
Game Programming Patterns
by Robert Nystrom · first published 2011
161mentions
120recommended by
134HN commenters
2012–2026first – last mentioned
90% recommend9% neutral1% critical
Why HN recommends it
Conversational, readable tour of software design patterns with pseudo code and game examples (flyweight, components, data locality). Useful to non-game developers and those who found the Gang of Four dry.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
From the author: "Game Programming Patterns is a collection of patterns I found in games that make code cleaner, easier to understand, and faster."
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.





Recently I read Game Programming Patterns by Bob Nystrom. Written in a really conversational tone but still includes pseudo code outlining each pattern. Really enjoyed it. Master's of Doom is a little over-reccomended in this category but for…
on “Deeper Than Pixels: A Reading List on Video Games” ↗Answer by OpenAI: One resource that may be helpful is the book "Game Programming Patterns" by Robert Nystrom. This book covers a variety of topics related to game programming, including architecture, design patterns, and optimization. Also, the blog "Gamasutra" has a section devoted to game…
on “Ask HN: Good resources for architecting simulation games?” ↗Game Programming Patterns from Robert Nystrom covered a lot of ground for me.
on “Why I Hate Frameworks (2005)” ↗Thanks! And BTW Nystrom's Game Programming Patterns is one of a few great books on game programming, so I take comparison as a compliment :-)
on “Development and Deployment of Massively Multiplayer Games” ↗I've got a book called "Game Programming Patterns" by Robert Nystrom which goes into this. It's not advanced, but it's very good.
on “Ask HN: Best books on AI?” ↗…https://developer.nvidia.com/gpugems/GPUGems/gpugems_pref01.... http://www.realtimerendering.com/resources/shaderx/ For a general game engine overview: Game Engine Architecture by Jason Gregory (Naughty Dog) Game Programming Patterns: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Game-Programming-Patterns-Robert-Ny... Realtime rendering overview: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Real-Time-Rendering-Third-Tomas-Ake... Related math: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Math-Primer-Graphics-Game-Developme...…
on “How Unreal Renders a Frame” ↗Bob Nystrom is a fantastic writer. If you like this book, then I would highly recommend his previous book Game Programming Patterns. Even if you don't write games, there's a lot of great stuff in here. He's a very good teacher.
on “Crafting Interpreters” ↗Bob Nystrom (aka munificent)'s previous book "Game Programming Patterns"[0] is really nice, and there's lots of things in there that work outside of a game context. [0] gameprogrammingpatterns.com
on “Crafting Interpreters: Closures” ↗A very good pattern book that I've found to be incredibly well written is Robert Nystrom's Game Programming Patterns. I'm a huge pattern advocate, and have consulted the Gang of four pattern book many times, as well as Christopher Alexanders' A Pattern Language. Still, Nystrom presents some new patterns with very concrete…
on “Books I recommend to my software engineering students” ↗Sure are. I suggest you read the freely available (and most excellent) “Game Programming Patterns” by Rob Nystrom.
on “Are design patterns relevant with Golang?” ↗Game Programming Patterns by Nystrom. Great book, a lot of the ideas apply outside of games Use of Weapons by Ian M. Banks. I was going to suggest the first book in the culture series but when I looked it was claimed to be…
on “Ask HN: What good books are not bestsellers?” ↗Game Programming Patterns. The Google SRE book is a little dry but has a lot of good content.
on “Ask HN: What are the best short tech/engineering books you have read?” ↗The author, Bob Nystrom, also wrote Game Programming Patterns which I think is just as good. You might also like Charles Petzold's book Code.
on “Crafting Interpreters: A Review” ↗Game Programming Patterns, by Bob Nystrom. Foundations of Game Engine Development (4 volumes), by Eric Lengyel.
on “Ask HN: What are the foundational texts for learning about game programming?” ↗There's a book from 2014 that's all about game programming patterns: https://www.amazon.com/Game-Programming-Patterns-Robert-Nyst... I pulled it out recently and it still has its usefulnes.
on “Game Design Wiki” ↗