Your First Game

From nothing to a published Post in about ten minutes: one opinionated path, with a deep-dive link at every step.

How this guide works#

One starter, one build loop, one validation pass, one upload. Every step links to the article that covers it in depth. Two things this page never does:

• Restate the platform rules: every constraint lives in Platform Requirements; when a step says "validate", that page is the checklist.
• Require a terminal: you can download a starter as a ZIP and work with it in an AI tool without using the command line.

New to the platform entirely? The Introduction explains how a Game becomes Posts in the feed.

Step 1: Pick a starter (~1 minute)#

Pick exactly one:

Option A: a starter template. Folder structure and SDK wiring already correct; your AI tool (or you) only fills in the game.

JavaScript (web) templates:

• minit-template-vanilla: plain Canvas/DOM
• minit-template-pixi: PixiJS
• minit-template-phaser: Phaser
• minit-template-three: Three.js

Game engine templates:

• minit-template-defold: Defold (guide: Defold)
• minit-template-playcanvas: PlayCanvas (guide: PlayCanvas)
• minit-template-godot: Godot (guide: Godot)
• minit-template-unity: Unity (guide: Unity)

Clone one with git, or use GitHub's Code → Download ZIP button and unpack (no terminal needed). Unsure which web template? See the template notes in Build with AI Tools. Using an engine template? Its guide covers the engine-specific build and export steps.

Option B: the Minit MCP scaffold. With the Minit MCP Server connected, ask your AI tool to scaffold a Game (minit_scaffold_game). Same kind of starter, generated in your workspace.

Step 2: Describe and build the game (~5 minutes)#

Tell your AI tool what to build in one thorough prompt: mechanic, win/loss condition, difficulty curve, visual style. Don't write it from scratch. Paste the universal prompt from Build with AI Tools and fill in your game concept.

• Using any AI tool (Claude Code, Codex/ChatGPT, Cursor, Lovable, Gemini, …)? Build with AI Tools is tool-agnostic and includes the per-tool gotchas.

Iterate in the same conversation with specific, measurable feedback: "make the touch targets twice as large" beats "make it better".

Players decide in seconds, so build for the first touch: Get Them Playing Instantly!.

Step 3: Validate (~2 minutes)#

• Minit MCP connected: ask your assistant to fetch the live rules (minit_get_requirements), run the validator (minit_validate_build), and fix what it reports. Setup: Minit MCP Server.
• No MCP? Walk the Platform Requirements checklist yourself; the manual sweep is in Build with AI Tools.

Either way, play the game on a real phone before shipping. See Testing Your Game on Device.

Step 4: Zip, upload, publish (~2 minutes)#

Zip it. Zip the contents of your build folder, not the folder itself: index.html must sit at the root of the ZIP, and every script it references must be in the ZIP as built output (the one exception is an MRAID playable's mraid.js reference — see Platform Requirements). Minit Studio validates each upload against Platform Requirements and names anything that trips a rule; fix and re-upload. Building a single self-contained .html file with no external script or asset references? Upload it directly — Minit Studio zips it for you client-side.

Upload it. Click + Create (top right) → Upload game and follow the 3-step wizard: Upload build → Game details → Post. A meta.json at the ZIP's root pre-fills your title and scoring (see Config Values).

Publish it. The wizard's last step is the Post: Now, Keep Private (draft), or Schedule (pick a date and time, up to 4 weeks out).

Got more than one Post in mind? Spread them out on a schedule rather than posting them all at once; The Daily Habit! explains why.

What next#

• Sharpen your Game's description: Writing & formatting your Game description.
• Let your assistant upload and schedule next time: Minit MCP Server.
• Go deeper on the SDK: start at Install.
• Learn how to succeed: read the Creator Playbook, starting with The Minit Games Format!.
• Stuck somewhere? Ask in the Minit Games Discord.