6 Best Steam Coding Games for New Programmers
Whether you’re new to coding or trying to level up your coding skills, you will find some steam coding games to help you achieve your goal. Playing these games will allow you or your kid to learn the fundamentals crucial to any programming career.
Steam is a renowned online digital video game platform with a library of over 70,000 games. Many games in the Steam library are geared toward helping young people learn how to code while enjoying the process.
This article will share a list of the top games we recommend. Most of the games on this list are beginner-friendly and won’t require you to have any experience in coding. So, without wasting any more of your time, let’s jump right in!
Related: 17 Best Coding Games for Kids This Year
Opus Magnum
Opus Magnum is a popular Steam coding game geared toward beginners. However, anyone who wants to recap some of the programming fundamentals they might have forgotten can also play it. Developed by Zachtronics, this game encourages creativity and cultivates programming thinking, two of the most crucial skills every programmer needs.
When playing this game, you assume the role of a promising alchemist in a world of science and magic. You will utilize the transmutation engine, a powerful tool capable of creating various items such as remedies, gemstones, weapons, and poisons.
You can design and construct machines according to your solutions with programmable arms, customizable tracks, and base components.
7 Billion Humans
7 Billion Humans is also geared toward absolute beginners and serves as a gateway to programming logic. Set in a world where robots have taken over human labor, the game presents a bustling office building filled with puzzles and datacubes to keep everyone occupied.
It offers an opportunity to learn coding by writing programs line by line, with various commands at your disposal. The player’s task is to assign actions to multiple humans within the same room.
These tasks include shredding datacubes or organizing them in a specific order. Should you encounter difficulties or need guidance, the game encourages you to seek help from your floor manager or debug your code.
Asking for assistance is part of the learning process, making the experience both educational and enjoyable.
Autonauts
Autonauts may have adorable low-poly graphics, but that’s not the point. This deep and immersive automation programming game combines elements from farming sims and resource management titles.
While playing this game, your goal is to build your colony, employing worker bots to handle tasks such as construction, crafting, fishing, and more, ensuring the happiness of your colonists.
Automation in “Autonauts” revolves around a visual programming language similar to Scratch. Instead of writing lines of code, you teach your bots what to do through demonstrations.
For instance, when you show a bot how to chop down a tree, the game will generate a script specifically designed for that action. This game also allows you to edit and enhance your scripts by adding parameters. Changing your code triggers creative thinking, allowing you to take your coding skills to the next level.
While True: Learn
While True: Learn is a puzzle simulation game that caters to parents, teachers, and beginner programmers seeking a fun and easy introduction to logical thinking and coding concepts.
In this game, players build a cat-to-human speech recognition system. You will assume the role of a machine learning specialist who finds themselves in a unique situation where their highly skilled coding cat is their partner but can only communicate through “meows.”
How to communicate with this cat will help you learn several coding principles. Like most games on this list, “While True: Learn” is geared toward absolute beginners, offering an entertaining way to familiarize yourself with the fundamentals of machine learning.
As you progress, you will assume the role of a freelance data scientist, accepting contracts, earning money, and upgrading your hardware.
Silicon Zeroes
Silicon Zeroes assumes that the player has stepped back into the 1960s and dived into the heart of Silicon Valley’s inaugural startup. When playing the game, players will have a unique learning experience in computer hardware design and logic problem-solving.
By the end of the game, you will have acquired the knowledge to construct a fully functioning CPU. While “Silicon Zeroes” introduces complex concepts, you don’t need to be a computer enthusiast to have a great time.
The game gradually introduces components and basic concepts, preparing you to tackle more intricate puzzles as you progress. As you advance in the game, you will encounter a couple of “aha!” very satisfying moments. So, give it your best even when facing challenges along the way.
Related: Best 10 Free Coding Games Online: Get Your Coding Fix On!
Robo Instructus
When playing “Robo Instructus,” your goal is to write code that guides your robot through the icy terrain of the planet Bright. Inspired by real-life programming languages, this programming puzzle game is perfect for newcomers to the world of coding. It offers enjoyable challenges that put your problem-solving skills to the test.
Like many beginner-friendly programming games, “Robo Instructus” starts with the basics, teaching you how to navigate the game world using simple movement commands. As you progress further in the game, you unlock more advanced coding techniques.
It is also important to note that each puzzle has multiple solutions, providing numerous opportunities for experimentation and optimization to ensure a diverse and engaging learning experience.
Final Thoughts
These are some of the top-rated Steam coding games we recommend for beginners, including kids and even experienced programmers who may want to refresh their minds with coding concepts.
You can choose based on your budget and the programming concepts you want to learn, as they will vary across different games. Fortunately, all the games on this list are priced under $10, making them a worthy investment if you value the skill of learning how to code.
