How to make a game with your friends

This search means two different things. Some people want to build a game together as a group. Others want a game their friends are in, as the characters, the monster or the team. Both are very doable, and they work best combined.

Building a game as a group

Small teams finish games when each person owns one job.

Designer. Owns the idea and the rules. Writes the one-line core loop and says no to extra features.
Builder. Makes the levels or the main scenes in the tool you picked.
Art and sound. Picks a simple style everyone sticks to. Matching art matters more than detailed art.
Tester. Plays every new version, writes down what broke and what was boring.

Tools that let a group work together

Roblox Studio has Team Create, so several people can edit the same place at once. It runs on Windows and macOS. Godot and Unity projects can be shared with git, which is powerful but takes setup. Scratch projects can be remixed, so one friend can build on another's work.

Set a short deadline, like one weekend. A finished small game beats a big one that stalls in week three.

Making a game about your friends

Start from a photo. In Roam, a free iPhone app, you can build a game around a photo, so your friends become the characters.
Give each friend a role. One is the boss, one is the killbrick, one is the rare collectible everyone chases. Inside jokes make the best rules.
Play it together. In Roam friends can be in the game, not just in the lobby. Play solo first, then together when they are online.
Change it on the spot. Someone says "make me faster"? Ask Roam for it and play the new build.

Combine both

The fun version: each friend writes one rule, then you make the game together and everyone is in it. One sentence each is enough to start.

Play it on Roam

Create a game starring your friends with Roam

Use a photo of your group and one sentence. Roam builds the game around it, then you play it together.

Try: "a photo of my group, plus: we are stuck in the school after dark, the janitor is my friend Sam, last one out wins"

Create it with Roam See Roam

Questions people ask

Can I make a game with friends online?

Yes. Roblox Studio's Team Create lets several people edit at once, and engines like Godot and Unity can be shared with git.

How do I put my friends in a game?

Roam can build a game around a photo, so your friends become the characters. You play it together in the app.

What game should I make with friends?

Something short you can all play: an obby where each friend designs a stage, a hide-and-seek map, or a party game with one secret role.

Keep exploring

More on Roam: All Roam games Games to play, by kind