Every week, jammers build a game from scratch using AI for code, art, audio, writing, or a mix of all of it.
The goal isn't to avoid the hard parts. It's to find out how far iterative prompting can take you, where it breaks, and what clever workarounds you invent when it does. Writers can code, coders can make art, and designers can compose.
| Theme | LEFTOVERS Scraps, survivors, unfinished business, personal belongings of someone no longer here. |
|---|---|
| Limitation | ONE ROOM Your whole game happens in a single scene, with no transitions to other levels or areas. "Room" is loose: a kitchen, a car, a fridge shelf or an entire backyard all count, as long as the player never leaves it. This is required. |
This page may be slow to update. For real-time info, check #jam-status on our Discord.
Want bragging rights? Opt into extra constraints when you submit. Flavor Cards don't negatively affect your score, but completed cards receive bonus points and are highlighted in the weekly results.
| Card | Constraint |
|---|---|
| Roll the Dice | Chance decides at least one important thing. |
| Déjà Vu | Something happens more than once, and it's different the second time. |
| Don't Wake It | The player has to stay quiet or careful around something. |
List the cards you used on your game's itch.io page. This page may be slow to update. For real-time info, check #jam-status on our Discord.
| When (US Eastern) | What Happens |
|---|---|
| Fri 7:30 PM | Theme revealed. #theme-brainstorm opens on Discord. |
| Sat 7:00 AM | Limitation and Flavor Cards revealed. The 48-hour clock starts. |
| Mon 7:00 AM | Submissions close |
| Mon – Wed | Play, rate and comment on each other's games. Judges score entries. |
| Thu | Judge panel results, winner and honorable mentions announced. |
AI is your co-pilot. You're the director, editor and final polish. These rules exist to keep out low-effort slop.
| # | Rule | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Human-in-the-loop | No one-prompt games. Raw, unedited copy-paste output will be disqualified. Iterate, debug, refine and stitch AI output into something that feels intentionally authored. |
| 2 | The Art Rule | AI art, 3D and audio are allowed, but looks are scored. Raw, unedited AI art scores low. Edit, photobash, paint over, or blend it with human-made work. Be the Art Director: 15 clashing styles will hurt your rating. |
| 3 | Show your work | Your itch.io page must have an AI Tools Used section listing which tools you used and how. e.g. Claude for UI code, Midjourney sprites painted over in Photoshop, Suno for music |
| 4 | It has to run | Your game must launch and be playable. Entries that crash on the menu or during normal play are pulled from judging. Test your AI's code. Your game must have a browser (HTML5) version that plays in itch.io's embedded player. Downloadable builds are welcome as extras. Unreal Engine has no official web export after v4.23. If your game calls a live AI API, it must work out of the box. No player API keys or local model installs. |
| 5 | Fresh builds | The game must be made during the 48-hour window. Personal code libraries, standard asset packs and base templates are fine. Pre-existing game projects are not. |
| 6 | Teams welcome | Add your teammates as contributors on your itch.io project. Find people in #team-up on Discord. |
| 7 | Be decent | No harassment, spam, or NSFW content. Keep games broadly safe: no graphic gore or hate speech. If your AI generates something inappropriate, filtering it out is on you. Staff decisions are final. |
| Zero tolerance |
|---|
| Instant disqualification, and possible removal from the Discord server, for: • Claiming unedited AI assets as 100% human-made • AI-generated copyrighted IP (characters, logos, music, etc. you don't own). No "AI-generated Mario." • Using AI tools in violation of their Terms of Service • AI voice clones of real people without their explicit consent • NSFW content |
| Profile checks: Anyone who joins the jam may have their public itch.io profile reviewed at any time, and may be disqualified if it contains excessive NSFW content. A profile counts as excessive if any of these apply: • Contains: the avatar, banner, display name or profile description is sexually explicit • Hosts: sexually explicit projects make up half or more of the profile's published projects or collections • Promotes: the profile links to or advertises adult content sites or paid adult content A single mature-tagged project on an otherwise general profile is not grounds for disqualification on its own. Why we do this: NSFW submissions are not allowed in this jam, and profiles that meet the standards above are much more likely to submit them. Checking profiles helps us keep rule-breaking NSFW content out of the jam before it reaches players and judges. |
Everyone can rate entries, but a panel of judges makes the final call on winners, regardless of community ratings. Judges leave anonymous feedback; please play, rate and comment on each other's games Mon-Wed to share insights.
| Criterion | What judges look for |
|---|---|
| Human Polish | How well you refined and curated the AI output. Cohesive and bug-free? |
| AI Innovation | How creative or technically impressive your AI use was, in the pipeline or live in-game. |
| Fun Factor | Is it actually fun to play? |
| Aesthetic Cohesion | Does it look and sound consistent? |
AI as a live mechanic is allowed, but optional. Using AI only during development is fully valid.
Rewards change each week and are announced with each week's jam. Prizes aren't always cash: cash prizes are only offered when jam funds allow.
| This week | Reward |
|---|---|
| 1st Place | $50 cash |
| Hall of Fame | The top game joins the official Ctrl+AI+Jam Hall of Fame collection. |
| Original Jammer | Everyone who makes a submission to this first jam receives the honorary Original Jammer role on Discord. |
| Claiming | Winners must be members of our Discord and claim their reward within 2 days of results being announced, or it is forfeited. To claim, submit the prize claim form on our Discord. Claims take 3–5 business days to process. |
| Cash Prizes | Eligible cash prizes are paid in USD via PayPal, or through your game's itch.io support button. |
| IMPORTANT: To be eligible for prizes, you must join our Discord server. |
Discord is our main communication channel where results are formally announced. No self-promotion outside #shipped and #wip-wall.
| Channel | What it's for |
|---|---|
| #announcements | Theme drops and results |
| #jam-status | The live jam phase |
| #team-up | Find a team |
| #help-desk | Get troubleshooting help when you get stuck |
| #wip-wall | Share WIP screenshots |
| #devlogs | Post regular progress updates on your game |
| #shipped | Promote your submitted game |
| #general | Hang out with other jammers |
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Never made a game. Can I join? | Yes. AI lowers the barrier, and a tiny finished game beats an ambitious unfinished one. |
| Can I use AI for 100% of the game? | Yes, but no one-prompt games: raw, unedited output is disqualified, and judges reward Human Polish. Curation and direction matter. |
| Can I use free asset packs or templates? | Yes. Personal code libraries, standard asset packs and base templates are fine. Pre-existing game projects are not. |
| Can I update my game post-deadline? | Uploads are locked during judging, but update freely once results are published. |
| Do I have to use the theme / limitation? | Yes, though how you interpret them is entirely up to you. |
No submissions match your filter
