Short runs, random rooms, upgrades and permanent unlocks. Keep each run to 10-20 minutes and every choice readable.
Tips for roguelite dungeon games
Ask for a seed shown on screen. A seeded run lets you report a bug ('seed 4821, room 3') and the AI can reason about it.
Keep the item pool small (10-15) with clearly different effects. Big pools of tiny stat changes feel identical.
Separate per-run upgrades from permanent unlocks in your prompt, and say which ones are saved.
starter
Tiny dungeon crawl
Make a turn-based roguelite on a grid. Each floor is a randomly generated 15x15 map of rooms and corridors (make sure all rooms are connected). The hero moves one tile per arrow key press or tap on an adjacent tile. Cartoon slimes and bats move after each hero move; bumping attacks. Hero has 10 HP, attack 2. Potions heal 4. Stairs lead to the next floor; floors get more enemies. Show a message log of the last 3 events. Game over shows the floor reached; New Run restarts. Simple tiles drawn with coloured squares and letters/emoji.
Turn-based movement is the most reliable way to get a working dungeon game in one generation.
Follow-up tweaks
Add fog of war: only tiles near the hero are visible; explored tiles stay dimmed.
Add a shop on every third floor.
intermediate · tested ✓
Room-by-room arena run
Make an action roguelite with rooms. The player moves with WASD/left joystick and attacks in the aim direction with the mouse/right joystick. Each room locks until all cartoon enemies are defeated, then 3 reward cards appear: pick one upgrade (e.g. +1 projectile, +20% speed, heal on room clear, bouncing shots). A run is 10 rooms plus a boss. Show the chosen upgrades as icons. Death returns to the start screen with coins earned; coins buy permanent starting bonuses (saved locally). Seed shown in the corner. Bright cartoon style.
The room-lock-then-reward loop is a proven structure the AI can implement cleanly.
Follow-up tweaks
Add item synergies: two specific upgrades together unlock a special effect with a short message.
Add a map screen to choose between two next rooms with different rewards.
advanced
Deck-building dungeon
Make a deck-building dungeon game. The player has a starter deck of 10 cards (Strike: 6 damage, Defend: 5 block). Each turn: draw 5, 3 energy, play cards, end turn; enemies show their next intent (attack value or block) above them. After each fight, choose 1 of 3 new cards to add. Map of 12 nodes with branching paths: fights, elites, rest sites (heal 30% or upgrade a card), and a boss. 20 unique cards with clear text. Shuffle discard into draw pile when empty. Keep all card logic in one data table. Clean card UI with costs in circles.
Showing enemy intent and keeping cards in one table make a complex genre debuggable.
Follow-up tweaks
Add relics: passive items with one effect, gained from elites.
Add a run summary showing cards played most.
intermediate
Lantern dungeon
Make a top-down dungeon explorer where light is the main resource. The player carries a lantern with fuel that drains slowly; the visible area is a circle that shrinks as fuel drops. Oil flasks refill fuel. Shadows creatures (cartoon dark blobs) move toward the player in the dark but flee from strong light. Find the exit key on each of 5 randomly generated floors. Movement WASD/arrows or a touch joystick. If fuel runs out, the run ends. Atmospheric but not scary for children: soft blues and warm amber light.
One resource that is also the visibility mechanic keeps the design tight and atmospheric.
Follow-up tweaks
Add wall torches that can be lit to create permanent safe zones.
Add a minimap of explored rooms.
intermediate
Dice dungeon
Make a roguelite where combat uses dice. The hero rolls 4 dice per turn; each face shows a sword (damage), shield (block), heart (heal) or blank. Players can re-roll any dice up to twice per turn, then confirm. Enemies show their next attack. After each fight, choose an upgrade: change one die face, add a new die, or gain max HP. 8 fights and a boss. Seeded random so the run can be replayed. Dice roll with a quick tumble animation. Wooden table look.
Rerolls and face upgrades create build-crafting from a very small rule set.
Follow-up tweaks
Add combo bonuses: three swords in one roll deals double damage.
Add a cursed die that appears after a skipped reward.
intermediate
Survivor swarm
Make a survivor-style game where the player only moves (WASD/joystick) and weapons fire automatically. Waves of cartoon critters approach from all sides, growing in number every 30 seconds. Defeated critters drop XP gems; levelling up pauses the game and offers 3 upgrades (new weapon or level up an existing one). 6 weapons: orbiting stars, boomerang, area pulse, aimed bolt, trailing sparkles, bouncing ball. Survive 10 minutes to win. Keep entity counts manageable with object pooling. Bright colours, enemies flash white when hit.
Object pooling is named to prevent slowdown when hundreds of enemies appear.
Follow-up tweaks
Add weapon evolutions: max level weapon + a matching passive item = an evolved version.
