Random Game Idea Generator

One press writes a game pitch: a kind of game, a setting, the thing you do and a twist.

Random Game Idea Generator: 20 game ideas

A business simulation set on the back of a migrating turtle. You build bridges from whatever is lying around, and you start at the ending and play backward.

Padlock: keep a part. Arrows: change only that part.

Kind of gamebusiness simulation
Settingon the back of a migrating turtle
Youbuild bridges from whatever is lying around
Twistyou start at the ending and play backward

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Every game idea you make is kept here, newest first, up to the last 20. The list stays in this browser.

Game Idea of the day

A racing game set on a quiet planet with two suns. You roll a ball through the level, and there are no words anywhere.
A city-building game set in a harbor where the tide comes in sideways. You roll a ball through the level, and you cannot jump.
A board game set on a delivery route across the clouds. You type words to make them real, and you can never move left.
A text adventure set on a mountain railway. You freeze water and melt ice, and you can never move left.
An exercise game set in a cave of crystal bells. You bounce, and never stop bouncing, and you steer by tilting the whole world.
A stealth game set in a market that opens only at dusk. You swap jokes until somebody laughs, and you see only what your lamp lights.
A word puzzle game set inside a snow globe. You guide lost travelers home, and it has to be playable with one hand.
A tile-matching game set in a floating market. You stack crates to climb, and the whole world is one long line.
A tower defense game set inside a computer. You copy the moves of the creature in front of you, and it never tells you the rules.
A management game set in a greenhouse on the moon. You copy the moves of the creature in front of you, and the world resets every sixty seconds.
A business simulation set inside a painting. You fold the ground like paper, and everyone you help joins the parade behind you.
A city-building game set in a lighthouse. You swing from rope to rope, and you play as the obstacle.
A rhythm game set in a town built on the back of a whale. You tidy a room until everything has a place, and it is always night.
A match-three game set in a mail room for lost letters. You trade with everyone you meet, and everything is made of paper.
An action role-playing game set in a kitchen the size of a city. You glide between rising currents of air, and everyone you help joins the parade behind you.
A monster-taming game set on a comet. You copy the moves of the creature in front of you, and your character never stops moving.
A point-and-click adventure set inside a music box. You slide until you hit something, and it never tells you the rules.
A social deduction game set on a night train that never stops. You freeze water and melt ice, and you steer by tilting the whole world.
A city-building game set on a night train that never stops. You tune instruments until they agree, and you can only win together.
A logic puzzle game set inside a giant tree. You map a place nobody has mapped, and it has to be playable with one hand.

Next step Draw a character to star in it Add a theme

How it works

This random game idea generator writes a one-sentence pitch from four parts: a kind of game, a place to set it, the one thing the player does and a twist. The odd pairs are the useful ones.

Read the full guide

Lock what fits, reroll what does not

Press New game idea. The four parts then sit in rows under the pitch, each with a lock at its end. Lock the row your jam or your class has already settled, and press again for the others.

Turn the pitch into a first build

Start with the verb. Make the one thing the player does feel good in an empty room, add the twist, and only then dress it in the setting. The lists below say what defines each kind of game and what each twist makes you solve.

Tips

A kind and a verb that clash, such as a racing game about sorting mail, is the prompt: ask what the race would be.
For a weekend jam, lock a twist that keeps the game small, such as every level fits on one screen.
Print twenty pitches and let each team draw one.

Questions and answers

Can I use an idea from this page in my own game?

Yes. Each pitch is four ordinary phrases joined by chance, and this page claims none of them. No game, studio or series is named, but nothing checks whether a finished game already matches a pitch.

What kinds of game are in the list?

Kinds named in Wikipedia's list of video game genres, from platformer and visual novel to tower defense and idle game, each with a line on what defines it. Kinds built around weapons, horror or gambling are left out.

Is it good for a game jam?

Yes: a jam wants a small idea fast. Lock the row that matches the jam's theme, reroll the others, and choose a twist that limits the work, such as a game that lasts five minutes.

Does it work for board games?

