Vibe coding game jam: AI rules, dates and a plan

Vibe Jam 2026, organized by Pieter Levels (levelsio), accounts for 367 of our 403 live games. This guide compares what jams say about AI, then turns the Vibe Jam rules and results into a plan. Every jam fact on this page is as of September 29, 2026 and links to its source.

Which game jams allow AI?

It depends on the jam and the year, so read the rules of the edition you enter.

Jam	When	Rule on AI
Vibe Jam 2026	April 1 to May 1, 2026	At least 90% of the code written by AI
Vibe Jam 2025	2025 edition	At least 80% of the game written by AI, code and assets included
AI Browser Game Jam 5 (itch.io, host Focaccai)	Submissions October 17 to 31, 2026	Heavily AI-assisted, with the majority of the game AI generated. AI is welcome for art, code, design, music and sound
Ludum Dare	Policy in its FAQ	AI assistant and co-pilot tools can be used without restriction. Opt out of any category where a content generator made about 90% of the work
GMTK Game Jam 2026	July 22 to 26, 2026	No generative AI for art or audio assets, or the game is disqualified. Organizers also ask entrants not to use AI at all, but police only art and audio
Godot Wild Jam	Policy posted February 9, 2026	Bans AI-generated content, code included. Entries found using it are disqualified

Even entry limits differ. Vibe Jam 2026 allowed one entry per person, and AI Browser Game Jam 5 allows as many games as you like if they are significantly different.

Ludum Dare canceled its 2025 events, and Game Developer reported on April 16, 2026 that the series is scheduled to end in October 2028 (Game Developer). Check its schedule before you plan around it.

What did Vibe Jam 2026 require?

A new, AI-written game that opens on the web almost instantly. The jam’s FAQ defines vibe coding as using AI assistants as your primary development tool (jam page). The rules were:

• AI share: at least 90% of the code written by AI.
• New work: only games created during the jam. Nothing that existed before April 1, 2026. Libraries and frameworks such as Three.js are fine, but the game itself must be brand new.
• Web, free, no login: playable without signup, preferably on its own domain or subdomain.
• Instant start: no loading screens or heavy downloads.
• One entry per person.
• A required script: every game had to add the jam’s widget script to its HTML, and the rules said games without it are disqualified.
• Optional: multiplayer was preferred but not required. Any engine was allowed, and Three.js was usually recommended.
• Deadline: May 1, 2026 at 13:37 UTC.

The 2025 edition asked for at least 80% of the game to be AI-written, assets included, and said a game could be single or multiplayer (2025 jam page). It drew more than 1,000 games.

The 2026 press page says 945 games were submitted (press page). Pieter Levels’s results post names A Game About Capybaras Delivering Food, Fanto’s Mega-Mart and WenWare as the top three.

What did the entries look like?

Mostly Three.js games that list mobile, with online multiplayer more common near the top. Data note: counts come from the 367 Vibe Jam 2026 entries in our catalog as of September 30, 2026. The jam had 945 entries, so this is a sample. Rank is the jam’s final placement.

Trait	Top 50 in our catalog (34 games)	All 367 entries in our catalog
Three.js	29 (85%)	248 (68%)
List mobile	26 (76%)	255 (69%)
Online multiplayer	22 (65%)	169 (46%)

Treat the table as a sample. The jam said multiplayer was preferred, which may have helped those entries. Either way, most entries from the top 50 in our catalog use Three.js and list mobile.

Special awards went to very different games. HALDANE-4, an ASCII horror game, won Most Original, and Null Range, a space dogfighter, won Best Art Direction. Kanso, a bonsai game, won Most Zen, and WenWare, a history guessing game, won Most Played. Browse them on the Vibe Jam 2026 hub.

How do you plan a jam game with AI?

Eight steps, from rules to release.

1. Read the rules for your edition. Vibe Jam changed its AI rule from 80% of the game in 2025 to 90% of the code in 2026.
2. Do the paperwork on day one. The Vibe Jam 2026 rules said games without the widget script are disqualified. Add required snippets and forms before you build.
3. Prototype several ideas and keep the best loop. The creator of Ranger Danger says it was the most fun loop among several one-shot ideas they tried.
4. Keep the first load tiny. HALDANE-4 stays under 5 MB with ASCII graphics and procedurally generated sound, and Shatter Drift loads at under a megabyte, according to their entries. See game assets with AI.
5. Test on a phone early. Of the 34 entries from the top 50 in our catalog, 26 list mobile. See how to make a mobile game with AI.
6. Scope to the clock. Kanso was built in about a week and Doctrine in about two, according to their creators. Vibe Jam 2026 ran a month, and GMTK Game Jam 2026 about four days.
7. Keep a record of your prompts and commits. Vibe Jam 2026 required at least 90% AI-written code, and AI Browser Game Jam 5 has an AI Usage voting category. Neither asks for a record, but one lets you show how the game was made if anyone asks.
8. Submit the game. Made something playable? Submit it to GamesByAI.

What if a jam bans AI?

Follow the ban. GMTK Game Jam 2026 says AI art and audio lead to disqualification, and Godot Wild Jam says any entry found using AI-generated content will be disqualified. Use those jams for hand-made games.

For the difference between letting an AI write the code and reading it, see vibe coding a game.

Next: prompts and ideas for jam week

• Make a game with AI: 10 prompts to copy and adapt has templates for a jam week.
• Vibe coding game ideas turns 367 ranked jam games into ideas you can scope to a jam.
• How to make a game with AI covers tools and publishing.
• How to make game assets with AI and how to make a mobile game with AI cover art and phones.
• Browse the Three.js hub and the top rated games.