This jam is now over. It ran from 2025-05-23 04:00:00 to 2025-05-26 04:00:00. View results

What is Mini Jam?

Mini jam is a 72-hour-long game development jam that occurs every two weeks on Itch.io.

The main focus of this jam is the mandatory limitation is announced as soon as the jam starts. The theme is provided early, so you can plan ahead. Just keep in mind that you may have to change your idea when the limitation is revealed.  This jam's theme is Aliens. Said theme is purely inspirational and it's not required that you incorporate it into your game if you don't want to. Feel free to interpret it however you want.

If you are unable to submit your game before the deadline, do not panic. There will be an announcement on the discord as well as a post in the jam community tab explaining the steps necessary to submit your game late.

Join the discord server if you have any questions, want to be notified of any news, or just want to hang out with fellow jammers.

Limitation

The limitation is a special condition that your game must follow, but is entirely open to interpretation. If you are unsure if your idea does or doesn't fit the limitation,  just remember that everyone will interpret it differently. If you believe in your interpretation, chances are, someone else will too.

Limitation: Limited Space

You may Interpret this limitation in any way you see fit

Ratings

At the end of the Jam, there will be a rating period that lasts 5 days. Anyone who submits a game to the jam, as well as any team members added as contributors to your game's project page can rate other games for the jam. Games will be rated on the following criteria:

  • Enjoyment - How much you enjoyed your time with the game.
  • Concept  - How interesting or unique the main focus of the game was.
  • Presentation  - How well executed the main focus of the game was.
  • Use of limitation - How well the game incorporated the given limitation.

Keep in mind that while the limitation is mandatory, the theme is purely for inspiration, and you should not rate a game differently based on how well the theme was incorporated. 

Rules

  • Read the rules

    Not reading the rules is not an excuse for breaking them.

  • Follow the limitation

    It is mandatory that you incorporate the jam's limitation into your game. This said, how you choose to interpret its meaning and go about incorporating it is entirely up to you.

  • The game must be made for the jam

    You cannot submit previously made games to the jam. This jam is about creating something new in the given period of time. Games made before the jam will be removed.

  • Keep game content clean

    Any and all NSFW content, potentially offensive content, graphic content etc. must be clearly telegraphed with a content warning at the start of the game or in its description or cover.

  • Answer submission questions honestly

    You will be prompted to answer a few questions when submitting your game. Please answer them to the best of your ability. Giving vague answers is a great way to set off red flags.

Any games that do not follow the rules may be removed from the jam without warning.

FAQ

There will be an announcement on the discord server, as well as a community post explaining the steps you should take to submit your project late if you missed the deadline.

Help! I couldn't submit on time, what do I do?

Mini Jam takes place every 2 weeks on a Thursday/Friday, depending on your time zone. You can expect the next Mini Jam to be up within a week of its start date.

When does the next Mini Jam start, and when will it be announced?

Following the theme is optional, following the limitation is mandatory.

Do I have to follow the theme?

You can use any engine or framework you like. You can even make your own if you want.

What engine can I use?

This jam is open to any sort of game, however video games are expected. You can build your game for any platform.

What kind of game can I make?

Yes, you can make any changes to the project or project page during the rating period, just make sure that the original version of the game can still be downloaded and it is clear that the game has been updated.

Can I make changes during the rating period?

If you have the rights to use it, anything that wasn't made specifically for this particular jam such as code from other projects or assets from asset packs is allowed. 

I have code or other assets from other projects I wish to use, are these allowed?

Yes, but that is generally not advised .

Can I submit more than one game?

Major Jam is a strictly prize-less jam. The prizes are the games we've made along the way.

Is there a prize for the winners?

Partners

Participating in Ludum Dare? Be sure to join the official unofficial Discord server.

Want a fun and easy way to make games? Try out Ct.Js! It's a free 2D game editor that aims to make programming fun and game development easy by its visual editors and well-documented code library. Available for Windows, Mac and Linux.