Partly. Board game, card game, party game, trivia game and social deduction game are in the first row, and most settings and twists need no screen. Reroll any verb that needs a controller.

Kind of game: all 54 kinds of game

Action, racing and sport 9

action-adventure game Mixes the two: a tool found earlier gets you past a long-term obstacle.
kart racer A racing game with go-karts and power-up items.
platformer Play centers on jumping and climbing to get around the level.
racing game Characters compete in races, usually in vehicles and sometimes on foot.

Show all 54 kinds of game (50 more)

Action, racing and sport, continued

rhythm game A music game that tests your sense of rhythm: press in time with the beat.
sports game Simulates the rules and play of a sport, real or invented.
sports management game A sports game where you coach and manage the team.
stealth game Sneaking and staying unnoticed matter more than direct conflict.
survival game You start with almost nothing and gather, craft and build shelter to last.

Puzzle 10

hidden object game Find the items on a list that are hidden within a scene.
logic puzzle game Its rules stay the same all game long, and solving takes deduction.
match-three game A tile-matching game where three in a row is the match.
number puzzle game A familiar number puzzle adapted for the screen.
physics puzzle game A logic puzzle solved with the game's physics and surroundings.
programming game You write a small program or script, and it controls the characters for you.
puzzle platformer Built like a platformer, but the challenge comes mainly from puzzles.
reveal-the-picture game A picture is uncovered piece by piece as you play.
tile-matching game Move tiles so that they match and disappear.
word puzzle game A familiar word puzzle adapted for the screen.

Story and role-playing 8

action role-playing game A role-playing game with real-time action in place of turns and menus.
interactive movie Filmed or animated scenes where the player chooses the next move.
monster-taming game You recruit creatures, raise them and bring them along.
open-world role-playing game A role-playing game with a free-roaming world and no single path.
point-and-click adventure A graphic adventure played with the mouse: click a thing to use it.
tactical role-playing game A role-playing game that borrows its play from strategy games.
text adventure Also called interactive fiction: you type commands and the game describes what happens.
visual novel Mostly still pictures and text, with choices that change the plot.

Simulation 8

business simulation You run an economy or a business.
city-building game You plan a town and meet the needs of the people who live in it.
flight simulator Fly an aircraft as realistically as the game allows.
life simulation You live or guide one or more artificial lives.
management game Build, expand or manage a community or project with limited resources.
pet-raising game A life simulation about your bond with one or a few creatures.
social simulation Play grows out of how several artificial lives get along.
train simulator Trains, their routes and often the economics of running a railway.

Strategy, tabletop and party 11

auto battler Also called auto chess: you place the pieces, and the round plays itself.
board game A board game on the screen, with a computer opponent if you want one.
card game A card game on the screen, with a computer opponent if you want one.
collectible card game A digital version of the card games where you collect cards and build a deck.
party game Made for many players at once, usually as a run of mini-games.
real-time strategy game The action never pauses, so you plan and decide while the game keeps changing.
social deduction game Players try to uncover each other's hidden role or team.
tower defense game Creatures walk a set path, and you place towers along it to stop them.
trivia game Answer questions to score points.
turn-based strategy game You get time to think before you commit each move.
typing game Typing is the main way you play.

Open-ended and other 8

art game Made to be looked at and felt as art as much as played.
educational game A game that sets out to teach its player something.
exercise game Also called an exergame: playing it is a workout.
idle game A trivial task, such as clicking, slowly earns upgrades that do the task for you.
massively multiplayer game An online game that holds a large number of players at once.
open-world game A world you can explore freely and tackle in the order you choose.
photography game You take photos with an in-game camera and score more for a better picture.
sandbox game Gives the player great freedom to be creative, sometimes with no goal at all.

