Learn General , one game at a time

Start Here: Pick Your First Game Engine (Free Guide)

New to game dev? Compare Scratch, Godot, PICO-8, Defold and Roblox, then follow a 3-step ordered track with time and skills. Free.

Pip says: Try any of these in the browser first. Pick what looks fun and have a go.

Build a game right in the page

Build each game step by step inside this page and watch it run, with nothing to install. Open it in General when you are ready.

Nothing to install

8 workshops

My First C++ Game Build Canvas

Build My First C++ Game in the page, with nothing to install.

My First Defold Game Build Canvas

Build My First Defold Game in the page, with nothing to install.

My First GDevelop Game Build Canvas

Build My First GDevelop Game in the page, with nothing to install.

My First Godot Game Canvas

Build My First Godot Game Canvas in the page, with nothing to install.

My First PICO-8 Game Build Canvas

Build My First PICO-8 Game in the page, with nothing to install.

My First Python Game Build Canvas

Build My First Python Game in the page, with nothing to install.

My First Scratch Game Canvas

Build My First Scratch Game Canvas in the page, with nothing to install.

Night Watch Part 1 Build Canvas

Build Night Watch Part 1 in the page, with nothing to install.

Every workshop

More guided builds and one-off projects. Titles, levels and ages all come from the workshop data.

Needs the tools each build uses

42 workshops

Add Your Own Stage to MUGEN Beginner's Lesson

A complete beginner's tutorial for building your first MUGEN stage. Step by step, no prior experience needed. Includes a free starter pack you can edit. By JVDesignStudio.

Barrel Blast! Build a Donkey Kong-Style Game in Godot

Build a Donkey Kong-style game in Godot! Roll barrels, climb platforms, and build classic arcade action from scratch. Free beginner workshop.

Build a Game in 15 Minutes: Dot Smash

Build a real playable browser game in 15 minutes. A free step by step reference for total beginners: click the dot, score points, beat the clock. Copy the code, grab the starter, no sign up.

Castle Siege Blueprint, Build & Play Your Own Brawler

Castle Siege Blueprint, design your own castle defence game with this free game dev tool.

Cyber Defender! Understand Cyber Crime and Stay Safe Online

A free Lumo-led cyber security workshop. Learn what cyber crime is, who the threat actors are, how attacks work and how to stay safe. Quizzes and XP included.

Hellfire Descent Blueprint, Build Your Own ARPG

Diablo-style game blueprint, learn to design an action RPG with this free game dev guide.

Fairy Survivors! Build a Vampire Survivors Game in Godot

Build your own Vampire Survivors-style game in Godot! Waves of enemies, XP pickups, and level-up choices, all from scratch. Free beginner workshop.

Security Shift Blueprint, Build Five Nights at Freddy's

Wire blueprints to build a Five Nights at Freddy's style survival game. Power system, animatronic AI, camera feeds, doors and night timer. Ages 13+. Free.

Jump Jump! Build a Mario-Style Game in Godot

Build a Mario-style platformer in Godot! Jump on enemies, collect coins, and create your own levels. A free beginner game dev workshop.

Teen Learn Code, Create & Level Up

Free game-building courses for teens aged 13+. JavaScript, Python, Godot, Roblox, MUGEN build real games from scratch. No paywalls, no fluff.

The Learning Lab: Free Browser Mini-Games for School Subjects

Sixteen free browser mini-games covering Computing, Maths, English, Science, Geography, History, Music and more. No login, no download.

View your earned badges, collectibles and milestones across all JVDesignStudio workshops.

My Achievements

7 free beginner Blender workshops. Learn 3D modelling, character creation, rigging, animation, materials, lighting and a full scene. Interactive quizzes and XP. Ages 10+.

My First 3D Model

My First 3D Prints, Fidget Toy

Free parent & child TinkerCad workshop. Design and 3D print your first fidget toy. No experience needed. Ages 8+.

6 free beginner JavaScript game workshops. Build Flappy Bird, a memory game, Breakout, Snake and a platformer , right in the browser. Interactive quizzes and XP. Ages 10+.

My First Browser Game

7 free beginner C++ game workshops with SFML. Build Pong, Snake, Breakout, a platformer and a two-part tower defence. Interactive quizzes and XP. Ages 12+.

My First C++ Game

6 free Defold game engine workshops. Build a pong clone, snake, dungeon crawler, space shooter, puzzle match and platformer with Lua scripting. Ages 10+.

My First Defold Game

5 free beginner MUGEN workshops. Build your own fighting game , add fighters, program AI, design stages and package a complete game. Interactive quizzes and XP. Ages 10+.

My First Fighting Game

5 free beginner GameMaker game workshops. Build real 2D games with GML, Pong, a platformer, Breakout, a live-code space shooter and an RPG. No experience needed. Ages 9+.

My First GameMaker Game

6 free parent & child GDevelop workshops. Build a Pong, Snake, Platformer, Shooter, Point & Click and Top-Down Adventure no coding needed. Ages 8+.

