How Close Are We to “Fully AI-Made” Games?
In 2025, AI has crossed a major threshold in game development. While no commercially successful game is built without human involvement, several titles now rely on AI/ML for nearly every creative layer — from code generation to narrative, assets, and even music.
This article explores the top 5 AI-first video games of 2025, how they were built, where you can try them hands-on, and how they compare to traditionally human-built games.
⚠️ Important clarification
Humans were still involved — mostly through prompting, selection, and integration, not traditional programming, art creation, or writing.
🧠 What “AI-Built” Really Means in 2025
Before we dive in, let’s define the term:
AI-built games typically use AI for:
- Game logic generation (LLMs writing code)
- Procedural world or story creation
- Asset generation (2D art, textures, sound effects)
- NPC dialogue and behavior
- Balancing and iteration via simulations
Humans mainly do:
- Prompt engineering
- Quality control
- Tool orchestration
- Publishing and packaging
🎯 1. Codex Mortis (PC – Steam)
Genre
Roguelite / Bullet-Hell
Why It Matters
Widely regarded as the first playable game where nearly all code, art, UI, and audio were AI-generated.
🔧 Technical Process (Short)
- LLMs (Claude / GPT-style) generated game logic and systems
- AI wrote shaders instead of hand-drawn animations
- AI generated sound effects and music loops
- Built using PIXI.js + Electron for packaging
🕹️ Where to Try
- Steam (Playable Demo)
Search: Codex Mortis
🤖 AI vs Human-Built Comparison
AI Strengths
- Extremely fast development
- Consistent systems logic
- Minimal cost
What Humans Would Improve
- Combat feel & pacing
- Visual clarity
- Enemy readability
- Sound design intentionality
👉 Result: Technically impressive, creatively rough
🧙 2. AI Dungeon (2025 Edition)
Genre
Text-Based RPG / Interactive Fiction
Why It Matters
Every quest, character, and story arc is generated in real time by large language models.
🔧 Technical Process
- LLMs generate narrative, dialogue, and world logic
- Player inputs directly influence story generation
- Minimal pre-written content
🕹️ Where to Try
- Web browser
- Mobile apps (Android / iOS)
🤖 AI vs Human-Built Comparison
AI Strengths
- Infinite replayability
- Personalized storytelling
- No fixed narrative boundaries
What Humans Would Improve
- Long-term story arcs
- Emotional pacing
- Lore consistency
👉 Result: Limitless imagination, inconsistent quality
🌍 3. Oasis-Style AI Sandbox Worlds
Genre
Sandbox / Survival / Simulation
Why It Matters
These games generate worlds, NPCs, quests, and environments on the fly using AI models.
🔧 Technical Process
- ML-driven procedural generation
- AI creates terrain, settlements, and encounters
- NPC behavior adapts to player actions
🕹️ Where to Try
- Steam
- itch.io
(Search keywords: AI Sandbox, Oasis AI)
🤖 AI vs Human-Built Comparison
AI Strengths
- Truly unique worlds per player
- Adaptive environments
- Emergent gameplay
What Humans Would Improve
- Visual cohesion
- World-building logic
- Meaningful progression systems
👉 Result: Amazing tech demo, uneven gameplay depth
🧪 4. Infinite Craft
Genre
Experimental / Puzzle / Sandbox
Why It Matters
Almost all combinations, elements, and logic are AI-generated, not manually designed.
🔧 Technical Process
- AI determines logical combinations dynamically
- New elements are generated via language models
- No predefined crafting tree
🕹️ Where to Try
- Browser (neal.fun)
- Mobile apps
🤖 AI vs Human-Built Comparison
AI Strengths
- Endless discovery
- Surprising combinations
- Viral creativity
What Humans Would Improve
- Clear goals
- Structured progression
- Deeper mechanics
👉 Result: Brilliant experiment, light “game” depth
🧑🤝🧑 5. AI NPC-Driven Games (AI2U & Similar Titles)
Genre
Social / Simulation / Interactive Narrative
Why It Matters
NPCs are no longer scripted — they think, respond, and remember using LLMs.
🔧 Technical Process
- LLM-powered NPC dialogue
- Memory systems for persistent interactions
- Emotional and contextual responses
🕹️ Where to Try
- Steam
- Web-based demos
🤖 AI vs Human-Built Comparison
AI Strengths
- Natural conversations
- Dynamic relationships
- No dialogue repetition
What Humans Would Improve
- Character arcs
- Voice acting quality
- Narrative payoff
👉 Result: Feels alive, lacks authored drama
📊 AI-Built vs Human-Built Games (Quick Comparison)
| Aspect | AI-Built Games | Human-Built Games |
|---|---|---|
| Development Speed | ⚡ Extremely Fast | 🐢 Slower |
| Cost | 💸 Very Low | 💰 High |
| Creativity | 🎲 Unpredictable | 🎨 Intentional |
| Polish | ❌ Inconsistent | ✅ Refined |
| Emotional Depth | ❌ Weak | ✅ Strong |
| Scalability | ✅ Infinite | ❌ Limited |
🎮 Final Verdict: Are AI-Built Games “Better”?
Not yet — but they are revolutionary.
AI excels at:
- Speed
- Scale
- Procedural generation
- Infinite content
Humans still dominate:
- Emotional design
- Game feel
- Sound design intention
- Narrative payoff
The future is not AI vs humans
It’s AI-accelerated human creativity.
For indie developers (especially solo devs and game audio creators like you), this shift is huge.