13 tiny and terrific entries from the js13kGames competition
If you think about it, 13kB isn’t really a lot. The image above is 81kB. This page weighs over 3MB (waaay more if you include the videos). That’s why it’s…
If you think about it, 13kB isn’t really a lot. The image above is 81kB. This page weighs over 3MB (waaay more if you include the videos). That’s why it’s so incredibly impressive that the following developers were actually able to build something in just 13 kilobytes. 🤯
This year’s js13kGames competition theme was SPACE, and that prompted many clones of Asteroids and Space Invaders (some with major twists in gameplay), perplexing puzzle games using and abusing empty space, and games that required, well, a lot of mashing the SPACE bar! You’ll see lots of variety in gameplay, interpretations of the theme, and an incredible amount of talent on display when you scroll down.
In no particular order, here are a few of my favorite entries from this year, plus some short video clips to pique your interest:
Space Huggers
“It’s roguelike Broforce in 13kb and that’s marvelous!” – @kesiev
Space Block Invaders
“Technically it’s impressive, great graphics.” – @robertocapuano
Q1K3
“No words!! This is a great technical achievement! Awesome! I’ve never expected that a js13k game could give me a jump scare!” – @agar3s
Did you know: You can read about out how @phoboslab created this masterpiece in their “making of” blog post.
The Adventures of Captain Callisto
“Awesome. Everything is so smooth. Level design is fun and ramps up nicely. The jetpack animation on level complete was surprisingly delightful.” – @leimapapa
Hit the space!
“Very beautiful, and the gameplay is hard but well executed and fun!” – @gagamoto
Black Hole Square
“Beautiful presentation. Clever puzzle design. Great use of sound!” – @codyebberson
Tenacity
“Great graphics and nice level design!” – @xem
Safe Space
“The theme is dealt with with great originality. The graphics are great, the audio is good. Putting a 13k platform is technically great.” – @robertocapuano
Galaxy Rider
“It had that classic Free Rider feeling. Very cool! Love the physics puzzles.” – @joseprio
Beat Rocks
“What a fantastic spin on a classic. Great music.” – @Rybar
PACKABUNCHAS
“I was really blown away when I first played this. So cute and polished. Congrats!” – @ckolin
Space Garden
“Very clever entry, loved the pixel art graphics, the dithering is cool. Nice music, the controls and player movement are smooth and pretty unique. Great entry!” – @tyler6699
The Maze of Space Goblins
“A solid entry! played 15 levels and still amused about every new mechanic introduced in the game.” – @agar3s
Those are just a few of my favorites. Be sure to check out the complete list of entries–ranked and rated by the developers themselves on the js13k website.
Huuuge thank you to @end3r for organizing yet another incredible jam, all of the judges, and everyone who took time to build, play, rate, and review the entries. <3
Pst! Ever wanted to create your own game? GitHub Game Off is just a few weeks away, and that’s a perfect excuse to build your first or fortieth game. Join now!
Tags:
Written by
Related posts
From karaoke terminals to AI résumés: The winners of GitHub’s For the Love of Code challenge
This summer, we invited devs to participate in our hackathon for joyful, ridiculous, and wildly creative projects. Here are the winners of For the Love of Code!
Inside the breach that broke the internet: The untold story of Log4Shell
Log4Shell proved that open source security isn’t guaranteed and isn’t just a code problem. It’s about supporting, enabling, and empowering the people behind the projects that build our digital infrastructure.
Accelerate developer productivity with these 9 open source AI and MCP projects
GitHub Copilot and VS Code teams, along with the Microsoft Open Source Program Office (OSPO), sponsored these nine open source MCP projects that provide new frameworks, tools, and assistants to unlock AI-native workflows, agentic tooling, and innovation.