Game ideas you can make in a few minutes
Small ideas make the best first games: one goal, one way to lose, and something to do again and again. Here are 40, by genre. Each "Make it" link opens Go Bananas with the idea typed in, ready for you to change before you send it.
Arcade game ideas
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Asteroid dodger
A space shooter where you dodge asteroids, shoot drones and collect shield power-ups. Arrow keys or tilt to steer, it gets faster every 30 seconds, and a high score table.
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Lily pad hop
A frog hops across a river on lily pads that sink a second after it lands. Tap left or right to jump. How far can you get?
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Neon brick breaker
Break neon bricks with a bouncing ball and a paddle. Some bricks drop power-ups: a wider paddle, three balls, a laser.
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Fruit catcher
Catch falling fruit in a basket and dodge the rotten ones. Three misses and the game ends. Bright cartoon colors.
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Tractor beam
Fly a UFO over a farm and beam up cows before the timer runs out, while the farmer throws pitchforks at you.
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Puzzle game ideas
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Merge the numbers
Slide tiles on a 5 by 5 board; two equal tiles merge into their sum. Reach 1,000 before the board fills up.
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Light switch puzzle
A grid of lights where tapping one flips it and its neighbors. Turn every light off in as few taps as possible, with 20 levels.
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Parking jam
Slide cars and trucks on a grid so the red car can leave the parking lot. 15 levels from easy to hard.
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Pipe connect
Rotate pipe pieces so water flows from the tap to the flower pot before the timer ends.
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Word ladder
Change one letter at a time to turn a start word into a goal word, in as few steps as possible. Give a hint after 30 seconds.
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Racing game ideas
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Shopping cart downhill
Race a shopping cart down a steep hill in 3D, steering around traffic cones and jumping off ramps. Crash and the groceries fly everywhere.
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Snail race
Tap as fast as you can to make your snail beat three computer snails to the finish line. Each snail has a silly name.
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Top-down kart
A top-down kart race on a twisty track with three computer drivers, boost pads and a lap timer.
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Sled run
Steer a sled down a snowy mountain between trees and flags in 3D. Hit a flag for bonus time.
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Tractor pull
Hold to rev a tractor pulling a heavy sled down a dirt track. Too much power and the front wheels lift: release in time or flip over.
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Action game ideas
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Zombie night
Survive waves of zombies in a small town at night with a flashlight and limited ammo. Find ammo crates between waves.
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Robot arena
A top-down arena where you fight robots that get smarter each wave. Twin-stick controls on phones, WASD and mouse on a computer.
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Dragon boss
A boss fight against a dragon with three attack patterns. Dodge with a dash, hit back when it lands.
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Rooftop ninja
Run across rooftops, throw stars at guards and jump the gaps. One hit and you start the rooftop again.
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Pirate cannons
Sail a pirate ship and fire cannons at enemy ships. Aim by holding and releasing; the wind moves the cannonballs.
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Strategy and simulation game ideas
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Tower defense
Place towers along a winding path to stop waves of goblins. Three tower types, upgrades, and a boss every fifth wave.
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Lemonade stand
Run a lemonade stand for 14 days: set the price, buy lemons and sugar, and watch the weather. End with the most money.
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Tiny farm
Plant, water and harvest crops on a small farm, sell them at the market and buy bigger fields.
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Moon base
Build a base on the moon: balance oxygen, power and food as new crew members arrive.
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Traffic lights
Control the traffic lights at a busy crossing. Keep cars and buses moving without a crash; rush hour gets busier every day.
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With friends game ideas
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Draw and guess
One player draws a word, the others guess it in the chat. Points for fast guesses, for 2 to 6 players in a room.
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Giant tic-tac-toe
Tic-tac-toe on a 9 by 9 board where you need five in a row, for two players on their own phones.
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Bumper cars
Bumper cars for up to 4 players in real time: push the others off the ice rink to win the round.
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Quiz night
A quiz for a room of friends: everyone answers on their own phone, and the fastest right answer scores most.
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Card duel
A card game for two: each player gets 5 cards with attack and defense numbers and plays one per turn. First to break the other's castle wins.
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3D game ideas
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Paper plane
Fly a paper plane through a house in 3D, through open doors and around furniture, without touching the floor.
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Crane stacker
Stack shipping containers with a crane in 3D. The tower sways in the wind: how high can it go?
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Penguin slide
Slide a penguin down an icy 3D track, collecting fish and jumping over cracks.
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Maze explorer
Explore a 3D maze in first person, find three keys and open the exit before the torch burns out.
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Bowling alley
Bowl in 3D: swipe to throw, curve the ball with the angle of the swipe, and score ten frames.
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Learning game ideas
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Math blaster
Shoot the asteroid that shows the right answer to a times-table question. It gets faster as you score.
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Flag match
Match country flags to their names before the time runs out, with a map that shows where each country is.
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Piano notes
Notes fall down a piano keyboard; press the right key as each one lands to learn where the notes are.
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Planet sizes
Drag the planets into order from smallest to largest, then see how many Earths fit in each one.
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Typing race
Type the words on the road to make your car go faster. Every mistake slows it down; race three computer cars.
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How to make an idea your own
Take any idea below and change one thing: the hero (a cat instead of a frog), the place (space instead of a river), or the twist (the platforms move, the lights are off, the floor is lava). That's usually enough to make it feel like yours.
Then finish this sentence before you make it: "The player keeps trying to ___ by ___." If you can, the idea is ready. Our guide to game design basics explains why that works, and how to describe a game shows what to put in the description.
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