiplayer gaming experiences where users can team up or battle it out with family and friends.
As time progresses, more and more games with cross-platform support are landing on the mobile gaming scene and you can comfortably expect that most multiplayer games (which happen to be the current rage) will come with cross-play support.
In Summation: Cross-Platform for Reach and Native for Stability
To build an appealing, intuitive, and well-received mobile game, you, the app owner, need to choose which OS or OSs you wish your game to be compatible with. While both native and cross-platform can be used for Android and iOS operating systems, the pros, cons, tools, and methods behind both options require careful consideration.
Regardless of whether your users are on iOS or on Android, you need to make sure that you create a game that bakes in security, performance, and scalability. Like everything else, there is no one-size-fits-all solution to developing a successful mobile game. Neither cross-platform app development nor native development is a surefire way to your game development initiatives' success.
As the game’s owner, you must continually assess the unique requirements and goals of each development initiative and decide on whether native or cross-platform game development fulfills your and your user’s objectives. But wait. For stellar mobile game development, you need the right ally. Here is where 300Mind steps in.
What Can 300Mind do for You?
Since our inception, we at 300Mind have consistently surged ahead of our competitors while smashing through benchmarks to become a leading game development company.
With a mission of delivering nothing less than excellence in everything we do, we at 300Mind pride ourselves in being a value-centric development partner ready to be deployed to even the most complex Unreal Engine game development challenges.
Sounds Interesting? Drop us a line and we’ll get in touch with you. Until then, Game On!