How to Learn C++ in 2026?

Find a project and work on it. What is your objective?

I use the Back to Basic videos from CPP con. You can find playlists of these https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NReDubvNjRg&list=PLHTh1Inhhw...

Those are from 2023 but they have others if you search on their youtube page

The Cherno has a intro to cpp series as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18c3MTX0PK0&list=PLlrATfBNZ9...

You might start with Stroustrup's A Tour Of C++. That will get you most of the concepts and features, and why the concepts are the way they are.

I personally did the following:

1. Ploughed thru every problem in "Schaum's Outline of Programming With C++". It's an old book, but the code in it is not particularly different from modern C++

2. Picked up "C++ Crash Course: A Fast-Paced Introduction" to fill in the gaps, understand what wasnt explained in (1) etc

This website https://www.learncpp.com/, while it may look like other half-baked tutorial websites, is excellent is filled with up to date nuanced information. It covers basically everything you will need. It's extremely high quality.

Even if you don't follow it step by step sequentially, it's an excellent reference if learning from another resource.

This + actually working on a small project you want to accomplish is probably the best way to learn.

If what you are really interested in is system programming, not the C++ language, learn Rust instead.

For a beginner;

1) C++ Primer 5th edition (updated to C++11) by Stanley Lippman, Josee Lajoie, Barbara Moo. Don't bother with any other book until you have made a full pass over this. You can later update yourself to C++20/C++23/etc. from the books by Stroustrup/Others.

2) Inside the C++ Object Model by Stanley Lippman. An old classic to understand the "C++ Abstract Machine" built on top of the "C Abstract Machine".

PS: The Definitive C++ Book Guide and List - https://stackoverflow.com/questions/388242/the-definitive-c-...

I am part of a game dev focused Discord server where people regularly ask how to get into C++. Because of this (and similar) repeating questions I've put together this repository as a guide. Note that this is full of my personal opinions and experiences; feel free to disagree.

https://github.com/W4RH4WK/cpp-init

In 2026, you should learn "Modern C++" instead of "C++".

And, about "Modern C++", the book is definitively one of the best.