How this list was compiled: Own choice of 54 kinds of game, each named and described as in English Wikipedia's 'List of video game genres' (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_video_game_genres, read 2026-09-30): the line says what the list says defines the kind, in our own words. City-building, business simulation, pet-raising and social simulation are the sub-kinds it gives under simulation; kart racer is under racing; match-three under tile-matching; physics puzzle under logical game; word and number puzzles under traditional puzzle games. Left out on purpose: kinds built around weapons or fighting (shooters, fighting games, beat 'em ups, battle royale, wargames, artillery games), horror, casino and gacha games, dating sims, and the kinds whose usual name is taken from the title of a game. No game, studio, series or console is named in any row of this page. Licence: own work

Setting: all 56 settings

Small and indoors 15

in a bakery before sunrise Warm light, a deadline at dawn and a line forming outside.
in a beehive Six-sided rooms and a crowd with one purpose.
in a clock tower Gears to ride and an hour hand that sweeps the level.
in a greenhouse on the moon Green inside the glass and gray outside it.

Show all 56 settings (52 more)

Small and indoors, continued

in a kitchen the size of a city Counters are plateaus, and the sink is a lake.
in a library after closing Quiet aisles, tall ladders and a book for every level.
in a lighthouse One tall room and one staircase: a setting that points up.
in a mail room for lost letters Every letter is a small story with an address to find.
in a tide pool A whole sea in a puddle, reset twice a day.
in a toy shop at midnight Shelves become cliffs when the player is toy-sized.
in an elevator that stops at every era One tiny room, and a new world each time the doors open.
inside a computer Folders for rooms, wires for roads and a clock that ticks very fast.
inside a music box Everything turns, and everything plays a note.
inside a painting The frame is the edge of the world and the brush marks are the ground.
inside a snow globe A world with a wall you can see, and somebody who can shake it.

On the move 10

in a circus between towns Wagons on the road and a show to rebuild at every stop.
in a town built on the back of a whale Streets tilt whenever the whale dives.
in an airship dock Gangways, ropes and ships that leave on a schedule.
on a comet A tiny world with a long tail and a fixed date with the sun.
on a delivery route across the clouds Open sky between stops, and wind to plan around.
on a mountain railway Switchbacks, tunnels and a view at every turn.
on a night train that never stops A level made of carriages, with the world sliding past the windows.
on a raft of tied-together houses A drifting neighborhood that grows by one house at a time.
on a river that flows uphill A current that carries the player the wrong way on purpose.
on the back of a migrating turtle The ground walks, so the weather keeps changing.

Towns and buildings 13

at a school for apprentice weather makers Lessons in rain, with homework that floods the yard.
in a city under a glass dome Weather is scheduled, and the sky has seams.
in a floating market Every shop is a boat, and the street is water.
in a harbor where the tide comes in sideways Boats park on walls for half the day.
in a hotel with one more floor every night The level grows while the player sleeps.
in a junkyard of friendly old robots Spare parts everywhere, and every one of them has a name.
in a market that opens only at dusk Stalls appear with the lanterns and are gone by morning.
in a museum where the exhibits move The map rearranges itself between visits.
in a paper city that folds Streets crease, and whole blocks tuck away.
in a planetarium A dome of stars indoors, with a projector for a sun.
in a town where it is always the same Tuesday The day repeats, so the player can learn it by heart.
in a village of talking scarecrows Neighbors who never leave their posts and see everything.
on the rooftops of a rainy city Gutters, washing lines and gaps to cross.

Wild places 18

at the bottom of a wishing well Coins rain down, each with a wish attached.
in a canyon full of echoes Every sound comes back a moment later.
in a cave of crystal bells A dark place where walking makes music.
in a desert of glass Bright, slippery and full of reflections.
in a dream that keeps starting over Rooms that do not join up, and a way to wake.
in a forest where it is always autumn Leaves fall forever, so paths are always being covered.
in a maze of hedges that grow back A path cut today is closed again tomorrow.
in a meadow seen from the height of a beetle Grass is a forest, and a puddle is a sea.
in a swamp of giant lily pads Stepping stones that drift and sink a little under weight.
in a world drawn in chalk Rain is the enemy, and a line is a wall.
in an ant colony Tunnels in every direction and a job for everyone.
inside a giant tree Roots for a cellar, branches for an attic and sap for a river.
on a farm in the clouds Fields with no fence, because the edge is a long way down.
on a glacier that sings at night Slow ice, deep cracks and a sound to follow.
on a quiet planet with two suns Two shadows for everything, and no real night.
on a string of floating islands Short hops between small places, each with one idea.
on an island that is only there at low tide A level with opening hours.
under a frozen lake A ceiling of ice, with light and footsteps above it.

