Uploaded January 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
In this video, I'll show you how to start making games for the Playdate using the Lua programming language and the Playdate SDK. We'll go over how to set up your development environment for Windows, Mac, or Linux. Then, we'll be making a simple game together. Lastly, I'll be going over some resources to look at so you can continue your Playdate game development journey.
This video is *not* about the web-based game editor, Pulp. To find tutorials on Pulp, you can check out this playlist here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlMPQvEA0GZMNW-l1vImDQtSMUDAcIuFa&si=uHTiATVRjJsLQeJc
Setup Links:
- Template Github Repo: github.com/SquidGodDev/playdate-template
- VSCode: code.visualstudio.com/Download
- Playdate SDK: https://play.date/dev/
Example Game Links:
- Example Game Github Repo: github.com/SquidGodDev/playdate-template-example-game
- Playdate SDK Documentation: https://sdk.play.date/
- Diffchecker: diffchecker.com
Resource Links:
- Playdate Dev Site: https://play.date/dev/
- Playdate Tutorials Playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlMPQvEA0GZPOuKJyhSr3Ra0vrpCiBTnb
- Lua for Beginners Video: youtu.be/C4o7n0LNQhA?si=-wESQU113-_b6Ck1
- Lua for Beginners Book: squidgod.itch.io/lua-for-game-development
- Game Sourcecode List: github.com/SquidGodDev?tab=repositories&q=playdate-game
Community Links:
- My Discord: discord.gg/kDM8RU4aFt
- Playdate Squad Discord: discord.gg/zFKagQ2
- Subreddit: reddit.com/r/playdateconsole
My Patreon: patreon.com/squidgoddev
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
1:15 Installation
2:47 Mac SDK Installation
3:08 Windows SDK Installation
4:09 Linux SDK Installation
5:24 Template Setup
9:14 Making a Game: Introduction
10:52 Game Art
12:34 Step 1: Drawing the Player
17:25 Step 2: Controlling the Player
20:02 Step 3: Using Sprites
22:50 Step 4: Adding Game State
25:14 Step 5: Adding an Obstacle
26:55 Step 6: Handling Obstacle Collisions
28:16 Step 7: Keeping Track of Score
29:29 Step 8: Ramping Obstacle Speed
29:59 Debugging
31:49 Sharing Your Game
34:33 Starting a New Project
35:11 Resources
38:10 Publishing Your Game
In this video, I'll show you how to start making games for the Playdate using the Lua programming language and the Playdate SDK. We'll go over how to set up your development environment for Windows, Mac, or Linux. Then, we'll be making a simple game together. Lastly, I'll be going over some resources to look at so you can continue your Playdate game development journey.
This video is *not* about the web-based game editor, Pulp. To find tutorials on Pulp, you can check out this playlist here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlMPQvEA0GZMNW-l1vImDQtSMUDAcIuFa&si=uHTiATVRjJsLQeJc
Setup Links:
- Template Github Repo: github.com/SquidGodDev/playdate-template
- VSCode: code.visualstudio.com/Download
- Playdate SDK: https://play.date/dev/
Example Game Links:
- Example Game Github Repo: github.com/SquidGodDev/playdate-template-example-game
- Playdate SDK Documentation: https://sdk.play.date/
- Diffchecker: diffchecker.com
Resource Links:
- Playdate Dev Site: https://play.date/dev/
- Playdate Tutorials Playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlMPQvEA0GZPOuKJyhSr3Ra0vrpCiBTnb
- Lua for Beginners Video: youtu.be/C4o7n0LNQhA?si=-wESQU113-_b6Ck1
- Lua for Beginners Book: squidgod.itch.io/lua-for-game-development
- Game Sourcecode List: github.com/SquidGodDev?tab=repositories&q=playdate-game
Community Links:
- My Discord: discord.gg/kDM8RU4aFt
- Playdate Squad Discord: discord.gg/zFKagQ2
- Subreddit: reddit.com/r/playdateconsole
My Patreon: patreon.com/squidgoddev
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
1:15 Installation
2:47 Mac SDK Installation
3:08 Windows SDK Installation
4:09 Linux SDK Installation
5:24 Template Setup
9:14 Making a Game: Introduction
10:52 Game Art
12:34 Step 1: Drawing the Player
17:25 Step 2: Controlling the Player
20:02 Step 3: Using Sprites
22:50 Step 4: Adding Game State
25:14 Step 5: Adding an Obstacle
26:55 Step 6: Handling Obstacle Collisions
28:16 Step 7: Keeping Track of Score
29:29 Step 8: Ramping Obstacle Speed
29:59 Debugging
31:49 Sharing Your Game
34:33 Starting a New Project
35:11 Resources
38:10 Publishing Your Game
