This jam is now over. It ran from 2023-11-03 04:00:01 to 2023-12-05 04:59:59. View 155 entries

THE LONG JAM FOR SHORT GAMES

Make a game that lasts only 20 seconds! You don't have much time to grab the player's attention so make those seconds count! 

This jam is relaxed and beginner friendly. You have three full weeks to make a short game. There are no judges, rankings or prizes. 

We are asking for all games to be playable in the browser.   You can provide additional builds for other platforms if you wish. 

Optional Themes:

  • Overpowered
  • People are strange
  • Musical Fruit

Join the 20 Second Game Jam Discord to get news, ask questions, join a team or just hang out with other jammers!

ORIGIN STORY

20 Second Game Jam began life in 2020 as the TeenyTiny DragonRuby MiniGameJam. After two successful jams, we thought the concept was too much fun not to share with everyone! In 2022, we changed the name and made it open to everyone using any game engine.

Check out these awesome games from the 2022 jam:

There's even more great games from previous jams!

RULES

  • Be respectful and tolerant towards participants and players.
  • Submitted games must last for 20 Seconds or less, start to finish (see FAQ for details)
  • Games containing mature themes or material that is not suitable for young audiences should be very clearly marked
  • All submitted games must include a version that is free and playable in web browsers (for help with exporting for web browsers see the Resources section)
FAQ
  • Q: Does my game really have to be exactly 20 seconds?
    A: Yes, because that’s the whole point of the jam (although we won't be checking games with a stopwatch)
  • Q: When does the 20 seconds start and end?
    A: There should be 20 seconds of gameplay, not including titles, menus or cutscenes. You are highly encouraged to minimize these elements or make them skippable to let the player get into the game as quickly as possible
  • Q: Can my game have multiple 20-second levels?
    A: Yes! We're asking for a complete game in 20 seconds or less but if you want to add more 20-second levels to it, that's fine.
  • Q: Can the player keep their items/health/upgrades etc from one play-through to the next?
    A: Every play-through or level should be a separate, self-contained, 20-second experience. Don't carry pick-ups or learned skills from one play-through or level to the next. Sorry Mario, you can't keep that fire flower.
  • Q: What game engines can I use?
    A: You can use any engine to make your game (but please see the next question).
  • Q. What platforms should I release the game on?
    Your game must be free and playable in the browser. You are encouraged to provide downloads for additional platforms
  • Q: Can I work with a team?
    A: Yes!
  • Q: Can I start working on my game before the jam starts?
    A: Yes!
  • Q: Can I submit more than one game?
    A: You can submit as many games as you like but if you do, please ensure that they follow the rules and are made to a reasonable standard. Flooding the jam with very low effort entries risks having them removed.
  • Q: Can I submit an unfinished game?
    A: Yes but please submit it near the end of the jam. Do not submit non-functional games.
  • Q: I tried hard to make a web build working but I had a ton of problems!  Does that mean my game will be removed from the jam?
  • A:  Contact a host

SPONSOR

20 Second Game Jam is sponsored by DragonRuby Game Toolkit, a 2D game engine that’s super easy to get to grips with but powerful enough to make professional strength games. It uses the awesome Ruby programming language and it can build games for Windows, Mac, Linux, Web, mobile, consoles and VR.

DragonRuby is giving away free, commercial licenses to jam participants.
DOWNLOAD DRAGONRUBY NOW, FREE FOR A LIMITED TIME

For help with DragonRuby and Ruby code, visit the DragonRuby Discord: http://discord.dragonruby.org.

20 Second Sample Game A 20 second sample game is included with DragonRuby and you can use it as a starting point for your game. You will find it in the following folder:


/dragonruby/samples/99_genre_twenty_second_games/twenty_second_starting_point
DragonRuby 20 Second Sample Game

RESOURCES

Some engines have web exporters provided by their communities that you may not know about

Scratch Turbowarp

Love2D Love Web Builder

PyGame PygBag

Raylib Guide, CMake Template with automatic toolchain installation