Game jam toolkit

Everything you need to get from a jam idea to a playable submission. A game jam is an event where you make a game around a theme in a short time — usually a weekend — on your own or in a team.

The 2D jam loadout

One free tool for each job, with a note on why it made the cut.

Engine Godot Engine
Opens in seconds and exports straight to web.
Planning Gamedoora
One shared board so the team knows who is doing what.
Version control GitHub
Never lose work at 3 a.m. again.
Art Aseprite
Sprites and animation. Pixelorama is a free alternative.
Assets Kenney
CC0 packs that all match each other.
Audio BeepBox
A catchy loop in ten minutes.
Publishing itch.io
Where most online jams take submissions.

Making something 3D? Use the 3D jam pack. Want it to play in a browser? Try the browser game pack.

Find a jam and more jam resources

Awesome Game Jam

Game jams

A community-curated list of tools and assets for game jams.

Free resource
Good for beginners

Game Jam Resources

Game jams

A curated hub of resources so jammers spend more time creating.

Free resource
Good for beginners

Global Game Jam

Game jams

The world's largest in-person game jam, held every year.

Free
Good for beginners

itch.io game jams

Game jams

A calendar of upcoming and ongoing online game jams.

Free
Good for beginners

Ludum Dare

Game jams

A long-running online jam with solo and team tracks.

Free
Good for beginners

Six tips for your first jam

Make it smaller than you think
Pick one core mechanic you can finish in the first day. Polish beats extra features.
Use what you already know
A jam is not the time to learn a new engine. Use free assets for anything that is not the core idea.
Write the task list first
Spend the first hour agreeing on the idea and writing tasks with owners. It saves hours later.
Save versions all the time
Commit to version control every time something works. Late-night mistakes are easy to undo.
Ship a web build early
Upload a playable build halfway through. Judges play web builds far more than downloads.
Keep a credits list
Write down every asset you use and its licence as you go, so your submission page is ready.