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How to make a 2D game with AI and play it in minutes

How to make a 2D game with AI, step by step: what to write in the description, which genre to start with, how to tune it with sliders and publish a link.

Fanann Team10 min read
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Quick answer

To make a 2D game with AI, write a description with six parts: the hero, the goal, the danger, how you win and lose, the controls and the look. An AI game maker builds a game from it that you play in the browser within minutes. Then you play, ask for one change at a time, tune numbers such as jump strength, speed and lives with sliders while the game runs, and publish a link that opens on phones and computers.

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Can AI really make a 2D game you can play?

Yes, and a whole game, not a picture of one. Making a 2D game with AI means you write what you imagine and get something that moves and reacts: a hero that jumps, enemies that patrol, a score that counts, win and game-over screens. In Fanann's 2D Game Design you play the result in the same browser tab a few minutes after writing the description.

Animated explainer: the jump-height slider moves, the character jumps higher and collects the coin.
Animated explainerAnimated explainer: the game keeps running while each slider move changes the character's jump.

What AI does not do for you is judge. Is the jump comfortable? Is level two harder than it should be? Is it fun at all? Your hands know that when you play. Think of it as a team of two: it builds fast, you play and decide.

Input
A description in Arabic or English, typed or spoken
Output
A game running in the browser, with touch buttons on phones
Editing
Sliders for numbers, chat for everything else
Sharing
Its own link, an embed code and a game card image

What should I write in the game description?

A line like make me a cool game gets you a random game. The description that gets you your game answers six questions. Half a line each is enough.

PartThe questionExample
HeroWho do I control?A small fox with a red scarf
GoalWhat am I trying to do?Collect ten stars and reach the door
DangerWhat stops me?Wandering hedgehogs and pits in the ground
Win and loseWhen does a round end?Three lives; you win at the last level
ControlsHow do I play?Arrows and Space, touch buttons on phones
LookWhat does it look like?A night forest in calm colors
A full description with all six parts

Make an endless runner: a small camel runs by itself through a desert at sunset. I tap the screen to jump over cacti and swipe down to slide under birds. It collects dates that add to the score, and the pace rises every twenty seconds. Three lives, and my best score is remembered. A start screen with the name Oasis Run and a Start button, and a game-over screen showing my score, my best score and a Play again button.

Try it in Fanann
Illustration: a space shooter, a genre with simple rules that two lines can describe.Illustration
Illustration: a space shooter, a genre with simple rules that two lines can describe.

Which kind of 2D game should I start with?

Starting from a known genre is faster than a blank page, because players understand the rules at a glance. These are the eight templates and what you tune in each:

GenreWhat the player doesMain values to tuneBest for
PlatformerRuns, jumps and collects to the flagGravity, jump strength, hero and enemy speedA first game
Endless runnerOne button: jump and slideRunning speed, coin frequency, livesQuick phone games, campaigns
Space shooterMoves, shoots, dodges wavesShip and enemy speed, livesFans of fast action
MazeCollects gems and exits in timePlayer and guard speed, time per mazeLight puzzles, learning
Match-3Swaps pieces to line up threeMoves, goal difficulty, pointsA calm one-finger game
Kids quizPicks the right answerQuestions per round, time, pass markTeachers and parents
Top-down racingDrives and weaves through trafficTop speed, steering, traffic densityTime trials between friends
Tower defensePlaces towers to stop wavesStarting gold, tower power, enemy healthStrategy in short sessions
Which genre suits you?

Pick the one that sounds like you to see the advice.

What do I do after the first version?

This is where good games and ordinary ones part ways. The first version works, but it is rarely as fun as you pictured. The method: small rounds, each one play followed by a single change.

  1. 1
    Play five times without asking for anything

    Write notes on paper: what is dull? What is hard for no reason? What is missing?

  2. 2
    Sort the notes

    Movement and feel first, then rules, then levels, and last the look and sounds.

  3. 3
    Ask for one thing

    Make the enemies a little faster beats a message with seven requests. If something gets worse, you know why.

  4. 4
    Play again

    Is it better? If not, go back to the previous version. Every change is saved as one.

  5. 5
    Repeat until you smile

    Ten rounds like this do more than one long, perfect first description.

