How I Built a Block Puzzle Game with React Native and Expo

A few weeks ago, I launched my first mobile game — a block puzzle called Blockbeam. It's an 8x8 grid where you drag colorful blocks, fill rows and columns, and chase high scores. Simple concept, but building it taught me a lot about React Native's capabilities beyond typical CRUD apps.

Here's what I learned.

Why React Native for Games?

Most mobile games are built with Unity or native code. But for a 2D puzzle game, React Native is surprisingly capable. The game doesn't need 60fps 3D rendering — it needs gesture handling, state management, and smooth animations. React Native handles all three well.