How to build a playable video game from scratch with Claude
Hey, it's Cindy 🌱 I built a little playable puzzle game from scratch, no coding, just by describing what I wanted to Claude Code. This guide is the exact flow.
btw the waitlist for AI System Club is now open! If you're keen on using AI to automate your content, video editing, job search, business or build AI agents, feel free to sign up (only if you want to hehe). Ps. the waitlist gets first dibs:)
the idea
What you actually build
A browser game is just a single web page: some HTML, a bit of JavaScript, and an HTML5 <canvas> element that Claude draws the game onto. No frameworks, no build step, no downloads. That is why this works with zero coding, the whole game lives in one file your browser can open, and Claude writes every line.
The game in the reel: a puzzle where you control a little blob, and a "split mechanic" lets the blob split into two so you steer both at once to solve puzzles. You can swap in any idea (a maze, a platformer, a top-down shooter). The flow is identical.
before you start
What you need before you start
🧠 Claude Code, Anthropic's agentic coding tool. It reads and writes files, runs the game, and fixes its own errors. It runs in your terminal, in VS Code, or fully in your browser at claude.ai/code, so you do not have to touch a terminal if you don't want to.
💳 A paid Claude plan. Claude Code is bundled with Pro ($20/mo, or $17/mo billed annually) and Max ($100/mo+). The free plan does not include Claude Code. Source: claude.com/pricing.
Run these one at a time in Claude Code. Wait for each to finish, play the result, then send the next.
1. Build the base game. This is the one prompt that gets you most of the way there.
1 · the base game
Build me a browser puzzle game in a single HTML file using plain JavaScript and an HTML5 canvas, no frameworks and no build step. I control a small blob that moves with the arrow keys around a level with walls and a goal tile. Keep the code in one file called index.html so I can open it directly in my browser. Add clear comments so I can follow what each part does.
2. Add the fun mechanic. This is the part that makes it yours.
2 · the fun mechanic
Now add a split mechanic. When I press the spacebar, the blob splits into two blobs and my arrow keys move both at the same time. I win the level when both blobs reach a goal tile at once. Design one puzzle level that can only be solved by splitting.
3. Run it and let Claude verify.
3 · make it verify itself
Open index.html and check the game actually runs. If anything errors in the console, read the error, fix it, and tell me what you changed.
4. Fix bugs by describing what you see. You do not debug code, you describe the symptom in plain words.
4 · the bug report
When I press space, only one blob moves and the other freezes. Both blobs should respond to the arrow keys at the same time. Fix this and tell me what was wrong.
ship it
How to run and share it
▶️ To play it yourself: ask Claude Code to "open index.html in my browser" or just double-click the file it created. For games that need a local server, ask Claude to "start a local server and give me the localhost link" (usually something like http://localhost:5173). Localhost only works on your own machine.
🔗 To send it to a friend: the fastest free option in 2026 is Cloudflare Drop, drag your game folder to cloudflare.com/drop and you get a live link with no account needed (the free preview lasts 60 minutes, claim it to a free account to keep it forever). Source: Cloudflare Drop.
🗂️ To keep it live permanently and free:GitHub Pages or Netlify both host a static game for free. Ask Claude Code to "help me deploy this to GitHub Pages" and it will walk you through it.
go further
3 bonus prompts to run next
🔊 Add sound: "Add simple sound effects using the Web Audio API, a soft blip when a blob moves and a happy chime when I win. Do not use any external audio files."
👆 Make it work on phones: "Add on-screen touch controls so I can play this on my phone, a d-pad in the bottom corner and a split button."
🏆 Add depth: "Add three levels that get harder, a move counter, and a screen that says how many moves I took to solve each one."
pick your level
How to get the most out of it
🌱 If you're new describe the game like you're explaining it to a friend, not like a spec. "A blob that splits in two" is enough, Claude fills in the rest. When something breaks, just tell it the symptom ("the blob walks through walls") and let it fix the code.
🚀 If you're further along ask Claude to keep everything in one file for portability, add a short comment block at the top explaining the game loop, and after each change ask it to "run it and confirm it works before telling me it's done" so it verifies its own build instead of guessing.
the honest bit
An honest heads-up
The first version rarely runs perfectly, and that is normal, the whole method is the back-and-forth: run it, something breaks, describe what broke, Claude fixes it. Simple 2D games (puzzles, mazes, arcade) work beautifully this way. Big 3D or physics-heavy games are a much bigger project and usually want a real engine like Godot or a library like Three.js, which Claude can still help with, just expect more rounds.
the waitlist is now open
AI System Club is launching soon
Build AI systems with me through recorded lessons you can follow at your own pace. Join the waitlist for first access and the founding price.
btw this list gets first dibs the moment doors open :)