Add a treasure chest every 3 minutes that gives a random upgrade.
advanced
Shop-keeper roguelite
Make a roguelite where the player runs an item shop for adventurers between dungeon runs. Each day, buy items from a supplier, set prices, and sell to adventurers who have budgets and needs. Then the adventurers go into a dungeon (simulated with a short log) and return with loot to sell to the shop. Adventurers who bought good gear survive more and spend more next time. A run lasts 20 days; the goal is a target amount of gold. Unlock new suppliers permanently between runs. Clear tables and charts; warm tavern style.
Making the dungeon a simulated log keeps scope realistic while the shop stays the focus.
Follow-up tweaks
Add a reputation stat that rises with fair prices and brings richer customers.
Add a rival shop that undercuts popular items.
advanced
One-room tactical
Make a turn-based tactics roguelite in a single 8x8 room per floor. The hero has 3 abilities: Dash (move up to 3 tiles in a line), Push (push an adjacent enemy one tile), Strike (2 damage). Enemies show which tile they'll attack next turn with a red outline. Pushing enemies into each other, spikes or off ledges is the main tactic. 10 floors with rising enemy variety. Undo the last move once per floor. Show tooltips for every enemy. Clean board-game look.
Telegraphed enemy attacks plus push mechanics produce puzzle-like tactics with small code.
Follow-up tweaks
Add a second hero with different abilities, alternating turns.
Add a daily seed with a shared result line.
starter
Forest path roguelite for beginners
Make a gentle choose-your-path roguelite. The hero walks along a forest path that branches; at each fork, two icons show what's ahead (fight, campfire, treasure, mystery). Fights are simple: click Attack or Defend each turn against a cartoon critter with visible HP. Campfires heal. Treasure gives one of 10 items with a clear effect. Reach the end of 12 steps to win. Death ends the run with a summary of items found. Storybook watercolour-like colours, big friendly buttons.
Path icons and two-button fights make the genre approachable for first-time players.
Follow-up tweaks
Add 3 hero types to choose from with different starting items.
Add a 'mystery' event list with 8 short story choices.
30 fill-in master templates with worked examples, 12 multi-step build recipes (what to prompt, what to check after each step, and the fix prompt when it breaks), 40 bug-fix prompts by symptom, 20 art-direction briefs with upload tips, and a game-design + launch checklist. Markdown files, instant download.
One-time $12. Use and adapt the prompts in your own games, commercial ones included. 14-day fix-or-refund if it doesn't work as described. Secure checkout by Stripe.
Free sampler
T01 · Path defense master template (template)
Use it for: classic tower defense with a fixed route and placed towers. The most reliable starting point for the genre.
Variables
Variable
What to write
Example
{{theme}}
Setting in a few words
backyard garden
{{enemy}}
Who walks the path
slugs
{{base}}
What the player protects
the garden gate
{{waypoints}}
Path as a waypoint description
6 waypoints snaking left to right
{{tower_1..3}}
Name, price, role
Pea Shooter, 25, single target
{{start_money}} / {{reward}}
Economy
100 / 5
{{lives}} / {{waves}}
Lose and win conditions
10 / 12
{{palette}}
Visual style
flat bright greens and browns
Master prompt
Make a one-screen 2D tower defense game set in a {{theme}}.
PATH: {{enemy}} walk a fixed path through {{waypoints}} to {{base}}. Draw the path clearly. Enemies move from waypoint to waypoint and never leave the path.
BUILDING: The player clicks or taps an empty build tile beside the path to open a small menu of towers:
- {{tower_1}}
- {{tower_2}}
- {{tower_3}}
Greyed-out buttons when unaffordable. Tapping a built tower shows its range circle and a Sell button (refund 50%).
ECONOMY: Start with {{start_money}} coins. Each enemy defeated gives {{reward}} coins with a floating "+{{reward}}".
WIN/LOSE: {{base}} has {{lives}} lives; each enemy that reaches it costs 1. Survive {{waves}} waves to win.
WAVES: Waves start with a Start Wave button. Use a wave list: each wave adds enemies and +10% enemy health; every 4th wave adds a faster enemy type; the last wave has a boss with a health bar.
FEEDBACK: Enemies flash white when hit, pop into particles when defeated, and the screen shakes briefly when a life is lost.
HUD: coins, lives and wave number at the top; Start Wave and Pause buttons.
STYLE: {{palette}}, simple shapes drawn in code, no external images.
CONSTRAINTS: one HTML file, works with mouse and touch, all movement based on elapsed time, Restart button on the win and lose screens.
