# The 2026 Cursor Vibe Jam: what the rules asked, what won, and how to prepare for the next

The 2026 Vibe Jam ran through April and closed on 1 May. Its rules were short and strict: most of the code written by AI, playable in a browser with no login and no loading screen. Those two rules decide which tools can enter the next one.

Source: https://flockbay.com/blog/cursor-vibe-jam-2026-guide/ · Updated 2026-10-13

## What the jam was

The Vibe Jam is Pieter Levels' game jam for games built mostly with AI. The 2026 edition, branded the Cursor Vibe Jam, started on 1 April and closed on 1 May 2026 at 13:37 UTC.

Prizes were $25,000, $10,000 and $5,000 for the top three, plus twelve special prizes of $1,000.

## The rules that matter

At least 90% of the code had to be written by AI. Games had to be playable on the web, free, with no login or sign-up, and with no loading screens or heavy downloads. One entry per person.

Any engine was allowed; the site recommended Three.js.

## What won

First place went to A Game About Capybaras Delivering Food by @leocooout, second to Fanto's Mega-Mart by @e_c_t_o, and third to WenWare by @underpaid_mom.

Levels wrote that the games were much better than the year before, and a judge said some were close to genuine games.

## Preparing for the next one

Pick a web stack before the jam starts and make one small thing in it. The jam is too short to learn a toolchain and make a game.

Design for instant play: no menus to click through, no large assets. A game that starts in one second beats a prettier one that loads for ten.

Keep a record of what the AI wrote. The 90% rule is self-reported, and being able to show your process is useful.

## Can a Flockbay game enter?

Not from the app. Flockbay's Export makes native Windows games, not browser builds, and the jam requires a game that runs on the web without a download. The project is an ordinary Godot project, so Godot's own web export is open to you, but that route is yours to test.

For a web jam, use a web stack: Three.js with a coding assistant, or a browser game tool. Flockbay suits jams that accept downloadable games.

## What the winners had in common

Reading the winning titles, the pattern is familiar from every jam: one clear idea, understood in seconds, with a sense of humour. A capybara delivering food needs no tutorial.

AI tools let entrants build more in a month than before. The winners still chose to build less, and made it good.

## What carries over to any jam

Scope for a third of the time, get the core playable on day one, freeze features early, and submit before the deadline. AI speeds up building; it does not change those rules.

Read more guides: Browser only, 90% AI code, one month. Choose your web stack before the next one starts. https://flockbay.com/blog

Related: [How to make a game for a game jam](/ai-game-maker-for-game-jams/), [The Vibe Jam](/vibe-jam/)