Requests that work well in one sentence: add a second level, give the hero a double jump, add a boss at the end, add checkpoints the player returns to after losing, add sound effects and music, make the touch buttons bigger. The same method for apps is in build one feature at a time.

When do I use sliders and when do I ask in words?

A game has two kinds of change. A change to an existing number: a speed, a height, a count, a color. And a change of idea: something that was not in the game before. Sliders for the first, chat for the second.

With sliders, while it runs
  • Jump strength and gravity
  • Hero speed and enemy speed
  • Number of lives and time allowed
  • Colors and sound level
  • You see the result at once, no waiting
With a request in chat
  • A new level or a new world
  • A new ability for the hero
  • A new enemy type or a boss
  • Different rules for winning and losing
  • A new slider for a value Tuning does not list

Tuning values are grouped: Player, Enemies, World, Rules, Look, Sound, Controls. If a value you need is missing, ask for it to be added to Tuning. What each number means, with examples, is in why your game feels wrong, and how to fix it by tuning.

Can I use my own characters and sounds?

Yes. The game starts with art the AI generates, and you can ask it to draw a new look for the hero or add sound effects. If you have your own drawings, logo or sounds, upload them in Assets and say where they go: use this picture as the hero, or play this sound when a coin is collected.

  • Pictures: PNG, JPG, WebP and GIF. A transparent background works best for characters; a moving picture inside a game is called a sprite.
  • Sounds: MP3, OGG, WAV and M4A. A short effect reads better than a long one.
  • Size: asset storage and the per-file limit depend on your plan.

How do I know the game is ready to share?

The Playtest panel in the studio records what happened in your session: whether a win was reached, whether losing, replaying and pausing work, and how many frames per second the game runs at on your device. Add your own check:

Before you publishTap an item when it is done. Your progress is kept in this browser.

Remember that you are seeing your own device's performance. The game runs on the player's device, and speed differs from phone to phone.

How do I publish it, and what does it not do?

Publishing gives the game its own address that anyone can open. With it come an embed code for showing the game inside a page on your site, and a game card image to share next to the link. If you change the game afterwards, players do not see it until you publish the update. How many games you can have published at once depends on your plan.

One player
No online multiplayer
Best score
In the runner template it is kept on the player's own device
Stores
A browser game, not an app-store or Steam title
Right size
A small to medium game, not hundreds of levels

If this is your first game, go back to the full guide to making a game without coding. If you chose a platformer, continue with how to make a platformer game.

Key takeaways

  • A good description names six things: hero, goal, danger, win and lose, controls, look.
  • The first version is a starting point. A good game comes from ten small rounds of playing and changing.
  • Ask for one change per message, and play after every change.
  • Numbers are tuned with sliders while the game runs; new ideas are asked for in words.
  • The result is a single-player browser game shared by link, not a store title or a multiplayer game.

Frequently asked questions

How do I make a game with AI?
Open an AI game maker such as Fanann's 2D Game Design and write a description that names the hero, the goal, the danger, how you win and lose, the controls and the look. Minutes later you play the result in the browser, then change it and publish its link.
Does AI make a full game or just code?
A dedicated game maker gives you a running game you play straight away, not code you must run yourself. That differs from asking a general chat assistant, which hands you program text and leaves you to find where to run it.
Do I need to draw the characters myself?
No. The game comes with its own art, and you can ask for a new look for the hero by describing it. If you have your own drawings, upload them and ask for them to be used.
Does the game work on phones?
Yes. A published game opens from a link on phones and computers, and touch buttons appear on touch screens. Try it on a real phone before publishing, because speed varies between devices.
Can I change the game after publishing it?
Yes. Change and tune as much as you like, then publish the update so players see it on the same link. Every change is saved as a version you can return to.
Can I make a game two people play online?
No. Games here are single-player: each visitor plays alone on their own device. You can compete by comparing scores, but online multiplayer is not available.

Ask your AI assistant about this

Copy this prompt into the AI assistant you use, then add the details of your own case.

I am reading this guide: “How to make a 2D game with AI and play it in minutes” https://fanann.com/en/blog/make-2d-game-with-ai/ My question: how to make a 2D game with AI Use that page as a source and explain the answer step by step for my situation, tell me what to check before I start, and cite the page link.

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