Table of Contents
Quick Answer
Use Phaser 3 for 2D games or Three.js for 3D, scaffold with Cursor, and deploy as a static site to Cloudflare Pages or itch.io. AI handles sprite generation (Stable Diffusion/Midjourney), physics boilerplate, and level design JSON.
- Time to playable: 1-3 days
- Cost: $0
- Distribution: itch.io, Newgrounds, Crazy Games, your site
What You'll Need
- Cursor or Claude Code
- Phaser 3, Three.js, or Kaboom.js (pick one)
- Image generator for sprites (Midjourney, SDXL)
- Free sound library (freesound.org, zapsplat)
- Static hosting (Cloudflare Pages, itch.io)
Steps
- Pick scope ruthlessly. One mechanic. One level. Ship it. Tetris, Flappy Bird, Snake — all are one-mechanic legends.
- Scaffold Phaser.
pnpm create vite@latest game -- --template vanilla-tsthenpnpm add phaser. Ask Cursor: "Create a Phaser 3 main scene with a player sprite that moves with arrow keys and gravity." - Generate art with AI. Midjourney prompt: "pixel art character sprite sheet, 64x64, walk cycle, 4 frames, transparent background, retro game." Export as PNG.
- Add physics & collisions. Phaser's Arcade Physics handles most. Prompt AI: "Add collision between player and platforms, and damage on spike tile overlap."
- Design levels. Use Tiled editor (free) or generate JSON tilemap with AI. Load via
this.load.tilemapTiledJSON. - Sound & music. Royalty-free from freesound.org. Add
this.sound.add('jump').play()on events. - Add polish. Screen shake on damage, particle bursts on coins, smooth camera follow. These 30-minute additions 10x the feel.
- Deploy.
pnpm build→ dragdist/to Cloudflare Pages or itch.io. Set game to public.
Common Mistakes
- Scope creep: "RPG with 50 quests" never ships. "One dungeon, one boss" does.
- Ignoring mobile: 60% of browser players are mobile. Add touch controls.
- 60fps on slow devices: Test on a 3-year-old phone. Optimize texture sizes.
- No save system: Even a highscore in
localStorageboosts retention 3x. - Skipping sound: Silent games feel 80% less finished.
Top Tools
| Tool | Best For | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Phaser 3 | 2D games | Free |
| Three.js | 3D games | Free |
| Kaboom.js | Simple game API | Free |
| Tiled | Tilemap editor | Free |
| itch.io | Distribution | Free |
| Cloudflare Pages | Static hosting | Free |
Conclusion
Browser games are the funniest weekend project in tech. Scope tiny, polish hard, deploy free. One viral itch.io hit can mean 100K+ plays in a week — and a portfolio piece forever.