Okuzeka
Game Development vocabulary · Publishing & Release

Port

Meaning in game development, with examples

/pɔːrt/nounCommon term

In game development, port means: A version of a game adapted to run on a different platform from the original, for example a console game brought to PC or a PC game brought to Switch.

In Turkish: port, uyarlama, başka platforma aktarma

How it is used

Also a verb: to port a game to Switch. Specialist studios often do ports for publishers. Reviewers judge a port by its performance and controls, and a lazy or poorly optimized port gets bad reviews.

Example sentences

  1. The PC port has keyboard controls that feel like an afterthought.

  2. We hired an outside studio to port the game to Switch.

Common collocations

  • PC port
  • port a game
  • console port
  • porting studio
  • bad port
  • platformThe hardware or store that a game runs on and is sold through, such as PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, iOS or Android, or a store like Steam.
  • optimizationWork that makes a game run faster and use less memory, battery or bandwidth, for example by simplifying models, reducing draw calls or rewriting slow code.
  • certificationThe process in which a console maker tests a game against its technical rules before allowing it to be released on its platform.
  • publisherA company that funds, markets and distributes games made by a development studio, often also handling platform deals, localization and testing.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Publishing & Release

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: