What is js13kgames.com?

Updated

js13kgames.com is the home of js13kGames, a coding competition for web game developers whose defining rule is a 13KB size limit. If you build browser games with HTML, JavaScript, and related web technologies, it is the place to enter the competition, browse past entries, and follow each year's edition — the site currently presents js13kGames 2026.

What the competition is

js13kGames is a game jam-style challenge: participants create a web game and must keep the whole thing within 13 kilobytes. That constraint is the point. It forces small, efficient code and creative use of the browser platform rather than large engines or heavy assets.

The competition is aimed at web game developers — people working with HTML, JavaScript, and the surrounding web stack. Because the output runs in the browser, entries are naturally playable on the web.

What the site offers

  • Competition information — the current edition (js13kGames 2026) and its framing as a coding competition with the hallmark 13KB limit.
  • A showcase of entries — the games produced by participants, which is useful both for playing and for studying how others solve the size problem.
  • A hub for web game developers — a focal point for a community that builds under a strict technical constraint.

Why the 13KB limit matters

A 13KB budget changes how you design a game. You cannot lean on large libraries, high-resolution art, or long audio tracks. Instead you compress, procedurally generate, and write compact JavaScript. For developers, the site is therefore not just a contest listing but a reference collection: reading and playing finished 13KB games is one of the most direct ways to learn size-conscious techniques.

Who should visit

  • Developers who want to enter a browser-game competition with a hard size limit.
  • Anyone curious about how much game can fit in 13KB.
  • People looking for examples of compact HTML/JavaScript game code.

If you are expecting a general game portal or a store, this is not that — it is a competition site centered on a specific annual challenge and the entries it produces.