If you want to go the easier route, C# is the way to go because C# is easier to learn for complete beginners.
It’s not that C++ is hard to learn, but there are some differences between the two languages, such as C++ having pointers and references, but when you learn the fundamentals of programming with either of the two languages, everything after that is much easier.
These fundamentals include understanding classes, variables, functions, objects, and inheritance and using them to model the behaviors of your game objects.
We have created both C# and C++ series where we teach the fundamental concepts to make it easier for beginners to learn game development.
You can learn C# fundamentals by clicking here.
You can learn C++ fundamentals by clicking here.
When it comes to use, C++ is more used in the game development industry than C#.
C# is mainly used by Unity, and while there are thousands of Unity game developer jobs available, C++ is used in other game engines, including custom game engines big game studios have created for their own uses.
No matter which language you choose to learn first, be that C# or C++, when you learn one, you will easily learn the second language.
To paint a clear picture, when you learn to code in C#, you can easily learn how to code in C++ in 5 days or less.
Which language you should learn first, again, depends on your goal. If you want to get a job in a game studio, we recommend that you start with Unreal Engine and C++.
It’s not that you can’t get a job if you know Unity and C#, but C++ is more used in the AAA game industry and more opportunities are available. But again, there are thousands of jobs available for Unity developers as well.
If you want to become an ideal candidate that game studies will hardly reject, then learn both Unity and Unreal, C# and C++, and drastically increase your chances of getting hired in a game studio.
If you want to go the indie route and create your own games, it will depend on which type of game you want to create.
Unity is much better than Unreal when it comes to creating 2D games. Unity has way more tools and additions that will help you create a 2D game faster, and you can easily add more features to it.
Unreal Engine is famous for its graphical capabilities(see the graphical comparison of Unity and Unreal) and thus is a common choice for 3D games.
But again, you can create the same 3D game with Unity and Unreal, and the difference will be very small in terms of looks, and even that will be hard to notice even for hardcore gamers.