Vibe code games with Claude Code
Vibe Code Games With Claude Code
Claude Code's multi-file reasoning is the unfair advantage. Pair it with a domain skill file and a working repo and it stops behaving like a general assistant.
Claude Code is what I use for the heavy lifting — multi-file refactors, debugging a feature across scenes, anything where context matters more than raw speed. It stays coherent across long sessions if you give it the right starting context.
That context is a SKILL.md file. phaser-gamedev for 2D. threejs-builder for 3D. love2d-gamedev when I'm targeting iOS. Without one, Claude defaults to web-app patterns — which is fine for a React project and fatal for a game loop.
Why It Matters
- phaser-gamedev, threejs-builder, threejs-capacitor-ios, love2d-gamedev — the engine skills Claude actually needs
- Public source from the showcase: Phaser Oakwoods (platformer), Castle Clash Duel (tactics)
- Prompt sequences pulled from real Claude Code sessions on shipped games
Workflow
Load the SKILL.md for your engine
Phaser, Three.js, Love2D, Capacitor iOS, asset pipeline. One skill, loaded first, before the first prompt about the game. This is the step most people skip.
Plan, then edit
Ask Claude to read the relevant files and propose the smallest change that proves the feature, listing the files it'll touch. The plan-then-edit pattern catches the 'wait, no' moments before they hit your codebase.
Use the running game as ground truth
Play after every change. Describe the visible problem by name — 'the platform fall-through still triggers at the apex of the jump' — and Claude will fix the right thing. Vague follow-ups get vague edits.
Public Vault Excerpts
Project
Phaser Oakwoods
A public Phaser 3 + TypeScript platformer with parallax scrolling, player combat, infinite ground generation, and a reusable agent workflow for playable iteration.
- Claude Code
- Phaser
- Platformer
Project
Castle Clash Duel
A public turn-based tactics project built with Phaser 3 and AI-assisted workflow patterns: unit state, animation, combat feedback, and tight feature passes.
- Claude Code
- Tactics
- Pixel art
Agent skill
love2d-gamedev
A Love2D skill for prototype-to-release work: architecture, graphics, animation, tiles, collision, audio, iOS deployment, and touch-control considerations.
- Love2D
- Mobile
- Architecture
Prompt Patterns
Plan, then edit
Use the loaded SKILL.md as your operating context. Read the relevant files, then propose a plan: smallest change that proves the feature, files you'll touch, and the visible result. Wait for me to confirm before editing. After you ship, summarise what changed and what to play to verify.
Tool Notes
Examples beat explanations
Point Claude at a working project pattern before asking for a new system. It imitates local architecture much more reliably than it follows abstract instructions.
Long sessions drift — re-state the goal
After 30+ turns Claude accumulates stale assumptions about what 'done' looks like. Before any important edit, restate the current behaviour and the target behaviour. Costs you 20 seconds, saves you an hour.
Split skills by task type
Engine work, asset work, audio, deployment — different mental models. Load the skill that matches what you're doing, not a single 'do everything' prompt.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Claude Code worth it for games specifically?
Yes for any game with more than two or three files. Claude's strength is reasoning across a whole repo — finding the actual call site that's broken, tracking a value through scenes, refactoring without losing the thread. That matters more for games than for most apps because the bugs are usually emergent.
Do I really need the SKILL.md files?
You can work without them, but you'll re-explain the engine on every prompt. SKILL.md is reusable operating context — Claude knows what a Phaser scene is once, then for the rest of the session. The pack ships the ones I actually use.
What's a good first task for Claude on a game?
One playable mechanic on an existing repo. Add a jump. Add an enemy that chases. Add an item pickup that plays a sound. Big enough to feel like progress, small enough to throw away. Phaser Oakwoods or Castle Clash Duel are good starting points.