Smart Pointers in C++ (unique_ptr vs shared_ptr vs weak_ptr)

What are smart pointers in C++? A smart pointer is a small object that holds a pointer to a heap object. unique_ptr and shared_ptr own the object and delete it when no owner is left. weak_ptr only watches it. In this video: why memory leaks are dangerous in games, what a pointer is, a dangling pointer, how to write unique_ptr, shared_ptr and weak_ptr, and where to use each one. Then a small game project that uses all three, and real lines from the Unreal Engine 5.8 source code. We ran every example on our PC. A game loop that leaks 1 KB per frame lost 244 MB in about 69 minutes at 60 fps, and stopped at our 256 MB memory limit. Subscribe for more game development, explained visually. Chapters: 0:00 Why memory leaks crash games 0:24 What is a pointer in C++ 0:38 Dangling pointer 0:54 What are smart pointers 1:08 unique_ptr and make_unique 1:24 shared_ptr and make_shared 1:45 weak_ptr and lock 2:06 Smart pointers in a game project 2:38 Unreal Engine smart pointers 3:00 unique_ptr vs shared_ptr vs weak_ptr: when to use each Sources: unique_ptr: https://en.cppreference.com/w/cpp/mem... shared_ptr: https://en.cppreference.com/w/cpp/mem... weak_ptr: https://en.cppreference.com/w/cpp/mem... C++ Core Guidelines (R.20 to R.24): https://isocpp.github.io/CppCoreGuide... Unreal Engine smart pointers: https://dev.epicgames.com/documentati... Tests: our own C++ programs (MSVC, x64), run on our PC. Which smart pointer do you use most? Tell me in the comments. #cpp #gamedev #programming