The 2026 Cursor Vibe Jam: what the rules asked, what won, and how to prepare for the next
3 min read
By Eduardo Orellana ·
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.
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?
No. Flockbay makes native Windows and Mac games and has no browser build, and the jam requires a game that runs on the web without a download.
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.
More on this: Vibe coding a game jam entry in a weekend
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.