Scratch games to make, easiest first

Seven starter games with an official Scratch tutorial

The Scratch Foundation's Learning Library has a page for each. Some open as an interactive tutorial in the editor, others come as coding cards and a video.

• 1. Clicker game Click a sprite to score. Use "when this sprite clicked", "change score by 1" and "go to random position". Interactive tutorial and video.
• 2. Catch game Things fall from the sky and you catch them. A "forever" loop with "change y by -5", an "if touching" check and a score variable. Coding cards and video.
• 3. Chase game Steer a sprite with the arrow keys and chase another one. Key blocks: "when right arrow key pressed", "change x by 10", and a score that goes up on each catch. Interactive tutorial.
• 4. Jumping game A character jumps over moving obstacles to score. Use "repeat" with "change y by" for the jump and "if touching" then "stop all" for a crash. Coding cards and video.
• 5. Pong A bouncing ball and a paddle. "move 10 steps" and "if on edge, bounce" do most of the work. Scratch's version adds a score, a Game Over screen and levels. Interactive tutorial.
• 6. Virtual pet Introduce a pet, animate it, feed it and track its hunger. A hunger variable that drops over time and a food button that raises it. Coding cards and video.
• 7. Character designer A dress-up game where the player customizes a character. Each part is a sprite that runs "next costume" when clicked. Video and a starter project.

How to make a game in Scratch

Three next games once those work

No official tutorial here, just the same blocks with one new idea each.

• 8. Maze Draw walls in one color. If the player is "touching color" of a wall, send it back with "go to x: y:". A goal sprite ends the level.
• 9. Quiz Use "ask and wait" and check the "answer" with "if else". Add a "timer" so slow answers lose points.
• 10. Two-player duel Two sprites on one keyboard, one on the arrow keys and one on W A S D. Give each a score variable and reset the round with "broadcast".

Make a beginner game feel good

Small touches matter more than size. Speed things up as the score grows. Play a sound on every point. Add a countdown so there is a reason to hurry.

The phone path: describe it on Roam

Roam skips the blocks. You describe the game in a sentence, or start from a photo, and it comes back as a game you can play. Then you change it by talking: "make the apples fall faster", "add a second player". Roam does not make Scratch projects. You play it in the Roam app on iPhone.

Roam is rated 13+ on the App Store. A younger Scratch maker can try an idea with a parent, on the parent's phone. Scratch is still the place to learn how code works.