Custom Video Game for Your Friend Group: How It Works, Ideas & Price

A custom video game for your friend group turns your faces, inside jokes and group-chat lore into a short game you can all play. Everyone becomes a character, your hangout spots become levels, and the friend who's always late can be the final boss. Here's how it works, what to put in it, and how to plan the reveal.

How a custom video game for friends works

1. Order (about 2 minutes). A Classic game is $99. Order here 
2. Fill the brief (about 10 minutes): photos of everyone's face, the places, the jokes, who's the hero and who's the villain.
3. Our artists build it: up to five main heroes as hand-drawn 2D characters, plus companions, side characters, enemies and a final boss, across three levels.
4. Play it: ready in 4–7 days after you send the photos · Rush: 2 days. It plays on Windows, Android, iPhone and iPad.

One free round of small tweaks is included if a detail isn't right.

12 ideas for a friend-group video game

• The road trip: levels are the stops from your last trip; the broken-down car is a boss.
• The group-chat game: enemies are your most-used memes and catchphrases
  

• The bachelor or bachelorette quest: rescue the groom or bride before the wedding.
• The birthday roast: every embarrassing story is a level. (Uncensored, 18+ humor? See our funny gag gift.). Remind one of your friends how they got in a jail
• The college reunion: the dorm, the bar and the exam you all failed. 
• The work crew: the boss is literally the boss (keep it friendly).
• The band or team: the rival team as the enemies.
• The going-away game: for the friend who's moving, with your city as the last level.
• The zombie night out: play together and try to survive.

• The "remember when" game: one memory from every year you've known each other.

Why it works even for friends who don't play games

The fun isn't skill, it's recognition: seeing your friend's face on the hero, hearing the joke you've told for ten years, watching the late friend get defeated as the final boss. The games are short and simple, so everyone can finish them, and people replay them at every reunion.

How to plan the reveal

• Big screen night: play it on a Windows laptop connected to the TV.
• Pass the phone: everyone plays one level while the others shout advice.
• Film the reactions: the first time someone sees their own character is the best part.
• Make it a tradition: a new game every year as your group's yearbook.

How to split the cost

At $99, a game split between five friends is under $20 each, less than a round of drinks, for a gift the birthday person will keep.

FAQ

How much does a custom video game for friends cost?

A Classic game is $99 and includes up to five main heroes, side characters, enemies and a final boss across three levels. A bigger "game from scratch" is $499.

How long does it take?

Ready in 4–7 days after you send the photos and brief. Rush: 2 days.

Can all my friends play it?

Yes. It plays on Windows, Android, iPhone and iPad: pass the phone around, or put it on the big screen with a laptop.

What do I need to send?

Clear photos of each friend's face, a few photos of your places, and your jokes and stories in the brief. It takes about 10 minutes.

More gift ideas for friends: best gifts for a best friend · what to get your friend besides a case of beer

Start your friend group's game →