Free Beginner Guides
Every guide here takes a complete beginner and gets them making something real, with no installs and no account to start. Pick the path that matches what they already love, then follow it step by step.
Stardust says: there is a guide here for every kind of maker. Start with the one they are already curious about.
All beginner guides
Scratch for Kids Easiest start
Drag blocks to build a game. The gentlest first step, for ages 7 and up.
Read the guide →Make a Game for Kids
The parent and teacher guide to a child's very first game.
Read the guide →Coding for Kids
From Scratch blocks to Python and C#, free and in the browser.
Read the guide →Minecraft Modding
Make your first item, block, mob and a whole world of your own.
Read the guide →Roblox Studio Tutorials
Build an obby, an adventure and a tycoon, then publish a game.
Read the guide →Best Free Game Making Tools
The best free tools and engines for kids, all in one place.
Read the guide →Java Game Tutorial
Real code, from Pong and Breakout to a three-part RPG.
Read the guide →C++ Game Tutorial
Real code with SFML, from Pong to a full tower defence.
Read the guide →Pico-8 for Beginners
Tiny retro games, from Pong and Snake to a dungeon crawler.
Read the guide →GameMaker for Beginners
A friendly engine for 2D games, from Pong to a full RPG.
Read the guide →Roblox vs Minecraft
Which of the two big ones to start with, and how to build in each.
Read the guide →Python for Kids
Real text code that makes games, a great next step after blocks.
Read the guide →Godot for Beginners
A free engine for bigger 2D and 3D games, no licence needed.
Read the guide →Unity for Beginners
Build Pong, Breakout and more with a real industry engine.
Read the guide →On a School Chromebook
What works with no installs, no admin rights and no account.
Read the guide →