Worked example
Make a one-screen 2D tower defense game set in a backyard garden. PATH: slugs walk a fixed path through 6 waypoints snaking from the left edge to the garden gate on the right… Towers: Sprinkler, 10 coins, slows enemies 40% in range; Pea Shooter, 25 coins, single target; Bee Hive, 40 coins, small area damage. Start with 100 coins, 5 per slug. 10 lives, 12 waves. Flat bright greens and browns…
After the first generation, check: enemies stay on the path; towers only fire within the drawn range; selling refunds the right amount; the boss appears on the last wave.
Strong follow-ups
"Add a 2x speed button. Don't change anything else."
"Add upgrades: tap a tower to upgrade to level 2 (+50% damage) for 1.5x its price."
T13 · Classroom quiz engine template (template)
Use it for: any subject quiz you'll reuse with new questions every week.
Variables
Variable
Example
{{subject}}
Year 6 science: forces
{{questions}}
your list, pasted in the format below
{{timer}}
20 seconds, or "no timer"
{{teams}}
2 to 4 teams, or "single player"
{{reward}}
a star burst and a "Great thinking!" message
Master prompt
Make a quiz game for {{subject}}.
DATA: put all questions in an editable array at the very top of the code, clearly labelled QUESTIONS. Each item: question, four answers, index of the correct answer, optional explanation. Use exactly these questions:
{{questions}}
FLOW: shuffle questions and answer order; never repeat within a game. One question at a time with four large buttons (keys 1-4 also work).
TIMER: {{timer}}.
TEAMS: {{teams}}. If teams: show whose turn it is; correct = +10 to that team; turns rotate each question.
FEEDBACK: correct: {{reward}}. Wrong or timeout: chosen answer red, correct answer green, explanation shown for 3 seconds.
END: scoreboard, list of missed questions with correct answers, Play Again.
DESIGN: high contrast, at least 28 px answer text, readable on a projector and a phone.
CONSTRAINTS: one HTML file, works offline, no external fonts or images.
Question format to paste
Q: What force pulls objects toward Earth? | Friction | Gravity* | Magnetism | Air resistance | Gravity pulls everything with mass toward the Earth's centre.
(An asterisk marks the correct answer; the last field is the explanation.)
Check: the asterisk is removed from displayed text; explanations show for wrong answers only; teams rotate correctly after a timeout.
Ship a tower defense in 6 prompts · Step 1 of 6 (recipe-step)
Make a one-screen 2D tower defense game. Cartoon beetles walk a fixed path of 6 waypoints from the left edge to a tree stump on the right. The player clicks or taps a grass tile to place a Leaf Turret for 25 coins; it shoots the nearest beetle within 120 px once per second. Start with 100 coins; each beetle gives 5 coins. The stump has 10 lives; each beetle reaching it costs 1. A Start Wave button sends 8 beetles. Show coins, lives and wave at the top. Shapes drawn in code, flat greens and browns. Restart button on game over.
Check after:
Beetles follow the path exactly and never cut corners through grass.
Turrets can't be placed on the path or on top of each other.
Coins rise on each defeat; lives drop when a beetle reaches the stump.
If it breaks:
*Beetles leave the path:* "Move enemies from waypoint to waypoint in a straight line at constant speed; when within 2 px of a waypoint, snap to it and target the next one. Don't change anything else."
*Towers placed on the path:* "Mark path tiles as unbuildable using a grid; highlight buildable tiles on hover in green and unbuildable in red."
A cozy farm in 8 prompts · Step 1 of 8 (recipe-step)
Make a cozy farming game with a 6x4 grid of soil plots. Tap a plot to cycle: till, plant, water. Seeds: Turnip (2 coins, 2 days), Carrot (5, 3 days), Pumpkin (12, 5 days), chosen from a seed bar. A Sleep button advances the day. Watered plots grow one stage per day (3 visible stages); unwatered plots don't grow. Tap a ripe plant to harvest into a basket. Start with 20 coins. Show coins and day.
Check: crops only grow when watered; watering resets each morning.
Checklist · Core loop (checklist)
[ ] I can describe the game in one sentence: the player does X to achieve Y while avoiding Z.
[ ] The main action is fun on its own for 30 seconds, before any upgrades or levels.
[ ] Every action gives an immediate visible result.
[ ] There's a reason to do the action again (score, progress, story, collection).
[ ] The game has a clear end state for a session (game over, level complete, day end) or a natural stopping point for idle/cozy games.
[ ] I removed features that don't support the core loop.
Fix prompt: "Remove [feature]. It doesn't support the core loop. Don't change anything else."
Checklist · Mobile and touch (checklist)
[ ] The game works with touch only, without hover.
[ ] Touch targets are at least 48-64 px, with space between them.
[ ] Multi-touch works (move and jump at once).
[ ] The page doesn't scroll, zoom or pull-to-refresh during play.
[ ] The game fits portrait and landscape, or clearly asks to rotate.
[ ] HUD stays clear of notches and rounded corners.