You want to build your first game, but you need to find a game simple enough for beginners to complete and not get lost. This list of easy games to code is a good place to start. Beginners and kids can code these simple games and continue to expand on them. There are plenty of ways to customize and add features to these basic games.
This project-based approach ensures lasting learning for any coder. In our coding classes, kids build projects and games every week and bigger projects at the end of each course. Learning how to code games also help kids practice their problem-solving, critical thinking, and logical reasoning skills.
These are easy games that beginners and kids can code with little or no experience. Start with these games for ideas and inspiration, then see where it takes you!
List of Easy Games to Code
Using this list, you can start coding a simple game that will help you practice and learn. One way to think of simple game ideas you already know and translate them into code. Think about tic-tac-toe, how would you write that in code?
Many of these examples are taken from games you’re familiar with. Try building one of these easy games in Scratch, JavaScript, or Python. Most of these games utilize only a few coding concepts and you can translate them to whichever language you are learning. Practice understanding the game logic and visuals, then you can add your own touches to it.
7 Easy Games to Code
1. Guess the Number
We’ve all played this game with friends and it doesn’t even require a paper and pen. Guess the Number is a simple guessing game that’s easy for beginners at any age to code. The goal is for one player to think of a number and the other to guess it. In our game, the computer picks a random number and the player inputs one guess at a time. After 3 incorrect guesses, the computer reveals the answer. At the end, the user is also told how many turns it took them to guess the number. This is an easy game to code because the logic is very straightforward.
Coding a number guessing game teaches kids how to work random numbers, loops, and conditionals. These are important programming concepts that are used in all coding languages. Students will be able to logically think through the steps of the game and write them in code.
The game can be customized by adding features like telling the player if they’re too high or too low. It could also provide additional guesses or have an option to restart the game once it’s ended.
2. Rock, Paper, Scissors
Rock, paper, scissors is another classic game that kids and adults have all played. Whether you’re trying to break a stalemate or just prove your quick reflexes, it’s a fun game that can be played anywhere. There’s even a professional rock, paper, scissors tournament that happens internationally! This is an easy game to code due to the simple ruleset and limited number of choices and outcomes.
This game will test kids’ computational thinking skills and teach them about arrays and if-then logic. This game doesn’t require a lot of code, but it will help solidify some really important foundational coding concepts. It’s a perfect place to start for kids and beginners with no coding experience.
Kids can get creative with the visuals of the game or add more options to make it more difficult. Customize it by creating a scoring system for the best out of five games so the player can play multiple times.
3. Flappy Bird
Flappy Bird is a version of a popular mobile game application. The player controls the bird while it flies through the air avoiding the pipe obstacles. The goal is to navigate the bird through the pipes without hitting them. The game stops if the bird collides with one of the pipes. This is an easy game to code because it has limited features and simple game mechanics.
Kids who code this game learn about loops, events, and conditionals. Creating the repeating obstacles is one of the harder parts of this game. In Scratch, this game only requires two sprites and easy game logic to execute.
For those who want more of a challenge, they can customize this game by changing the speed of the obstacles. If they want to focus on the design, they can try animating the main character or the background.
4. Frogger
Frogger is a classic video game that has many features and levels that make it so fun to play. We’ve created a simplified version of this game in Python for beginners to code, called Traffic vs. Zombie. The player is a zombie with the goal of crossing the road to the finish line without being hit by a car. This is an easy game to code because it has a clear structure and simple rules.
Traffic vs Zombie utilizes events and object-oriented programming. Each moving object, like the cars and zombies, can be represented as separate entities or classes, giving you a good introduction to object-oriented programming principles. Kids will also practice collision detection which is a popular feature of many games. When the zombie is hit by a car, this triggers a loss.
Kids can make their game unique by adding levels with new obstacle, a scoreboard, or timer. Bonus items the zombie can collect would also be a fun addition.
5. Disappearing Snowman
Guess the word before the snowman melts away! Disappearing Snowman is a word game where players try to guess a word by guessing each letter. For every wrong letter, part of the snowman disappears. The goal is to guess the word before that happens. This is an easy game to code because it uses basic logic and data structures. It can even be completely text-based.
By coding this game, kids learn to manipulate strings and lists. The main component of the game is guessing the word which entails handling the word to be guessed, the letters guessed so far, and the hidden word display. This core logic involves basic operations like comparing user input with a list of letters in the word and updating the display.
This game uses simple JavaScript code to power the game functions. To increase the difficulty of the project, kids can use longer, more complex words. Another feature could be to add a timer that limits the time players have to guess.
6. Match Game
This is a classic board game where players try to match pairs of images by turning only two up at a time. The objective is to match all pairs in as few moves as possible. A digital version is an easy game to code because it has very basic instructions and rules.
This game doesn’t require difficult game logic. It can be done in JavaScript or any other front-end language. Kids learn about state management, as they have to convey if the cards are face up or down. They also learn about event handling when players interact with the cards through mouse or keyboard clicks.
Students can customize this game with their images and design or make it more difficult with more cards. They can also only allow a certain number of attempts. Making this a multiplayer game with players taking turns is also a good challenge.
7. Mad Libs
Mad Libs is a popular game where you fill in the blanks in a sentence with a type of word (verb, noun, adjective, etc.) and the sentence changes depending on which word you pick for each type. In this online game, kids create their own Mad Libs stories and prompt a user to fill in the blanks. It’s an easy game to create with text only and utilizes very simple data structures.
Kids can code this game to master getting user input since it requires multiple prompts for the user. If they’re building their game in Python, they also learn about multiline and F strings.
It’s easy to customize Mad Libs with different stories, phrases, or prompts to the user. You could use mad libs to write a book and prompts to go to the next page. Another idea is to add a menu for the user to select the type of prompt.
Tips for Coding Games
If your child is just starting to code games here are some tips to be successful:
Start small
Coding easy games is a good way to start small. Students don’t need to rush into complex game mechanics right away. Begin with a solid base game and gradually add features to make it more complex. This progressive approach will allow kids to practice a few skills at a time and also bring multiple skills together. Using small steps also helps prevent erorrs and makes debugging easier.
Do projects
You can learn different skills by following step-by-step guides and tutorials. But the best way to advance your skills is to challenge yourself to use those concepts in a project. Doing a project from scratch, like the ones listed, will test the skills that are learned in the tutorials.
Debug and iterate
Testing and fixing your code is a big part of game development. This doesn’t have to be done on your own. You can ask friends and family to play your game and give you feedback.
Join a community
Platforms like GitHub, Reddit, and Stack Overflow offer great support for beginner developers. Connecting with other developers can help kids learn much faster and get help when they really need it. Learning to code alone is much more difficult. However, these platforms are created for adults so parents should monitor kids usage.
Learn more about how to code a game.
Learn to Code Games
After trying these easy games, kids can advance their skills in our top-rated kids coding classes.
Kids will learn game development most effectively if they are having fun and build a solid foundation in coding concepts. CodeWizardsHQ’s coding programs are designed to provide everything students needs to learn how to code in and outside of the classroom. They are tailored to kids’ age group with a progressive project-based curriculum so that kids advance in their coding skills with every class.
Kids in our program are building websites, games, and apps. These coding projects practice more than the language itself, they also hone problem-solving and critical thinking skills which are used in real life. At the end of the program, they leave with a portfolio of coding projects. Learn more and enroll today.
These easy games are just a starting point for beginners and kids. Use your new skills and your imagination to develop the next big game!
