Sometimes the tightest constraints inspire the highest creativity. The 2024 Tiny Games Challenge invites you to have the most fun with the most minimal setup. Whether that’s tiny size, tiny parts count, or tiny code, we want you to show us that big fun can come in small packages.

The Tiny Games Challenge starts now and runs through September 10th, with the top three entries receiving a $150 gift certificate courtesy of DigiKey.

We can’t tell you how much fun we’ve had playing Twang and a few derivatives thereof. It’s an amazing amount of fun to get out of just a springy door stopper, an accelerometer, and an LED strip. Pong is an evergreen game, and you might expect to see it implemented on an LED strip, but how about on ten LEDs? Or Snake on a 16×2 LCD? [Doug McInnes]’s Hunt the Lunpus runs on two seven-segment displays!

We’ve seen no end of small handheld game projects, ranging from the Arduboy to [Deshipu]’s outstanding PewPew series of devices. These projects have an incredible degree of finish, but that shouldn’t stop you from lashing up a quick pocket gaming platform out of whatever you have on hand.

Or maybe you want to have fun with the hardware? We’re absolutely interested in seeing the most innovative minimal controls you can come up with. Who knows, you might just invent the next Playdate!

No matter whether your game is small in scope, code size, build complexity, or form-factor, if you’ve got a Tiny Game, show us! Head over to Hackaday.io and create a project, use the pull-down menu on the left-hand side to enter, and you’re set. We’ll be judging on simplicity, fun, and the quality of your documentation, and the top three will get a $150 DigiKey shopping spree. Let the (tiny) games begin!

Honorable Mention Categories

• One Dimensional: Everyone has an LED strip kicking around somewhere. Show us how we can put that to use to make an engaging game that plays only in one dimension.
• The Classics: You know: Pong, Snake, Tetris, or maybe even Hunt the Wumpus. In this category, we’re looking for modern implementations of a classic tiny game of yesteryear.
• The Controls: With some games, it’s the controls that make them fun. If your tiny game has innovative user interfaces, this is for you.
• Pocket Arcade: You want to bring your games with you everywhere, right? This category is for DIY tiny games that you can carry around every day.
• Fancy!: This category is for the polish, the fit-and-finish, and the shininess. If your game looks fantastic, it’s fancy.