The first fully playable video game created entirely by AI
According to the developer, every element of the game was created using artificial intelligence, without manually created assets or handwritten code.
Codex Mortis has entered the conversation by claiming to be a full-fledged video game created using artificial intelligence, from the core code to the audiovisual shell. At first glance, the project fits comfortably into a familiar genre. It’s a necromantic, bullet-hell survival game that echoes the cycle popularized by games like “Vampire Survivors”, where players navigate gothic arenas while fending off relentless waves of enemies.
The independent game is being touted as the world’s first fully playable game created using only artificial intelligence tools.
The game was created by indie developer Grolaf, also known as Crunchfest, and a demo is now available on Steam. The game reportedly utilized ChatGPT to generate the artwork and audio assets, while Claude was employed for the shader-based animations.
Its framework was built using “TypeScript”, along with frameworks such as “PIXI.js” and “Electron”, for rendering and packaging. The entire project was reportedly completed in about three months, a timeline that highlights the speed at which AI-assisted workflows can advance compared to traditional production cycles.
Experiments with AI-generated gameplay have been done before, though often in fragmentary or experimental form. Projects like “Oasis”, developed by an Israeli research team, explored real-time, AI-generated environments that evolve frame by frame. Microsoft’s “Muse” initiative also demonstrated how generative models can simulate game visuals and dynamically respond to player input. Codex Mortis stands out for its claims of full automation and its availability as a downloadable, playable game rather than a technical demo.
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