Game vibing worldwide: who earns money from AI games

Game vibing is an informal term for creating games in collaboration with AI. The author comes up with the concept, rules, and the feel of the game; AI helps implement them in code, images, sounds, and models. In our community, we also call this process gamecoding, and people who enjoy playing such projects — vibe gamers. In English-language sources, you might encounter vibe coding games, AI game creation, and AI game maker.

Specific games, contests, and public prize amounts can already be shown. At the same time, "AI wrote the code" and "the author never knew how to program" are different statements. It is this distinction that helps understand what is accessible to a beginner and where years of prior experience stand behind a quick result.

What is currently happening in the world of gamevibeing

Three development trends are visible from open examples. This is an editorial generalization of tools and cases, not a market size assessment.

1. The author manages the concept, while AI creates the code

A person describes the mechanics, runs a version, plays, and explains what needs to be changed. You can ask the assistant for not just the game itself, but also a level editor or a camera adjustment tool. This is exactly the process described by Leo, the winner of Vibe Jam 2026: he spent a significant portion of his time on planning, testing, and fine-tuning the game. His story →

2. Places are emerging where you can both create and showcase a game

Rosebud teaches how to start with a text description, iterate on the result, and publish the game. Astrocade combines AI-assisted creation with a game catalog. Remix develops game feeds, creator profiles, and rewards. These are different services with their own terms; the ability to generate a prototype does not yet mean identical rights, export capabilities, or payouts in each of them.

For the author, the next step after generation is crucial: providing people with a working link, getting feedback, and releasing a better version. A file sitting on a computer does not find players on its own.

3. Researchers are trying to generate the interactive world itself

On January 29, 2026, Google introduced Project Genie — an experimental prototype based on Genie 3. According to Google's description, the user defines the environment and character, and the model creates the continuation of the world in response to movement. In the announced version, the generation of a single world was limited to 60 seconds; other limitations included inaccurate physics, controls, and adherence to the original intent.

This is a different approach than receiving edited code for a browser game. Video from an interactive experiment should not be automatically perceived as a ready-to-publish game or proof of earnings. However, it shows another direction in which work with game worlds is moving.

Who is already earning: four different stories

Below are public data, verified on October 26, 2026. Each row specifies what the amount means and its source.

Capybara, Claude Code, and a $25,000 prize

In A Game About Capybaras Delivering Food the player controls a capybara on a scooter delivering food. The organizer announced it as the winner of Vibe Jam 2026 with a $25,000 prize. In his own breakdown, Leo describes approximately two weeks of work, using Claude Code for coding and separate generators for assets. The author defined the rules, played, tuned the driving feel, and manually assembled the city using a custom editor.

This serves as an inspiring example of a first game. At the same time, Leo explicitly mentions nearly nine years of experience as an iOS engineer. Thus, this is a story of an experienced programmer entering game dev using AI. A participant without such experience can start much simpler — with a single mechanic and a small level.

The Pieter Levels Simulator: a loud start and the next test of time

In fly.pieter.com's own description Levels claims that the AI-created flight simulator reached $1M ARR in 17 days. ARR shows the annual equivalent of recurring revenue at a certain pace. This is not proof that he earned a million dollars in those 17 days, nor is it the net profit amount.

There is also a useful continuation to the story: as of the check date, in his list of personal projects he categorizes fly.pieter.com among those that took off and made money but did not become a sustainable business. The conclusion for a beginner is simple: a viral launch and long-term earnings require different types of work. This case is analyzed in more detail in a separate article about the Pieter Levels game.

And who received money without even knowing how to program?

The closest example to this phrasing among verified sources is— the zeroDINAR review on the App Store from September 17, 2025. The user reports creating over ten AI games without coding experience and receiving money in contests as both a player and an author. They do not publish the amount or proof of transfers. This is a personal testimony of a beginner's experience; turning it into a story about thousands of dollars would be a fabrication.

Separately, Remix itself shows specific rewards, specifically $10,038 for insidethesimulation. Here there is an amount, but the source does not establish whether this author knew how to program previously. These examples answer different questions: people report starting without code, while platforms publish monetary results. You cannot combine different people into a single "beginner who earned $10,038."

