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How to make a roguelike game with AI

Roguelikes and roguelites are built around short runs: you fight, collect upgrades, lose, and start again a bit stronger or wiser. They're surprisingly friendly to AI building because the game is mostly lists of rules and upgrades. No coding needed. Paste a prompt into a tool like Claude, Cursor, Bolt or ChatGPT and it writes the game for you.

The heart of a roguelike is the upgrade choice. Ask the AI to offer three random upgrades after each room or wave, and you've got the loop that keeps players saying "one more run".

How to do it in 3 steps

  1. Copy the Starter recipe. Grab it with the Copy button below.
  2. Paste it into an AI tool. Paste into a new project and let it build a first run.
  3. Play three runs, then add upgrades. Ask for more upgrade choices once the basic run feels good.

Free Starter recipe

This is the Starter recipe from AGI: The Last Alignment. Copy it as is, or change the details to make it yours.

Read the full recipe
Build a small, playable browser game inspired by "AGI: The Last Alignment" (Rougelite).
Concept: AGI: The Last Alignment is a free browser-playable 2D isometric pixel-art horde-survival roguelite where humans and frontier AI factions fight an Alien God Intelligence in solo or online co-op.
Tech: use PixiJS; keep it to a single page that loads instantly with no login or install.
Controls: keyboard and mouse on desktop, shown on a short how-to-play screen.
Multiplayer: the original is listed as multiplayer. Start with a local or bot opponent, then add online play (e.g. WebSockets) once the core loop is fun.
Core loop: include progress saved in localStorage.
Steps: 1) get the core mechanic playable with placeholder shapes, 2) add win/lose conditions and restart, 3) polish feel, visuals and sound, 4) add your own twist (setting, character or one new rule).
Make it your own: don't copy the original's name, art, text or code.

Heads up: Starter recipes are learning templates written by Vibe1Up, not the creator's own prompt.

Play real roguelike games made with AI

See what's possible before you build. Each one is listed on Vibe1Up with credit to its creator.

Screenshot of AGI: The Last Alignment

AGI: The Last Alignment

by @ChloeKa39867633 · PixiJS

AGI: The Last Alignment is a free browser-playable 2D isometric pixel-art horde-survival roguelite where humans and frontier AI factions…

Screenshot of Blockzilla

Blockzilla

by @markfersh · Three.js

Blockzilla — a Vampire Survivors meets Rampage roguelike where you finally get to play the bad guy - a giant Kaiju monster destroying…

Screenshot of Space Loop

Space Loop

by @libcedric · Three.js

A browser-based 3D space roguelite where you pilot a ship through procedural solar systems, blasting asteroids and alien convoys,…

More roguelike games →

Remix it: easy ideas to try

Once your first version works, paste one of these into the same chat:

FAQ

What's the difference between a roguelike and a roguelite?
Both use short runs that restart when you lose. Roguelites usually let you keep some progress between runs, which tends to be friendlier for new players.
How do I make runs feel different?
Ask the AI for random room layouts, random enemy mixes and random upgrade choices. Even small randomness goes a long way.
How long should a run be?
For a browser game, 3 to 10 minutes is a good target.

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