Common Beginner Mistakes in GDevelop (And How to Avoid Them)

Introduction

Starting game development with GDevelop is honestly one of the best decisions a beginner can make. It’s visual, no-code friendly, and you can literally see your game coming alive without touching heavy programming stuff. But lemme be real with you for a second… just because GDevelop is “easy” doesn’t mean beginners don’t mess up. They do. A lot. I did too. Everyone kinda does in the beginning you know.

Most GDevelop beginner mistakes don’t happen because someone is dumb or careless. They happen because the engine feels simple at first and then suddenly you hit a wall like why is my character floating or why the game is lagging or why nothing is working. That’s normal. Game development is trial and error. The good part is these mistakes are fixable and once you know them, you level up super fast.

This article is basically a friendly guide from one dev to another about common GDevelop problems and how to avoid them without losing motivation.

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Why Beginners Struggle with GDevelop

GDevelop markets itself as beginner friendly, and it truly is. But beginners often expect instant results. Like open engine, drag some sprites, boom hit game. Reality is a bit different. There is logic, structure, optimization, and design thinking involved. Not coding exactly, but still thinking like a developer.

Another reason is information overload. You open GDevelop and there are scenes, objects, events, variables, behaviors, extensions. It’s exciting but also confusing. Many game development mistakes beginners make come from rushing instead of understanding basics slowly.

Also beginners copy tutorials blindly. Tutorials are helpful but if you don’t understand why something is done, the moment you try something new it breaks. And then frustration kicks in.

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Most Common Beginner Mistakes

Let’s talk about the real stuff now. These are not theoretical mistakes. These are the things almost every new GDevelop user does at least once.

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Mistake 1: Poor Event Organization

Events are the heart of GDevelop. If events are messy, your whole game becomes messy. Beginners often dump everything into one long event sheet with no grouping or comments. At first it feels fine. After 200 lines… nightmare.

You open the project next day and you’re like
what is this?
why is this here?
why is my enemy spawning 500 times?

This is one of the biggest common GDevelop problems.

How to Avoid It

• Use event groups. Seriously they are lifesavers.
• Name your events logically like “Player Movement” instead of “Event 12”.
• Add comments. Even a short “handles jump logic” helps future you.
• Separate global logic and scene logic.

Think of event sheets like a room. Clean room equals clear mind. Messy room equals stress.

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Mistake 2: Ignoring Variables and Object Logic

Many beginners rely only on scene objects and behaviors. Variables sound scary at first so they avoid them. Big mistake. Variables are not coding monsters. They are just containers for values.

Without variables your game becomes rigid. You can’t track score properly, health becomes weird, enemy AI becomes random in a bad way. Learning object variables and scene variables is one of the best GDevelop tips for beginners.

How to Avoid It

• Start small. Create a “Score” variable.
• Use object variables for enemy health instead of making separate enemies.
• Learn difference between global, scene, and object variables.
• Watch one proper variable tutorial and practice.

Once variables click, your logic becomes cleaner and more powerful. It’s like unlocking a new brain level honestly.

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Mistake 3: Overloading Scenes

This is super common. Beginners try to put the entire game into one scene. Menu, gameplay, shop, boss fight, credits… all inside one scene. It feels efficient but it kills performance and organization.

Scenes are meant to be separated. Each scene has its own purpose. When everything is inside one scene, debugging becomes painful and performance drops especially on mobile.

How to Avoid It

• Create separate scenes for menu, levels, and UI heavy parts.
• Keep gameplay scenes focused on gameplay.
• Use external events to share logic across scenes.
• Think modular, not monolithic.

Trust me splitting scenes early saves huge time later. It’s one of the simplest answers to how to avoid errors in GDevelop.

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Mistake 4: Not Testing Frequently

Some beginners build for hours without testing. Then they press preview and the game explodes with bugs. This is like writing an exam without checking questions first.

Frequent testing helps you catch small issues before they become giant monsters. Even pro devs test every few minutes. It’s not weakness, it’s smart workflow.

How to Avoid It

• Preview after every major change.
• Test on mobile if your game targets phones.
• Use debugger tools inside GDevelop.
• Play your game like a player not like a developer sometimes.

Testing early and often is one of the most underrated GDevelop tips for beginners but it makes massive difference.

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Mistake 5: Performance and Optimization Issues

Beginners love adding particles, lighting, massive sprites, dozens of enemies. Looks cool but devices start lagging. Performance optimization feels boring but it’s essential.

Many game development mistakes beginners make come from ignoring optimization until it’s too late.

How to Avoid It

• Limit number of objects spawning at once.
• Use smaller sprite sizes where possible.
• Disable unnecessary behaviors.
• Avoid constant “Every Frame” heavy checks if not needed.
• Profile performance occasionally.

Optimization is not about removing fun. It’s about making fun playable on real devices.

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How to Avoid These Mistakes

The biggest secret honestly is mindset. Don’t rush. GDevelop is powerful but learning takes time. Watch tutorials but experiment too. Read documentation sometimes even if it feels boring. Community forums and Discord servers are goldmines.

Another important thing is iteration. Build small games first. Platformers, endless runners, puzzle games. Small projects teach more than giant unfinished dreams. Each small project reduces GDevelop beginner mistakes naturally.

Also backup your projects. Losing progress hurts motivation more than bugs ever will.

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Helpful Tips for New Developers

Here are some quick practical tips that answer many common beginner questions directly:

How do I make my GDevelop game smoother
Reduce object count, optimize sprites, and avoid heavy every-frame logic.

Why is my player not moving correctly
Check event order and behaviors. Movement events conflicting is very common.

How do I manage multiple enemies
Use object variables and groups instead of cloning logic repeatedly.

How can I learn GDevelop faster
Build mini games weekly instead of one big project monthly.

Is copying tutorials bad
No, but understand the logic behind them. Don’t just paste events.

Also join communities. Seeing other indie dev workflows builds confidence and gives realistic expectations. Everyone struggles at first, you’re not alone.

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Conclusion

Making mistakes in GDevelop is not failure. It’s literally part of becoming a game developer. Every messy event sheet, broken collision, laggy scene… they are lessons disguised as bugs. The key is awareness and improvement.

If you focus on clean event organization, smart variable usage, proper scene management, frequent testing, and performance optimization, you’ll automatically avoid most common GDevelop problems. Progress becomes smoother and game creation becomes fun again instead of stressful.

Game development is kinda like leveling up a character. You start weak, confused, pressing random buttons. Then slowly you understand mechanics, strategy, timing. Same here. Keep building, keep experimenting, and don’t be afraid of errors. They are your unofficial teachers you know.

And honestly… the moment your game finally runs smoothly and someone else plays it, all those beginner mistakes suddenly feel worth it.