Starting without programming is realistic; these stories do not determine the amount of future income. It is more useful to repeat the verifiable actions of authors: bring the mechanics to a working state, show them to players, gather feedback, and update the game.

Where the money can come from

These cases already involve different models. Contest prize depends on the rules of a specific jam and winning. Platform reward — depends on its program and terms for authors or players. Revenue from your own project requires a separate monetization and audience model. Selling the game or voluntary author support are also possible business models, but the mere fact of generation does not create buyers.

For your project, calculate income and expenses separately: subscriptions and generator credits, resources, hosting, commissions, and working time. Prize, total revenue, ARR, and profit are not interchangeable. Starting with a small game is convenient precisely because you can test interest in the concept before incurring large expenses.

Gamecoding on Vibe Coding: a place for Ukrainian authors

"The first platform in Ukraine for gamecoded games" — this is how the founder positions the gaming direction of Vibe Coding. We are developing it as a place where Ukrainians can show the world their own games created in collaboration with AI, find players, and help each other improve their concepts.

It doesn't matter whether your game started in Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Cursor, another assistant, or a specialized builder. What matters is that it is playable, and the description clearly explains what the player does and how to control it. There is room here for both a small first experiment and a project that the author updates regularly.

• "Games" Catalog helps find works by genre, device, and format.
• Separate game addition page accepts HTML, ZIP, or a public HTTPS link to a browser game with a cover. You can also add a YouTube video.
• After review, the game gets its own page: it can be sent to friends and shared with the community.
• For games outside the competition, a simple rating scale from 1 to 5 is used. In Vibe Jams, separate rules and official voting apply.

The gamecoder creates; the vibe gamer plays, rates, and provides useful feedback. Both roles are essential to the platform. Publishing here provides a page and the opportunity to meet players; there are no automatic payouts for views or promises of earnings.

How to take the first step

1. Choose one mechanic. For example, delivering an item, dodging obstacles, or solving a short puzzle.
2. Build a playable version. Ask the AI to add a beginning, intuitive controls, a goal, and a restart. For step-by-step learning, there is a mini-course on making games with AI.
3. Test the game on the target device. Run it yourself and let someone else try it without your explanations.
4. Prepare a cover and an honest description. Briefly explain the concept, controls, and project status; check the rights for any resources used.
5. Submit your game to Vibe Coding and use the feedback for your next update. Detailed instructions can be found in the guide on publishing a game created with any AI.

Global examples show that an indie game made with AI can already gain attention, awards, and its own audience. For your first publication, a smaller goal is enough: make a game that another person can understand, launch, and want to discuss.

Frequently asked questions

Are there examples of making money from AI games without programming experience?

Such personal testimonies exist: user zeroDINAR wrote in a Remix review on the App Store that they created over ten games without coding experience and earned money as both a player and an author. They did not specify the amounts. Well-known cases involving large sums, such as Leo and Pieter Levels, should not be attributed to people who previously could not program.

Does $1M ARR mean one million dollars in profit?

No. ARR is the annual equivalent of the regular revenue run rate. This figure does not equal the actual money received over a year and does not account for all expenses. In the case of fly.pieter.com, this is the author's historical statement about the launch, not current income.

Where can a Ukrainian author publish their own gamecoding game?

In the 'Games' section of Vibe Coding, you can submit an HTML, ZIP, or a public HTTPS link to a browser game with a cover. After review, it receives its own page. Publication provides a place for the game and reviews; there are no automatic payouts for views here.

Sources

1. Pieter Levels: official Vibe Jam 2026 results, June 17, 2026
2. Leo: a personal story about making a game with a capybara and the experience of an iOS developer
3. Pieter Levels: fly.pieter.com and a statement about $1M ARR in 17 days
4. Pieter Levels: current personal classification of own projects
5. Remix: public author reward metrics
6. App Store: zeroDINAR review of Remix, September 17, 2025
7. Rosebud: official introductory guide to game creation
8. Astrocade: making games with AI and public catalog
9. Google DeepMind: Project Genie announcement, January 29, 2026