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To make a horror game, create a tense environment, add limited visibility, introduce a threatening enemy, and give players a clear objective to escape. Playtest some of the featured horror games on Rosebud AI that were generated with AI.
If you’ve ever wanted to make a horror game but thought it required advanced game engines, scripting, or weeks of work, this experiment might surprise you.
In this tutorial, we test Gemini 3 Flash inside Rosebud AI by creating a full horror game from a single prompt, then refining it in just a few more steps. The result? A playable, atmospheric horror experience with lighting, sound design, enemies, objectives, and a clear win condition.
The Goal: Make a High-Quality Horror Game Fast
The challenge was simple:
- Use AI to create a complete horror game
- Limit ourselves to just a few prompts
- Focus on atmosphere, mechanics, and playability
- No manual coding or engine setup
We started by selecting Gemini Agent Fast (Rosebud’s wrapper for Gemini 3 Flash) and typing one prompt:
“Make a high-quality horror game.”
First Prompt Results: A Full Horror Game Instantly
Within seconds, the AI generated a playable horror game called “The Halls.”
Even before pressing play, it was obvious this was a horror experience:
- Dark hallway environment
- Custom wall and floor textures
- Eerie lighting and sound effects
Once inside the game, the core mechanics were already there:
- A flashlight mechanic
- Keys to collect
- A hostile ghost/demon enemy
- A clear objective: survive and escape
All of this came from a single prompt.
Gameplay Breakdown: Keys, Ghosts, and Fear
As the game progressed:
- Keys were scattered through the halls
- Pressing E allowed you to pick them up
- A ghost enemy would suddenly appear and chase you
At first, it wasn’t obvious how to survive. The ghost felt unavoidable. But that’s where iteration with natural language paid off on Rosebud AI.
Second Prompt: Improving Horror Gameplay Mechanics
To make the horror more fair and readable, we asked for:
- A way to fight off or avoid the ghost
- Visual cues (lights or effects) to warn when danger was near
After the second prompt, the game added:
- Flickering lights to signal danger
- A mechanic where you could repel the ghost using the flashlight
The ghost was no longer scary and undefeatable, but rather a system the player could learn.
Learning Through Playtesting (and Dying)
During playtesting:
- The ghost could be defeated by right-clicking and holding the flashlight on it
- This wasn’t obvious at first, but once understood, the game clicked
- Tension increased because failure still felt possible
This loop of fear, failure, learning, and mastery is exactly what makes horror games work.
Final Polish: Adding a Horror-Style Intro Screen
For the final touch, we added one more prompt:
- A starting screen with instructions
- A mission-style introduction to set the tone
The result was unexpectedly stylish:
- A typewriter-style text effect
- Jittery spacing that felt panicked and unsettling
- A clear objective before gameplay began
It felt intentional, cinematic, and very horror.
Final Result: A Complete Horror Game in Minutes
By the end, the game had:
- Atmosphere (lighting, sound, pacing)
- Mechanics (keys, flashlight combat, enemy AI)
- UI and onboarding
- A win condition (escape)
- Replayable tension
And most importantly:
👉 No bugs, no crashes, and no manual debugging
Why Rosebud Works So Well for Horror Games
Horror games benefit massively from AI-assisted creation because you can:
- Rapidly prototype scary ideas
- Adjust difficulty and tension on the fly
- Experiment with lighting, sound, and enemies
- Iterate without rewriting code
Rosebud + Gemini Flash made it possible to make a horror game that feels intentional instead of procedural.
Make Your Own Horror Game with AI
If you want to:
- Create a scary game fast
- Test horror mechanics without engine setup
- Experiment with atmosphere and storytelling
Rosebud AI makes it possible to go from idea → playable horror game in minutes.
👉 Try it yourself on Rosebud AI
Create your own AI-powered horror game today.
Andi Bucescu
Andi is a marketer at Rosebud, where she writes about the intersection of AI, creativity, and brand storytelling. She explores how generative AI is reshaping marketing strategies and creative workflows, with a focus on making complex technology accessible and cutting through the noise of modern campaigns. Her perspective is informed by undergraduate research on effective social media content and consumer psychology.