How this list was compiled: Own list of 56 places to set a game, each with one line, written for this page, on what the place gives a designer. Invented places: none is the setting of a named game, book or film. The lines are design notes, not facts. Licence: own work

You: all 56 core actions

Build and arrange 14

balance a tower that keeps growing One more piece each turn, and one wobble too many ends it.
build bridges from whatever is lying around The gap is the puzzle and the scrap is the answer.
connect pipes so the water arrives A network puzzle with a clear test: the water flows or it does not.

Show all 56 core actions (53 more)

Build and arrange, continued

dig tunnels Every path is one you made, and it stays.
draw the path for someone else to walk The player plans, and a small walker carries the plan out.
fold the ground like paper Bring two far places together by creasing the map.
lay track ahead of a moving train Build the road while you are already on it.
pack a suitcase so that everything fits A space puzzle with shapes that almost fit.
paint color back into a gray world Progress you can see: the map fills in as you go.
plant seeds and wait for them to grow Patience as the verb: what you place now pays off later.
redirect light with mirrors Aim a beam around corners until it lands on the target.
repair broken machines Find the missing part, fit it and watch the thing run.
stack crates to climb Pile things up and hope they hold: every tower is a small gamble.
tidy a room until everything has a place Sorting as play: calm, and oddly hard to stop.

Move 14

bounce, and never stop bouncing The jump is automatic, so the only choice is where.
copy the moves of the creature in front of you Follow the leader, with the leader getting trickier.
freeze water and melt ice One element in two states makes both paths and walls.
glide between rising currents of air Height is the fuel, and warm air is where you refill.
grow and shrink One world at two sizes: a wall is also a doorway.
hide in plain sight Stand still at the right moment and become scenery.
jump between shadows Dark patches are the safe ground, and the light keeps moving.
rewind the last ten seconds Mistakes become tools when time runs backward.
roll a ball through the level Slopes do the work, and a nudge does the steering.
rotate the whole room You stay put, and the world turns around you.
slide until you hit something Each push runs to the next wall, so plan the stops.
swap places with whatever you look at Movement by trading positions, never by walking.
swing from rope to rope Speed comes from timing the let-go.
switch gravity The ceiling is a floor whenever you say so.

Help and trade 13

ask questions to find out who is fibbing A mystery solved by talking.
cook for very picky customers Each order is a small puzzle with a clock on it.
deliver parcels A simple errand that makes the player learn the whole map.
guide lost travelers home They follow you, slowly, and they wander.
herd sheep You never touch the goal; you only steer what is near it.
plan a party for guests who disagree A seating puzzle with feelings.
raise one small creature Feed it, teach it and see what it turns into.
run a lost-and-found Match each odd thing to the person who is missing it.
sort the mail Fast hands and a growing set of rules.
swap jokes until somebody laughs Words as the thing you collect and spend.
teach a robot one new trick at a time The helper only knows what the player has shown it.
trade with everyone you meet Nobody gives anything away, but everyone wants something.
translate a language nobody has taught you Guess a word, test it and watch the world make more sense.

Look, listen and time it 15

catch falling stars Things fall, and you move to meet them.
chain one reaction into the next Set it up, press once and watch it all go.
collect sounds Record a noise in one place and play it back in another.
count out loud Numbers as the input: quick sums under gentle pressure.
draw shapes in the air A circle does one thing, and a zigzag another.
follow a rhythm The beat tells you when; the level tells you what.
follow a scent trail A path the player has to read from clues.
listen for the one thing out of place A puzzle for the ears and not the eyes.
map a place nobody has mapped The reward for exploring is the map itself.
match colors The oldest verb in puzzles, ready for a new rule.
photograph rare creatures Wait, watch and press at the right moment.
sing doors open Each lock wants a tune, not a key.
spot what changed Look, look away and look again.
tune instruments until they agree Listen for the wobble between two notes and remove it.
type words to make them real The keyboard is the wand, and spelling counts.

