⚔️ Beginner Friendly · MUGEN · Ages 10+

My First
Fighting Game

Build your own fighting game with MUGEN, the legendary free engine where every character, stage and screen is editable. 5 workshops take you from setup to a complete, packaged game.

🧑 Ages 10+ ✓ Completely Free ⚔️ MUGEN 👨‍👧 Parent & Child ✓ No Experience Needed

🚀 Start with Episode 1 →

5 Projects to Build Step by Step

Start at Episode 1 to install MUGEN and learn its files. Each episode adds a new skill, ending with a complete fighting game you can share.

Ep 1

🥊

⭐ Start Here · Setup · Files · First Edits

Fighter Basics

Install MUGEN, learn the file anatomy, add fighters and stages, and make your first real edits to a character’s stats.

Ages 10+ 6 Steps · ~1.5 hrs Start Building →

Ep 2

🥋

Custom Fighter

Build and customise your own fighting-game character , sprites, moves and special attacks , the heart of any MUGEN roster.

Ages 10+ 11 Steps · ~3 hrs Start Building →

Ep 3

🤖

Fighter AI Programming

Program the computer opponent: teach your fighter when to attack, block and combo so it puts up a real fight.

Ages 10+ 6 Steps · ~1 hr Start Building →

Ep 4

🎭

Custom Stage Design

Design a custom stage , background, floor, camera bounds and music , to give your fights their own atmosphere.

Ages 10+ 7 Steps · ~45 min Start Building →

Ep 5

👑

Screenpack · Roster · Boss

Complete Game Setup

The finale: a custom screenpack, authored roster and arcade ladder, a boss and hidden characters, lifebars and music , packaged to share.

Ages 10+ 6 Steps · ~2 hrs Start Building →

What You Need

MUGEN is free and portable , no installer. Everything you need is walked through in Episode 1.

⚔️

MUGEN (Free)

A free, portable fighting-game engine by Elecbyte, kept alive by a huge community. Unzip and run , no installer.

✓ Free

💻

Windows PC

MUGEN is Windows-native. Mac and Linux users can run it through Wine. Any recent PC handles it easily.

Windows (or Wine)

📝

A Text Editor

Notepad works, but the free Notepad++ is far nicer for editing the .def, .cns and select files with syntax colouring.

✓ Free (Notepad++)

📐

No Experience Needed

Everything in MUGEN is editable text and assets. We explain the file structure and every edit as we go.

✓ Beginner Friendly

Questions & Answers

Do I need to know coding?

No. MUGEN is built from editable text files and assets. We explain the structure and walk through every edit , it is modding, not heavy programming.

Is MUGEN really free?

Yes. MUGEN is free software by Elecbyte, supported by a large fan community. Stick to well-known community sites for downloads.

What will I build?

You will install MUGEN, add fighters and stages, edit character stats, program fighter AI, design a stage, and package a complete game with a custom screenpack, roster, boss and lifebars.

Does it work on Mac?

MUGEN is Windows-native, but Mac and Linux users can run it through Wine. The workshops focus on the Windows version.

Can I share the game I make?

Yes. Because MUGEN is portable, you zip the whole folder and share it. Episode 5 covers packaging and crediting the content creators you include.

Is it really free?

All 5 episodes, forever. No ads, no paywall, no sign-up needed.

My First
Fighting Game

5 Projects to Build Step by Step

What You Need

Design Your Assets

Ready to build your own fighting game?

Questions & Answers

Where to next?

My FirstFighting Game

5 Projects to Build Step by Step

What You Need

Design Your Assets

Ready to build your own fighting game?

Questions & Answers

Where to next?

My First
Fighting Game