HTML5 and JavaScript Game Development Competition in just 13 kB

Package size below 13 kB

All your code and game assets should be smaller than or equal to 13 kilobytes (that's exactly 13,312 bytes, because of 13 x 1024) when zipped. Your .zip package should contain index.html file in the top level folder structure (not a subfolder) and when unzipped should work in the browser. Don't overcomplicate building the zip package, it should unpack on any platform without problems. You can use tools that minify JavaScript source code.

Two sources - readable and compressed

The competition is focusing on the package size, but learning from others is also very important. Please provide two sources of your game - first one should be minified and zipped to fit in the 13 kB limit (sent via the form) and the second one should be in a readable form with descriptive variable names and comments (hosted on GitHub).

No external libraries or services

You can't use any libraries, images or data files hosted on server or services that provide any type of data - for example Google Fonts are not permitted (although you are allowed to ask users to live-load a web font to support some characters or emoji on devices that can't display them properly, but you have to make sure your game will work without them). Analytics and other stat-collecting scripts are also not allowed. All the game assets should fit in the package size limit (the A-Frame, Babylon.js, and Three.js frameworks are not counted towards the size limit, but you can use them only in the WebXR category). If you manage to shrink your favorite library below 13 kilobytes including the code itself, then you can use whatever you want, just remember about the 13 kB limit.

Main theme

Main theme for the competition is announced on August 13th. It's highly advised to follow it in your game, because the judges will pay attention to that, but you can freely interpret the theme and implement it however you feel would be the best.

Deadline - 13th September 2023

The competition starts at 13:00 CEST, 13th August 2023 and ends at 13:00 CEST, 13th September 2023. No submissions will be accepted after the end of the competition, although there may be exceptions to that.

Licensing

You have to have the rights for every asset used in your game. Remember that the submitted games will be published and made available for everybody to see. On the other hand, you have the right to report any game publisher that will link to (or iframe) your entry on their portal without your permission.

New content only

Do not submit any old games or demos - you have a whole month to work on something new and fresh, this should be more than enough. Also, submitting Breakout or Flappy Bird clones taken out of a tutorial make no sense at all - try creating something at least a little bit more original. You can, however, use any available libraries and resources that are not yours, but you have the right to use them.

Errors and browser support

Your game must work and be playable in at least two browsers: latest Firefox and Chrome, but the more supported browsers, the better. There should be no errors - you can lose some points if your game is showing any errors in the console. Don't stress too much if there are any warnings, but if we cannot play your game, then it won't be accepted.

Teams

It doesn't matter if you're working alone or with your friends, just remember that the number of prizes is fixed, so you'll have to share your trophies with your teammates.

Sending submissions

There's a special form to submit your game. Please remember that you have to provide two sources (see the Rule #2 for details) - a link to a public repository on Github and a zipped package. Participants are allowed to submit more than one game in the competition, though sending the same game as independent submissions targeting different platforms (for example separate builds for desktop and mobile) is forbidden.

Accepting submissions

Submissions will be checked manually and published after positive verification. This may take up to a couple of days, so be patient if your game is not yet online. I claim the right to reject any submission without giving a reason, although I hope I don't have to. I also have the right to update the rules of the competition at any time.

Time frames for voting, giving feedback, and announcing winners

The voting among the participants will last for three weeks between September 15th and October 4th, winners will be announced on October 5th. Experts will give the games constructive feedback (one per game) during the same three week period - their comments will also be published on October 5th.

Save data ⁄ persistent memory

Remember to add prefix to your variables and create a namespace for your game when you save data to localStorage as all the games on the server share the same memory when played in the browser. Also, be sure to NOT use localStorage.clear() as it will wipe out all the data of all the other games. Manipulate the data you are sure is yours.

Server category specific rules

All the Server category rules, the sandbox server and the demo code can be found at github.com/js13kGames/js13kserver.

Code of conduct

All participants and judges at js13kGames are required to agree with the following code of conduct. Organizers will enforce this code throughout the online event. We are expecting cooperation from all participants to help ensuring a safe environment for everybody.

js13kGames is dedicated to providing a harassment-free competition experience for everyone, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, or religion. We do not tolerate harassment of competition participants in any form. Competition participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from the competition at the discretion of the competition organizers. TL;DR: Be excellent to each other. For more details see Berlin Code of Conduct.

Copyright ownership

The following terms apply to participation in this competition ("Competition"). Entrants may create original solutions, prototypes, datasets, scripts, or other content, materials, discoveries or inventions (a “Submission”). The Competition is organized by the Competition Organizer. Entrants retain ownership of all intellectual and industrial property rights (including moral rights) in and to Submissions.

As a condition of submission, Entrant grants the Competition Organizer, its subsidiaries, agents and partner companies, a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to use, reproduce, adapt, modify, publish, distribute, publicly perform, create a derivative work from, and publicly display the Submission.

Entrants provide submissions on an "as is" basis, without warranties or conditions of any kind, either express or implied, including, without limitation, any warranties or conditions of title, non-infringement, merchantability, or fitness for a particular purpose.

Privacy policy

By entering your email address and sending a game through the submit form you agree to receive email communication about important events of the competition like announcing the winners or sending out the digital prizes, but also curated content from the partners about their tools, services, or job offers. I will never share your email with anyone though.

By submitting, you also grant the competition organizers the right to re-use the uploaded materials for advertisement of the competition in any form.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why exactly 13 kB?

Well... why not? :)

What's in it for you? Are you getting paid?

Nope, it's just my own idea and it's made for pure fun. I'd love to get a sponsorship though as I spent my own private money on the first edition to cover making t-shirts, shipping of the prizes worldwide, etc.

What does the "zipped" term exactly mean?

Sent package should be zipped with your usual system archiver, the only allowed extension is .zip. Let's keep it simple - it's a competition for coders and this should be your main focus, the code itself. Thanks to the zipped archive you will easily send your game and we will easily check the file size.

Can I use Flash?

No, you can code your game using only the open web technologies like JavaScript, HTML and CSS.

Can I use WebGL?

Yes, though it might be hard to fit it into 13 kilobytes if you plan on doing an FPS gam... oh, nevermind.

Can I use CoffeeScript or TypeScript?

Yes, you can use it, but you can't submit it. Only JavaScript code will be accepted, so remember to have your compiled code within the 13 kB limit. This is to ensure that the submitted entries are an actual HTML page with scripts, not a binary.

Can I use WebAssembly and ⁄ or Rust?

Yes, after all those are web technologies, and can work well with JavaScript games if used properly.

Can I use compression through the self-extracting PNGs?

You can use it, but remember that the zip is as good, or even better in terms of compression than PNGs, so there's no point in doing so.

Do I have to register somewhere?

No, you just need to submit your game through a form when it's ready.

How many games can I submit?

As many as you want, there are no limitations.

More questions?

Send them in via email or social media.