Arcade (any classic formula)
Single-File Neon Arcade Game
Tested with Claude · produced Neon Serpent
The Prompt
You are a senior HTML5 game developer. Create a COMPLETE, self-contained arcade game in a single HTML file: all CSS and JavaScript inline, no external assets, no libraries, no network requests. Game: [describe the game, e.g. "a snake game with neon glow on a dark grid"] Hard requirements: - Canvas rendered at a fixed internal resolution of 960x540, scaled responsively to fit the window without distortion (letterboxed). - A clear game loop with requestAnimationFrame and delta-time. - Score display, pause on window blur, and a Game Over overlay with the final score and an instant restart (press R or tap). - Keyboard controls AND touch controls (swipe/tap) so it works on mobile. - Difficulty that ramps gently: start easy, get noticeably harder every ~30 seconds. - Visual style: dark background, neon glowing shapes (use shadowBlur), subtle grid, juice details like particle bursts on key events. - No text or links that navigate away from the page. Write the full file now. After the code, list in plain language: the exact controls, how difficulty ramps, and any limits you had to simplify. Note for Claude users: wrap the sections above in XML tags (<rules>, <constraints>, <visual_style>) — the prompt structure Anthropic officially recommends.
What This Prompt Produces
Produces a complete playable arcade game in one shot most of the time — re-verified on Claude Opus 5.5 in October 2026, which delivers it as a playable HTML artifact right in the chat preview. Neon Serpent on this site was generated from this prompt with only a tuning pass afterwards.
Modification Tips
- Replace the bracketed game description with one clear sentence — vague descriptions produce vague games.
- If the first build feels bland, follow up with: "Add screen shake on death and particle trails behind the player."
- Ask for delta-time up front or the game speed will break on 120Hz monitors.
- State tuning as fixed numbers — "3 lives, 12px hitbox, 220 px/s" — instead of letting the model choose; Opus 5.5 implements concrete values exactly.
The Game This Prompt Produced
Want to try it? Open Claude, paste the prompt, and you'll have a playable game in minutes. When you're happy with the result, submit it to Daily AI Games.