PyGame Tutorial

Pygame is a free and open-source library for making games and multimedia applications in Python. It helps us create 2D games by giving us tools to handle graphics, sounds and user input (like keyboard and mouse events) without needing to dig deep into complex stuff like graphics engines.

• Release date: 28 October 2000
• Programming languages: Python, C, Cython, Assembly language
• Developer: Pete Shinners
• License: GNU Lesser General Public License
• Stable release: 2.5.0 / 24 June 2023; 6 months ago

What we can do with Pygame:

1. Draw shapes, images and text on the screen
2. Play music and sound effects
3. Detect keyboard, mouse or joystick input
4. Control the frame rate of your game
5. Build simple 2D games like platformers, puzzles or shooters

Interesting Facts about PyGame

• Pygame is Over Two Decades Old: Pygame was first released in the year 2000! It’s been helping people make games with Python for over 20 years.
• Built on Top of SDL: Pygame is a wrapper for SDL (Simple DirectMedia Layer), which is a powerful low-level multimedia library used in many commercial games.
• No Game Engine Needed: Unlike Unity or Unreal, Pygame is more low-level — it gives you the tools to build everything from scratch, helping you learn core game development logic.
• Tiny File Size: Despite its power, Pygame is lightweight and doesn’t require huge installations or tools.
• Pygame Zero is a Simplified Version: There’s a simpler version called Pygame Zero, which is made for kids and beginners to start coding games with almost zero setup.

Code Example of Pygame:

• This code creates a basic Pygame window with the title “Hello Pygame”.
• It runs a loop that keeps the window open and listens for events like closing the window.
• When the close button is clicked, the loop stops, and the game exits cleanly.
• It’s the typical starting point for any Pygame project to get a working window on screen.

import pygame

# Initialize Pygame
pygame.init()

# Set up the game window
screen = pygame.display.set_mode((400, 300))
pygame.display.set_caption("Hello Pygame")

# Game loop
running = True
while running:
    for event in pygame.event.get():
        if event.type == pygame.QUIT:
            running = False

# Quit Pygame
pygame.quit()

Output

PyGame

PyGame Tutorial

To get the latest stable version of pygame, you can download it from this link.

Introduction

In this section, we’ll start with the basics of Pygame. You’ll get an idea of what Pygame is, how it works and why it’s popular for creating 2D games with Python. We’ll walk through how to set it up on both Windows and MacOS and even include a few interesting facts that’ll give you a better feel for the Pygame world.

• Introduction to pygame
• Getting Started with Pygame
• How to install Pygame in Windows?
• Install Pygame on MacOS
• Interesting Facts about PYGAME

Getting Started

In this part, we’ll learn how to import and initialize Pygame, create a game window, customize things like the window name, background color and icon and understand how the game loop works. We’ll also touch on key concepts like surfaces and handling time in Pygame and all the building blocks needed before you start adding game elements.

• PyGame – Import and Initialize
• How to initialize all the imported modules in PyGame?
• How to create an empty PyGame window?
• How to get the size of the PyGame Window?
• Allowing resizing window in PyGame
• How to change screen background color in Pygame?
• How to Change the Name of a Pygame window?
• How to set up the Game Loop in PygGame?
• How to change the PyGame icon?
• Pygame – Surfaces
• Pygame – Time

Drawing Shapes

In this section, we’ll explore how to draw basic shapes using Pygame. You’ll learn how to create rectangles (including ones with rounded corners) and how to use Pygame’s drawing tools to place different shapes and objects onto the game window. These are the visual elements that help bring your game to life.

• Pygame – Drawing Objects and shapes
• Python | Drawing different shapes on PyGame window
• How to draw a rectangle in Pygame?
• How to draw a rectangle with rounded corners in PyGame?

Event Handling

In this part, we’ll look at how your game can react to player actions. You’ll learn how event handling works in Pygame and from detecting key presses to creating custom events. We’ll also cover how to handle user input and even play audio files, making your game feel more interactive and dynamic.

• Pygame – Event Handling
• How to add Custom Events in Pygame?
• Pygame – Input Handling
• How to get keyboard input in pygame?
• Python | Playing audio file in Pygame

Working with Text

In this section, you’ll learn how to work with text in Pygame. We’ll cover how to display text on the screen, customize its appearance and even create a text input box so users can type into your game. This is useful for things like scores, messages or entering player names.

• Pygame – Working with Text
• Python | Display text to PyGame window
• How to create a text input box with Pygame?

Working with images

In this section, you’ll learn how to load and display images in Pygame. We’ll cover how to get image dimensions, rotate, scale and flip images and even let users interact with images using the mouse. These skills will help you add characters, backgrounds and interactive visuals to your game.

• Python | Display images with PyGame
• Getting the width and height of an image in Pygame
• How to Rotate and Scale images using PyGame?
• Pygame – Flip the image
• How to move an image with the mouse in PyGame?
• How to use the mouse to scale and rotate an image in PyGame?

PyGame Advance

You’ll learn how to create buttons, move objects with keyboard input, make them jump, add boundaries and handle collisions. We’ll also cover working with sprites, how to create them, control them and add cool visual effects like color breezing. These topics will help take your game from basic to polished and interactive.

• How to Create Buttons in a game using PyGame?
• Python – Drawing design using arrow keys in PyGame
• Python – Moving an object in PyGame
• Python | Making an object jump in PyGame
• Adding Boundary to an Object in Pygame
• Collision Detection in PyGame
• Pygame – Creating Sprites
• Pygame – Control Sprites
• How to add color breezing effect using pygame?
• Playing audio files in Pygame

Exercise, Applications and Projects

In this section, you’ll put everything you’ve learned into practice through fun exercises, creative visualizations and full projects. From classic games like Snake and Tic Tac Toe to cool effects like snowfall and color breezing, you’ll build real applications using Pygame. You’ll also explore how to visualize algorithms like sorting and searching and even create a Sudoku game. This is where your coding skills turn into playable, visual experiences!

• How to add color breezing effect using pygame?
• Snowfall display using Pygame in Python
• Rhodonea Curves and Maurer Rose in Python
• Creating start Menu in Pygame
• Tic Tac Toe GUI In Python using PyGame
• Snake Game
• 8-bit game using pygame
• Bubble sort visualizer using PyGame
• Ternary Search Visualization using Pygame in Python
• Sorting algorithm visualization: Heap Sort
• Sorting algorithm visualization: Insertion Sort
• Binary Search Visualization using Pygame in Python
• Building and visualizing Sudoku Game Using Pygame