My First GDevelop Game

7 free beginner Java game workshops. Build a platformer, breakout, space shooter, Pong and a 3-part RPG with real Java code. Interactive quizzes and XP. Ages 11+.

My First Java Game

6 free beginner Minecraft Java modding workshops. Create custom items, blocks, tools, food and mobs using Fabric no experience needed. Ages 10+.

My First Minecraft Mod

6 free parent & child Pico-8 workshops. Build Pong, Snake, a dungeon crawler, space shooter, match-3 and platformer no experience needed. Ages 8+.

My First Pico-8 Game

7 free beginner Python game workshops with Pygame. Build a catch game, platformer, dodge game, maze, breakout and more. Interactive quizzes and XP. Ages 10+.

My First Python Game

My First Roblox Studio Game

13 free parent & child Roblox Studio workshops. Build an obby, tycoon, simulator, battle game, horror maze, pirate adventure, RPG and a Fall Guys style party game, no experience needed. Ages 7+.

6 free parent & child Scratch workshops. Build a platformer, quiz, catch game, maze, story and clicker no experience needed. Ages 6+.

My First Scratch Game

General · Beginner · Ages 4-6

My First Series Parent & Child Game Building Workshops

Free parent & child game building workshops. No experience needed. Build real games together in Godot, Scratch, Roblox, Minecraft, Unity, Unreal & GameMaker. Ages 5+.

8 free beginner Unity game workshops. Build real games with C# Pong, a 2D platformer, Breakout, a top-down shooter, a 3D platformer, an action RPG, UI & menus, and multiplayer basics. No experience needed. Ages 12+.

My First Unity Game

General · Advanced · Ages 10-14

My First Unreal Game

9 free Unreal Engine 5 game workshops. Build real games with Blueprints and C++ clicker, shooter, platformer, fighter, zombie survivor, advanced systems and multiplayer. No experience needed. Ages 10+.

General · Beginner · Ages 4-6

My First Video Game

9 free parent & child Godot workshops. Build a racing game, platformer, shooter, survivors game, Donkey Kong clone, Zelda adventure, and a 3-part FNAF-style horror game. No experience needed. Ages 5+.

Night Watch! Build a FNAF-Style Horror Game in Godot

Build a Five Nights at Freddy's-style game in Godot! Camera switching, animatronic AI, doors, power meter, and jump scares. Free beginner workshop.

Nuclear Blueprint Build & Play Your Own Roguelite

Nuclear-style game blueprint, design a top-down survival game with this free guide.

Bang Bang! Build a Shooter Game in Godot

Build a top-down shooter in Godot inspired by Nuclear Throne! Weapons, enemies, rooms, and roguelike progression, all from scratch. Free.

Pixel Quest! Build a Zelda-Style Game in Godot

Build a Zelda-style adventure game in Godot! Top-down movement, sword attacks, puzzles, and dungeons. A free beginner workshop.

Race Builder, Build a Top-Down Racer

Build a top-down JavaScript racing game step by step. Set your car stats, add rivals, wire up laps, boost pads and a finish line, watch it race live. Ages 11+. Free.

Racing Blueprint, Build Your Own Racing Game

Racing game blueprint, design your own racing game with this free guide from JVDesignStudio.

Build a Sci-Fi Endless Runner in JavaScript: Free Tutorial

Build a sci-fi endless runner step by step in JavaScript. Set speed, obstacles and shields, then watch it run live. Free, ages 11+.

Build Space Invaders in Godot 4

Build a complete Space Invaders clone in Godot 4 from scratch. 11 chapters, real GDScript, ages 8+. Free guide by JVDesignStudio.

General · Beginner · Ages 4-6

Tiny Learners: Free Tap-to-Learn Games for Ages 4-6

Fifteen free tap-to-learn activities and a drawing studio for ages 4-6. Count, colour, match shapes and phonics with no typing needed.

A free browser 3D level blockout tool. Place floors, walls, ramps, pillars and platforms on a ground grid, spin the 3D view, then export a real OBJ mesh and a level.json you can open in Godot, Unity or Blender. No install needed to start.

3D World Builder

General · Intermediate · Ages 10+

Night Watch! Part 2, More Animatronics & Multiple Nights in Godot

Part 2 of the FNAF-style Godot workshop! Add Bonnie, Chica & Foxy, multiple nights, a main menu, audio cues, hallway lights, and a death screen. Free beginner workshop.

Night Watch! Part 3, Polish Your Horror Game in Godot

Part 3 of the FNAF-style Godot workshop! Add camera static, flickering lights, screen shake, custom sprites, sound effects, a power warning, and more. Polish your horror game!

Studios, cheat sheets and templates

Browser studios, quick-reference sheets and starter files for when you want to go further.

Nothing to install

2 workshops

Free GDScript & Godot 4 Cheat Sheet

Free printable GDScript & Godot 4 cheat sheet variables, functions, signals, nodes and common code snippets. No sign-up needed.