Reddit’s Games with a Hook Hackathon

OverviewReddit is hosting a virtual hackathon fromJune 17thtoJuly 15th. We’re offering developers $40,000 in prizes for games built to delight users.The challenge:create a new Reddit game for the users of Reddit using Devvit, ourDeveloper Platform.For this hackathon, we're asking developers to useDevvit Web, which allows you to build Devvit apps using web technologies you’re already familiar with (e.g. React,Phaser,three.js),or your favorite game engine (Godot, GameMaker, Unity, etc).Participants will also have access toPhaserto make their game shine. The best app to usePhaserwill be eligible for a special award.What to buildBuild a game on Devvit(Reddit’s Developer Platform) using our Interactive Posts feature that inspires collective joy.The Best Experience That Will Keep People Coming Back:Apps that give redditors a reason to return day after day. This could come from progression, daily challenges, fresh content, meaningful choices, social dynamics, or simply the anticipation of what happens next. We're looking for experiences that create excitement between sessions and leave players wanting to check back tomorrow. The strongest entries make every visit feel worthwhile. Players should have something to work toward, discover, unlock, influence, or look forward to each time they return. The format can vary widely, but the core focus should be creating a compelling loop that builds momentum over time and turns a one-time visitor into a regular player.Examples of games on Reddit that bring users back day over dayr/honk, r/colorpuzzlegame, r/bunnytrials, r/alignmentchartFills, r/hotandcold, r/dailyguess, r/bridgedit, r/battlebirds, r/krawr/LETTERSETWhat we’re NOT looking for:AI Slop:Did you use AI? Fantastic! But it shouldn’t be obvious the moment we open your app. Fit the UI in the viewport, give your app a unique identity, and make sure you’re thinking of your human players. You can even ask your agentic assistant to help hide their involvement!On the nose Reddit theming:Reddit-y does not mean the game is about Reddit, karma, subreddits, Snoo, etc. Reddit-y means human-first, embracing community, meritocracy, creativity…it’s in the spirit of the app and your use of all the things subreddits have to offer (comments, flair, feeds, community)! While making the app about the topic of Reddit itself is not forbidden, it is also not a hack for making an app “Reddit-y”.Literal interpretations on “Games with a Hook”:While we're not opposed to seeing a fishing game or two, games with a "hook" shouldn't be taken literally. We want to see hooky games as inretentive and replayable.Common Ideas:Your game might not score as well if we’ve seen it many times before. We see a lot of: space shooters, clone apps of popular games, simple platformers, collaborative storytelling apps, and trivia apps. If you do make one of these apps, make sure it'sextremelyunique.Sub-challengesIn addition to an excellent retentive experience, we’re looking for standout apps that also achieve the following:Best Use of Phaser:Recognizes the most innovative use of the Phaser game development framework within the Reddit Devvit platform.Best Use of Retention Mechanisms:Reddit apps are discoverable in our users’ feeds. This means that apps that create daily, or recurring, content tend to see better growth and retention. This award will go to the best use of retentive mechanics in a game.Best Use of User Contributions:Apps that enable users to generate content (comments, posts, drawings, puzzles, levels) drive redditor engagement and conversation. This award will go to the app that makes the best use of user-generated content.Games must be built onDevvit Weband be compliant with ourDevvit Rules. Read ourguide on how to build gamesfor Reddit for more guidance on building for our platform.For this event we are looking for polish, meaning apps that are as close tolaunch-readyas possible (bonus points for a good mobile experience). We understand that not all projects will reach this threshold, but projects that are well tested and concept-complete will score higher.While we are accepting existing projects for this event, please note the game should be significantly updated during the hackathon period to qualify for this event.Getting startedGet started with theQuickstartBrowse ourTemplate Libraryfor building with a familiar frameworkYou can use the Phaser Template hereView examples of existing games onr/GameOnRedditJoin us onDiscordfor live support and office hours