C++
C++ is the high-performance language behind game engines, browsers, operating systems and trading platforms, offering direct hardware control.
- Brand
- ISO C++ Committee
- Category
- Programming Languages
- Released
- 1985
- Price
- Not published
- VersusAnything Score
- 80/100
Key features
- Maximum performance and control
- Game engines and systems software
- Huge legacy codebase
Best for engineers building games, engines, embedded systems or latency-critical software.
C++ specifications
| Typing | Static, weak-ish (explicit casts allowed) |
|---|---|
| Execution model | Compiled to native machine code |
| Main paradigms | Multi-paradigm: procedural, object-oriented, generic |
| Memory management | Manual with RAII and smart pointers |
| Typical runtime performance | Fastest tier; near-C speed |
| Concurrency model | std::thread, atomics, coroutines (C++20) |
| Main uses | Games, engines, OS kernels, browsers, finance, embedded |
| Package manager | vcpkg, Conan (no single standard) |
| Learning curve | Hard |
| TIOBE rank (2025, approx.) | 2 |
Score breakdown
- Overall (100%)
Scored against every programming language in our database using the programming languages weighting.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Maximum performance and control
- Game engines and systems software
- Huge legacy codebase
- Strong overall score (80/100 within programming languages)
Cons
- No weak scoring group in its category
Compare C++ against
Alternatives to C++
- Python 100/100
- JavaScript 40/100
- Java 60/100
- Go (Golang) 20/100
- Rust 0/100
Sources
- C++: ISO C++ Committee official (manufacturer)
Specifications last verified: 2026-10-01. Prices are launch or official list prices in US dollars unless stated. See our sources and data policy.