ULTIMATE GUIDE FOR GAME DEV TYCOON

This guide covers every single aspect of Game Dev Tycoon; the Achievements, Unlocks, Combinations and Tips.

Introduction

This guide will cover all of the parts of Game Dev Tycoon (Game Combinations, Unlocks and Achievements).
The first time I played the game I kept going bankrupt in the basement stage, mainly because I didn't know what aspects were important with what genres.
If you want to get all of the achievements I recommend you reading the part about achievements first.

Things you should NOT do

1. Creating two or more games in a row which have the same genre/topic.
2. Developing a sequel/expansion within a year.
3. Developing large games with 2D Graphics V3 or lower or 3D Graphics V2.
4. Developing a AAA game without having 3D V6.
5. Developing a AAA game without having all of your employees specialized.

Best Game Combinations

A good game has to have a good combination of Genre, Topic, Audience and Gaming System.
Try to find combinations which have a ++ average.
The ~ means that it doesn't really matter.
In the charts I've added in the images you can see which combinations work.

Topics/Genres Charts.

System/Genre Chart

Genre/Stages Charts (Single Genre)

Genre/Stages Charts (Multi-Genre)

Unlocks

You will start out in your Garage.
To unlock the next office you need 1M.
In that office you get an upgrade and for that you need to be in Year 11 Month 6 Week 2 with 2 employees and 5M.
To get the next office you have to be in Y13 M9 W2, have 4 employees and have 16M.
To unlock the R&D Lab you need to have a Design Specialist.
To unlock the Hardware Lab you have to (after you unlock the R&D lab) get a Technology Specialist.

Research Unlocks;
Target Audience - Y3 M1 W1
Casual Games - Y3 M11 - W1
Marketing - Y4 M5 W2
Sequels - Y8 M6
Multi Genre - Y12 M8
Expansion Pack - Research MMO and have an MMO in sale

R&D Lab Unlocks;
Hardware - After opening
Internet Opportunities - After opening
MMO - After Internet Opportunities
Codename : Grid - After Internet Opportunities
Own Convention - 1M fans or Y23
3D Graphics v6 - 3D Graphics V5 lvl. 4
3D Graphics v7 - 3D Graphics v6 lvl. 4
License Game Engines - After making 10 custom engines
AAA Games - Get a large game with a score of 10
Custom Hardware - Have a Tech Specialist
Marketing Campaign - Develop a AAA game

Tips

When you can accept an interview, always do.
Have balanced Tech and Design employees, 2 Full Design, 2 Full Tech and 2 Balanced and balance your own character.
Always decline the 'investment' because it's scam.
Patch your games.
Always give your fans the source code for your old game engine.
Train all of your employees but don't forget yourself.
Always develop a console (If 200M +).
If you have about 300M just keep creating the same game engines to boost Research Points.
Specialize all of your employees.
Create a company named Activision, get the achievement, make a new game and Create Greenheart and then make your own.

Achievements

You will get all the achievements which I don't explain by just playing the game.

Diversity - Have male and female staff
Famous - Hire someone 'famous' (happens by chance)
Perfect Game - Get a clean score of 10 (try this with Medium/Large games because the bigger the games get the harder it is)
Versatile - Release a successful game in all main genres
Writer's Block - Create a game and wait 1 minute before typing in a name
Eat Cake - When you'll be asked to add barrels to a game add them in an action game
Turn it up to 11 - Get a reviewer to give a 11/10 (Don't try it with AAA)
Treasure Hunter - Create a game named "Pong" in Garage
Bluehair reporting for space duty - Create a game named "Wing Commander" in 2nd building before upgrading it
Welcome to Mars - Create a game named "Doom" in 2nd building before upgrading it
Welcome to your Hospital - Create a game named "Theme Hospital" in 2nd building after upgrading it
Best ride to work ever - Create a game named "Half-Life" in 2nd building after upgrading it
The sky is not the limit - Create a game named "Star Citizen" after unlocking R&D lab
Welcome Chief - Create a game named "Halo" after unlocking R&D lab
Painting with nature - Create a game named "Okami" after unlocking R&D lab (Has to be on a Playsystem)
Inception - Create a Game Dev/Simulation game named "Game Dev Tycoon"
Admirer - Call your company "Greenheart Games"
Fan - Call your company "Activision" (or another known gaming company)
Unobtainium - Get 100M sales on a single game (Possibly the hardest, you can't use expansion packs)

Tips for Unobtainium;
SAVE BEFORE YOU DO THIS.
Get a lot of money (1000M or something) and develop a good AAA game, give it the best marketing and develop it around the G3 (M6)
Bring out a really good game (Average 9-10) and keep it on the market even if it's not making profit.
Keep going to G3's and making your own game conventions to bring attention to it and do contract work to make extra money and just keep that up till you have it.

Helpful?

I hope this guide was helpful for you guys, if it was please rate, comment and maybe favorite.
If you don't understand something just add me and I'll explain in personally.

Thanks for reading.

[O3H3O]

Thx for this beautiful guide

[Osissolo]

Just wanna say every time I play this game again I have this guide handy on another monitor, much appreciated

[rockincost]

I can't find a guide for Detective achievement

[Omega7]

Can you update this? Some Topics, such as Dystopian, aren't included

[Kragain]

The fact that RPG is only a ++ for PC and not +++ really bothers me, lol. Wish there was a mod to adjust that

[MrFisse]

This guide is accurate but setting sliders are a hoot and a half. If you have issues with scores, make a game and when it is finished with all the stages (and you think you have set it right) just take all your Tech points (the green/teal circle) and divide them with your design points (red circle). Look at the " Genre/Stages Charts " and see if you are close to the T/D number in the column for the genre you are developing for. You are probably way of there. And need to learn to adjust the slider during the dev phases to reach the right RATIO

[~Mesugaki]

is this guide no longer accurate? i use it but im still flopping almost every game

[Cpt Taylor]

why are my games getting 5 and 6s even though im following the chart exactly and getting high numbers

[Easypoll]

You can use expansion packs to get the Unobtainium achievement, the guide is wrong

[Kalev]

Last thing, if you can start the process and have the game in development a couple months before the G3 convention, it will significantly boost your hype. I average 500 hype in the mid game for games that are built during convention.

once i self publish large games towards the mid-late game, I get 500 hype and can easily selll a million copies in the first week. once you hit the milestone of 500k/1 million copies sold, it will boost sales further the following couple of weeks. so there are thresholds you are trying to get to.