How to make games on iPhone
You can make a game on an iPhone without touching a computer. In Roam you type what the game is, play it once it is built, and change it by asking. Here is the whole path, from the first sentence to a game your friends join.
The full loop, start to finish
- Get Roam. It is a free iPhone app. Play a few games in the feed first so you know what a finished one feels like.
- Type the idea or pick a photo. "Neon obby, disappearing blocks, 3 lives." Or a photo of your cat with "she is the boss at the end."
- Play the first build. It comes back with world, art, characters, sound and rules. Play one full round before you judge it.
- Change it by talking. "Bigger buttons." "More checkpoints." "The boss should be slower." Each message is a new build.
- Bring your friends in. Play solo when they are offline. When they join, it is multiplayer, and they can be in the game itself.
Prompts that play well on a phone
Phone games want short rounds, one clear goal and controls a thumb can handle. These prompts are built for that.
- Quick runner. "Run across rooftops at sunset, grab coins, a pigeon chases you, one hit and you are out."
- Two-thumb shooter. "1v1 in a laser tag arena, five rounds, my friend is the rival."
- Tap game. "Tap to cook burgers, buy a second grill, the line of customers keeps growing."
- Short horror. "Night shift in a toy store, two cameras, battery runs out at 5 AM."
Other ways to make games on iOS
GDevelop has an iOS app. It is a free, open-source no-code engine where you build step by step with events, which takes longer but teaches more. Swift Playgrounds teaches real Swift code, but it runs on iPad and Mac, not iPhone. Roblox Studio needs Windows or macOS. Roblox Build, a prompt tab inside the Roblox app, is in a limited alpha.
If you only have your iPhone and want a game today, Roam is the short path.
Play it on Roam
Make a game on your iPhone with Roam
Free on the App Store. One sentence, then play.
Try: "run across rooftops at sunset, grab coins, a pigeon chases you, one hit and you are out"Questions people ask
Can you make games on an iPhone?
Yes. Roam makes a playable game from a sentence or a photo, right on the phone. GDevelop's iOS app lets you build one with events.
Do I need a Mac to make an iPhone game?
To build and ship your own app with Apple's tools, yes, plus a developer account. To make a game in Roam, no. The iPhone is enough.
Is there a free game maker for iPhone?
Yes. Roam is free, and so is GDevelop. They work very differently: describe it versus build it.
Keep exploring
- AI game maker app: a game from one sentence on your iPhone
- Game maker apps come in two kinds
- The best app to make games: an honest phone-first list
- Free game makers and their real limits
- Game makers for kids, by age and device
More on Roam: All Roam games Games to play, by kind