Build a 2D Dungeon Crawler with C++ and SDL2

Build a Complete Dungeon Crawler with C++ and SDL2

Wren Zielinski

• Publisher: Chiify
• Year: 2026
• Topic: Computer Science
• eBook ISBN:
  9798259604810
• Subtopic: Programming Games
• Index: Computer Science

Build a complete 2D dungeon crawler from scratch with C++ and SDL2. Go from an empty project to a playable game: set up SDL2, build the game loop, render tile maps and sprites, handle input and collisions, add enemies and combat, and ship a finished dungeon crawler. Every chapter builds on the last with clear, working C++ code — ideal for programmers who know the basics and want to learn real game development by building something fun end to end.

Table of contents

• Build a 2D Dungeon Crawler with C++ and SDL2
• Build a 2D Dungeon Crawler with C++ and SDL2
• Preface
• Chapter 1 — Setting Up the Foundation: Your First SDL2 Window
• Chapter 2 — Variables, Data Types, and Player Stats
• Chapter 3 — The Game Loop: Rendering Sprites and Handling Input
• Chapter 4 — Control Structures for Game State Management
• Chapter 5 — Arrays and Maps: Representing the Dungeon
• Chapter 6 — Functions and Modular Code: Refactoring the Renderer
• Chapter 7 — Classes and Objects: Enemies and the Player
• Chapter 8 — Inheritance and Polymorphism: Enemy Variety
• Chapter 9 — Pointers and Dynamic Memory: Managing a Dungeon Full of Objects
• Chapter 10 — Collision Detection and Physics for Movement
• Chapter 11 — Combat System: Turn-Based or Real-Time?
• Chapter 12 — Item System: Potions, Weapons, and Inventory
• Chapter 13 — Procedural Generation: Random Dungeon Rooms
• Chapter 14 — File I/O: Saving and Loading the Game
• Chapter 15 — Animations and Visual Polish
• Chapter 16 — Sound Effects and Background Music
• Chapter 17 — Optimization and Debugging Techniques
• Chapter 18 — Putting It All Together: Final Polish and Packaging