Making a Small Game with AI Agents: What Works and What Doesn't

You can make a small game with AI agents, especially a simple 2D or browser game, if you keep the scope tight and playtest it yourself. Agents are great at writing game code, wiring up menus and fixing bugs, but they cannot feel whether a jump is satisfying or a level is fun. That part is still your job.

This guide covers what works, what does not, and a practical plan for shipping a small game with AI help.

What “making a game with AI agents” means

Here we mean using AI coding agents, such as Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI or OpenCode, to write the code of your game. The agent works in a project folder, creates files, runs the game’s build or tests, and fixes errors.

This is different from tools that generate a whole game from a prompt. With coding agents, you get real source code that you own and can keep improving. If you are new to this style of building, our explainer on vibe coding is a good primer.

What works well

Small, well-known game types

Agents have seen countless examples of classic games. Simple genres are a sweet spot:

• Puzzle games (match-three, sliding tiles, word games)
• Endless runners and simple platformers
• Top-down arcade shooters
• Card and board games
• Idle and clicker games

Browser games and simple engines

Games that run in a web browser with HTML canvas or a lightweight 2D library are easy for agents to build and easy for you to test: open the page, play, give feedback. Agents can also work with established engines, but text-based projects are smoother than ones that depend heavily on a visual editor.

Game logic and systems

Agents handle the “spreadsheet” parts of games well:

• Scoring, timers and difficulty curves
• Inventory, upgrades and save systems
• Collision detection for simple shapes
• State machines for menus, pause screens and game over

Bug fixing

Describe the bug precisely (“the player falls through the floor when jumping at the right edge of a platform”) and an agent can often find and fix it quickly.

Tests for game rules

Agents can write automated tests for rules, such as “matching three gems removes them and adds score.” Tests are especially valuable in games because a fix in one place often breaks something else.

What does not work well (yet)

Game feel

Whether movement feels tight, a hit feels punchy or a level feels fair cannot be checked by reading code. Agents can adjust numbers, but you need to play and say “jump is too floaty, shorten the airtime.”

Fun

Agents can implement a mechanic, but they cannot tell you whether it is fun. Only playtesting answers that, ideally with people other than you.

Large, open-ended scope

“Make an open-world RPG” overwhelms any agent. The project grows beyond what fits in context, systems collide, and bugs multiply. Small, finished games beat big, unfinished ones.

Art and audio consistency

Coding agents write code, not polished art. They can draw placeholder shapes or wire up assets you provide, but a consistent visual style needs a human artist, an asset pack you have the rights to, or a dedicated tool.

Visual-editor-heavy workflows

When much of a game lives in an engine’s visual editor, scene files and inspector settings, agents have less to work with. Code-first projects suit them better.

A quick overview

Area	AI agents	You
Core game code	Strong	Review and direct
Menus, UI, saves	Strong	Light review
Bug fixing	Strong with clear reports	Write precise bug reports
Rule tests	Strong	Decide what matters
Game feel and balance	Weak	Playtest and tune
Art and sound style	Weak	Provide or choose assets
Deciding what is fun	Cannot	Your call

Step-by-step: shipping a small game

1. Write a one-page design

Keep it short:

• Core loop: what the player does every few seconds.
• Goal: how you win or score.
• Controls: keyboard, mouse or touch.
• Scope: “One level, three enemy types, a score screen.”
• Look: “Pixel art, dark background, bright colors.”

The more concrete, the better. Our guide on prompting AI agents has more on turning ideas into clear instructions.

2. Start with a playable prototype

Ask for the smallest version that you can play: a square that moves and jumps, one obstacle, a restart key. Play it right away.

3. Add one feature at a time

Enemies, then scoring, then a menu, then sound. After each feature, play the game. Small steps make it obvious what broke.

4. Keep the project in Git

Commit after each working feature. If an agent’s change makes the game worse, roll back instead of trying to untangle it.

5. Add tests for the rules

Ask the agent to test scoring, win and lose conditions and save data. Let it run those tests after every change.

6. Playtest and give specific feedback

Instead of “make it better,” try:

• “Enemies spawn too fast after level two; halve the spawn rate.”
• “Add a short screen shake when the player is hit.”
• “The jump button feels delayed; check input handling.”

7. Bring in art and sound

Replace placeholders with assets you have rights to. Ask the agent to load them, set up animations and adjust collision boxes to match.

8. Polish and ship

Add a title screen, a game over screen and simple settings. Publish a browser game on a game hosting site or your own website.

Using a team of agents for a game

Games split naturally into parts: gameplay, UI, levels and tests. A team of agents can work on these in parallel, with a lead coordinating and reviewing.

In BotQuarters, a team lead agent breaks your game goal into tasks, assigns teammates, reviews and merges their work, and the team runs the project’s tests before you see the result. You still do the playtesting and decide what is fun. For more on how agent teams coordinate, see multi-agent systems explained.

FAQ

Can AI make a whole game by itself?

AI agents can write most of the code for a small game, but they cannot judge whether it is fun or feels good to play. You still need to design the idea, playtest, give feedback and provide art and sound.

What kind of game is easiest to make with AI?

Small 2D games in familiar genres, such as puzzles, endless runners and arcade games, are easiest. Browser games are especially convenient because you can play and test them instantly.

Do I need to know how to code to make a game with AI?

Not necessarily for a small game, but some basics help a lot. Being able to run the game, read error messages and describe bugs clearly will make the agents far more effective.

Can AI agents work with game engines?

Yes, agents can write scripts and code for many engines. They work best when most of the game lives in code files, and less well when a lot depends on an engine’s visual editor.