How this list was compiled: Own list of 56 things a player might do over and over, each with one line, written for this page, on what the action is like to design around. No action involves a weapon. The lines are design notes, not facts. Licence: own work

Twist: all 54 twists

Controls 12

the controls change every level The player relearns their hands each time.
every move also moves a twin you cannot see Half the puzzle is off screen.
it has to be playable with one hand A limit that makes the game open to more players.
two players share one character One steers and one acts, so they have to talk.

Show all 54 twists (50 more)

Controls, continued

you can never move left No going back, so every step is a decision.
you can only move when the music plays Silence is a wall.
you can undo only once per level One safety net, and the player chooses when to use it.
you cannot jump Take away the most common move and see what replaces it.
you only have one button Everything the game does has to hang on a single press.
you play with your eyes closed for part of it Sound has to carry the game for a while.
you steer by tilting the whole world The character is a passenger.
your character never stops moving Steering is the only control.

The world 13

every level fits on one screen No scrolling: the whole problem is visible at once.
everything is made of paper It folds, tears and floats, and rain is bad news.
half the world is upside down Two floors, facing each other.
it is always night Light becomes something to carry, find or make.
the level is built by the last player Each run leaves something behind for the next person.
the map shrinks as you play Space runs out, so early moves matter most.
only two colors are allowed Shape and contrast have to do the work of a full palette.
the season changes every minute Four versions of each place, in rotation.
the water keeps rising A slow clock that the player can watch.
the weather picks the rules each day Rain, wind or sun changes what works.
the whole world is one long line One dimension: only forward, back and what is in the way.
the world is the size of a postage stamp Tiny art and tiny levels keep the scope small.
you see only what your lamp lights The rest of the level is a guess.

Time 10

each day in the game is one real minute A calendar the player can feel passing.
the game remembers every mistake Old errors stay in the level as things to walk around.
it never tells you the rules Finding out how to play is the game.
nothing can be done twice Each trick works once, then it is gone.
time moves only when you do A frozen world between steps, so every step can be planned.
the timer only runs while you stand still Thinking costs time, and moving is free.
the whole game lasts five minutes Short enough to finish, and short enough to replay.
the world resets every sixty seconds What you learn is the only thing you keep.
you get exactly ten moves A budget small enough to count on your fingers.
you start at the ending and play backward The player knows how it ends and finds out why.

Rules and goals 19

the answer is always something you already passed It teaches the player to look around on the way in.
each new try is played by a new character The last one stays in the level as a helper.
every helper has to be asked nicely Manners as a game mechanic.
everyone you help joins the parade behind you Progress is a line of friends that gets longer.
the goal is to finish last Winning is turned around, so the skills are too.
it is meant to be played in a crowd Built for a room full of people shouting advice.
the narrator is not always right Trust what you see over what you are told.
no numbers appear on the screen Scores and counts have to show as things you can see.
nothing can be destroyed Every problem needs an answer that leaves things standing.
the score counts how little you used Less is better: fewer moves, fewer parts, fewer words.
sound is your only guide The screen shows little, and the speakers show the way.
there are no words anywhere Pictures and play have to explain everything.
there is no way to fail The only question is how the player gets there.
you can carry only one thing at a time Every errand is a choice about order.
you can only win together No player can finish alone.
you may break one rule per level The player chooses which law to ignore.
you must leave every place tidier than you found it The level is not done until it is neat.
you play as the obstacle The usual hero is somebody else, and you are in the way.
your pockets hold only three things Picking something up means putting something down.

How this list was compiled: Own list of 54 twists and limits, each with one line, written for this page, on what the limit forces a designer to solve. The lines are design notes, not facts. Licence: own work