How to Create a 3D Survival Game in Godot 4 with GDScript

Name: How to Create a 3D Survival Game in Godot 4 with GDScript
Rating: 4.6 (412 reviews)

Learn to Create a First Person Survival Game with Godot 4 and GDScript. Systems, Gameplay, Design, You'll Learn it All

Created byEerik Hirvonen

Last updated 9/2025

English

German [Auto],English [Auto],

What you'll learn

Master Godot Game Development: Learn 2D, 3D, AI, Physics, Animations, Audio and Much More!
Robust Systems Architecture in Godot: Global Communication, Controllers, Configs, Custom Resources
Clean Gameplay Systems in GDScript: Managers, Multithreading, Composition, Inheritance, Viewports
Overcome Common Game Development Obstacles Easily, Using: Raycasting, Physics Layers, UI Layers, Rendering Techniques
Better File Hierarchy
Using Plugins in Godot
Overall Creating Clean, Scalable and Flexible Systems as an Extremely Solid Base for Bigger Games

Course content

5 sections • 48 lectures • 14h 55m total length

Note0:25
Hi all, glad to see you here!
Important note before you start:
This course is an intermediate level course, so it would be good if you know the basics of Godot (nodes, scenes, signals and autoload) and GDScript (variables, functions, classes) before you start. You can learn the basics in youtube in 30 minutes.
Also, every Godot editor has a good documentation included, so I recommend you to check docs if you don't know what some built-in function or class does. We will also use the docs together during the course.
That being said, glad to have you here, good luck and cheers!

Item Resources4:59
Inventory Manager12:36
Player Menu 1 - UI26:23
Player Menu 2 - Items21:38
Build inventory UI in Godot 4 with GDScript by creating inventory slot scripts, updating icons from item resources, signaling updates, and enabling drag and drop with previews.
Player Menu 3 - Item Descriptions9:40
Wire mouse enter and exit signals on inventory slots to show and hide item descriptions in the player menu. Display the item's name and multiline description from its resource.
Crafting 1 - Pre-configurations23:00
Configure craftable items and crafting blueprints in a Godot 4 project, linking item keys, costs, and blueprints. Build a 3x3 crafting grid with interactive crafting buttons and icons.
Crafting 2 - Creating New Items24:39
Implement a hover crafting UI in Godot 4 that shows item descriptions and crafting costs from the blueprint. Update inventory on craft and manage button states for multi-tool and tinderbox.
Hotbar23:33
Item Equipping20:05
Axe Swinging23:20

Woodchopping30:44
First Person Weapons Rendering Problem10:10
Player Energy14:24
Player Health7:21
Eating18:57
Coal Mining13:25
Add coal mining by creating a hittable coal boulder that players strike with a pickaxe to spawn coal, update item resources, blueprints, and inventory pickup.
Peaceful Animal38:01
Animal Fleeing9:51
Hostile Animal27:08
Create a hostile wolf in a 3D survival game using Godot 4 and GDScript, implementing chase and attack via a shared animal template with vision, attack hit area, and navigation.
Building25:59
Build an equippable constructible in Godot 4 with a raycast placement and a 3d area to visualize valid or invalid states, then spawn a tent scene.
Campfire16:45
Cooking 1 - Pre-configurations7:15
Create a cooking recipe resource for Godot 4 with uncooked item visuals and cooked item visuals. Set a five-second cooking time and attach it to an interactable cooker on campfire.
Cooking 2 - UI19:51
Cooking 3 - Logic of Cooking22:40
Adding All Items26:10
Populating The Island24:05

Water Shader10:31
Learn to create a moving water shader in Godot 4 with GDScript using a visual shader, noise textures, color albedo, and a vertex shader to simulate waves.
Music6:33
SFX 1 - System Sounds10:01
SFX 2 - Dynamic Spatial Sounds18:00
SFX 3 - Static Spatial Sounds4:01
Day And Night Cycle10:51
Sleeping17:39
Main Menu32:33
Pause Menu18:53
Threaded Stage Loading27:44
Settings37:56
Saving And Loading Settings27:16
Ending The Game And Credits25:00
Fixes14:27
These fixes ensure items unequip correctly when dragged from inventory, update navmesh after constructing objects, and apply gravity to animals for realistic movement in a Godot 4 survival game.
Polish33:50
Recap0:49
Congratulations!

Requirements

Small understanding of game engines or programming will help you, but not necessary

Description

Upd: Works in Godot 4.5!

Welcome to our comprehensive course on creating a captivating 3D first-person survival game using the Godot Engine 4 and GDScript programming language. Embark on an exciting journey where you'll dive deep into game development, mastering essential skills to craft immersive gameplay experiences.

This is an advanced level course, so I recommend knowing the basics of Godot, like nodes, scenes and GDScript, before starting this one. Everything else will be covered on the course!

Throughout this course, you'll be equipped with the knowledge and tools needed to bring your game ideas to life. Learn the fundamentals of game design as you build a first-person survival game from scratch, complete with intricate mechanics such as item gathering, crafting, hunting, cooking, and building.

One of the core focuses of this course is on establishing a solid systems architecture. You'll delve into creating a well-structured project file hierarchy and develop high-quality, flexible, and scalable game systems with clean and efficient code. By the end, you'll possess the skills to create games that are not only engaging but also easily maintainable and expandable.

Here's a glimpse of what we'll cover:

Implementing a first-person controller
Mastering raycasts for precise object detection and interaction
Adding immersion with sound effects and animations
Enhancing visual effects with particles and tweens
Implementing a state machine AI for enemy behavior
Establishing a global event system for efficient communication between game elements
Designing robust inventory and item equipping systems
Implementing a dynamic day and night cycle for realistic gameplay
Enhancing visual aesthetics with a water shader and custom lighting effects
Utilizing plugins for added functionality and multithreading for improved performance
Creating custom resources

By the end of this course, you'll have the skills and confidence to create your own 3D first-person survival game, ready to share with the world. Join us on this thrilling adventure and turn your game development dreams into reality!

Who this course is for:

Game developers who want to learn more sophisticated and clean systems architecture and game systems
Beginners who want to start their game development journey with a strong foundation

How to Create a 3D Survival Game in Godot 4 with GDScript

What you'll learn

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Course content

Before we start1 lecture • 1min

Let's Get Started5 lectures • 1hr 36min

Items10 lectures • 3hr 10min

Gameplay16 lectures • 5hr 13min

Finalization16 lectures • 4hr 56min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: