⭐ My First Video Game · Series 1 · 9 Episodes · All Free
🎮 Parent & Child · Godot 4 · Ages 5+

My First
Video Game

Build 9 real games with your child. No experience needed. Each workshop takes about 1 to 2 hours and walks you through every step together.

Stardust says: pick the game that looks most fun. You can always come back for the others.

👶 Ages 5+ ✓ Completely Free 🎮 Godot 4 👨‍👧 Parent & Child ✓ No Experience Needed
🏎️ Start with Episode 1 →
9
Episodes
97
Steps
5+
Age
Free
Always
0 / 9 episodes complete
⭐ My Progress
The Full Series

9 Games to Build Together

Start at Episode 1 and work through, or jump to any episode that sounds fun. Each one teaches new skills.

Ep 1
🏎️
⭐ Start Here · Best for Beginners
Zoom Zoom! Top-Down Racing Game
Build a car that steers around a track, add a lap timer and a finish line. First time with Godot? Start here.
Ages 5+ 6 Steps · ~1 hr Start Building →
0/6 steps
Ep 2
🍄
Gravity · Jumping · Enemies · Coins
Jump Jump! Mario-Style Platformer
Run, jump, stomp enemies and collect coins. Introduces gravity, TileMapLayer levels and camera tracking.
Ages 5+ 12 Steps · ~1.5 hrs Start Building →
0/12 steps
Ep 3
🔫
Shooting · Enemies · Rooms · Roguelike
Bang Bang! Top-Down Shooter
Shoot enemies, dodge waves of bad guys and explore a randomly generated map inspired by Nuclear Throne.
Ages 5+ 13 Steps · ~1.5 hrs Start Building →
0/13 steps
Ep 4
🧚
Auto-Attack · XP · Waves · Level Up
Fairy Survivors! Vampire Survivors-Style
You move, the fairy attacks automatically! Survive bug waves, collect XP gems, unlock 4 spells and level up.
Ages 5+ 12 Steps · ~1.5 hrs Start Building →
0/12 steps
Ep 5
🦍
Barrels · Ladders · Spawning · Timers
Barrel Blast! Donkey Kong-Style Arcade Game
Dodge rolling barrels, climb ladders and reach the top to win. Introduces Timer nodes and animated physics objects.
Ages 6+ 12 Steps · ~2 hrs Start Building →
0/12 steps
Ep 6
🗡️
Top-Down · Sword · Chest · Key · Dungeon
Pixel Quest! Zelda-Style Adventure
Walk in 4 directions, swing a sword at slimes, open a chest, collect a key and escape through a locked door.
Ages 6+ 12 Steps · ~2 hrs Start Building →
0/12 steps
Ep 7
🐻
Cameras · Doors · Power · AI · Jump Scare
Night Watch! FNAF-Style Horror Game
Survive the night as a security guard! Watch cameras, slam doors, manage power and don't let the animatronic reach you.
Ages 8+ 6 Steps · ~1.5 hrs Start Building →
0/6 steps
Ep 8
🐰
More Animatronics · Multiple Nights · Menu
Night Watch Part 2! More Animatronics & Multiple Nights
Add Bonnie, Chica & Foxy, a main menu, audio cues, hallway lights and a death screen. Continues straight on from Episode 7.
Ages 8+ 13 Steps · ~2 hrs Start Building →
0/13 steps
Ep 9
📼
🏁 Series Finale · Polish & Atmosphere
Night Watch Part 3! Polish Your Horror Game
Camera static, flickering lights, screen shake, custom sprites, sound effects and a power warning. The series finale.
Ages 8+ 11 Steps · ~1.5 hrs Start Building →
0/11 steps
🛠️ Free Browser Tools

Make It Your Own

Use these free tools to draw your own sprites, record sound effects, compose music and plan your game, all in the browser, no installs needed.

🎨
Pixel Studio
Draw and animate your own pixel art sprites. Export as PNG or spritesheet ready for Godot.
Open Tool →
🧑‍🎨
Character Designer
Design your game character from scratch. Mix body parts, colours and styles.
Open Tool →
💥
SFX Studio
Create jump, coin, shoot and explosion sound effects. Download WAV files for Godot.
Open Tool →
🎵
Music Maker
Compose background music for your game with a beat sequencer and piano roll. WAV export.
Open Tool →
🏺️
Level Designer
Sketch out your levels on a tile grid with enemies, platforms and pickups. Export JSON for Godot.
Open Tool →
🎨
Colour Palette
Pick a colour scheme for your game. Export as CSS, hex or GDScript for Godot.
Open Tool →
📋
GDD Builder
Plan your game design document, characters, rules, art style, timeline. Export as PDF.
Open Tool →
🎲
Game Idea Generator
Stuck on what to make next? Hit the button for a random game concept, genre and mechanic.
Generate Idea →
See all free dev tools →

Ready to build your first game?

Download Godot 4 for free at godotengine.org, then come back and start Episode 1. No experience needed, every step is explained for both of you.

🏎️ Start Episode 1 → Download Godot 4 (Free) →️

Questions from Parents

Do I need any coding experience?
None at all. Each workshop is written for a grown-up and child reading together. Purple boxes are notes just for the parent, everything else is for both of you.
What age is it suitable for?
Episodes 1-4 work well from age 5 with a parent. Episodes 5-6 are a little trickier and suit ages 6-8+ better. The 3-part Night Watch horror series (Episodes 7-9) suits ages 8+, the spooky theme is age-appropriate for that range but as always, parents should judge.
Do I need to do episodes in order?
No, each episode stands alone, except the 3-part Night Watch horror series (Episodes 7-9), which is one story told across three workshops and should be done in order. Otherwise, if it's your first time with Godot, Episode 1 is the gentlest start, Episodes 2 onwards build on similar patterns so it does get easier as you go.
What do I need to get started?
Just a computer (Windows, Mac or Linux) and Godot 4, which is completely free at godotengine.org. That's it. No subscriptions, no accounts.
Is it really free?
Yes, all 9 episodes, forever. No ads, no paywall, no sign-up required.
🚀 Keep Going

Where to next?

Finished here, or just curious? These series are a natural next step, same step-by-step format, bigger games.

🔷
My First Unity Game
2D & 3D games with C#.
Ages 10+ Start →
🔷️
My First Unreal Engine Game
AAA visuals with Blueprints.
Ages 10+ Start →
⚙️
My First C++ Game
Systems programming with SFML.
Ages 12+ Start →
Browse all workshops →