Prompts ▸
Long-form for solo devs

The Pixeldex blog

Walkthroughs, cost breakdowns, engine comparisons, and honest takes on shipping games with Claude as a co-dev. Written by one person, who's built and shipped on this stack. New post every couple of weeks.

Comparison For solo devs 2026-05-25 ~10 min read

The best free game engine for solo developers in 2026

An honest, use-case-specific comparison of the five free (or nearly-free) game engines that are realistic for solo developers in 2026: Godot, Unity, Phaser, LOVE2D, and Pico-8. With a 30-second decision tree.

Read the full comparison ▸
Honest Comparison 2026-05-25 ~8 min read

Claude vs ChatGPT for game development: an honest take

Fair comparison for solo game devs. Where each is genuinely stronger, what the free tier limits actually look like when you are building, and how to pick. No vendor cheerleading.

Read the full piece ▸
Pillar guide Beginner 2026-05-25 ~10 min read

How to make your first game with Claude: the complete guide

The pillar guide to making a real video game with Claude as your AI co-dev. Pick the right path for your skill level, what to actually expect, what to avoid, and four free walkthroughs ranked by activation energy. The "start here" if you're new.

Read the full guide ▸
For parents Ages 5-13 2026-05-25 ~9 min read

Game development for kids: a parent's complete guide

A practical guide for non-technical parents whose kid wants to make games. What's age-appropriate, free tools by age, what AI helpers mean for a child, and the four things you specifically have to do. Funnels into the Pixeldex kids walkthrough.

Read the full guide ▸
Honest For solo devs 2026-05-25 ~7 min read

Why solo game devs never finish (and what to do about it)

Most solo devs do not fail at code. They fail at scope. The honest breakdown of the patterns that kill indie projects (the save system trap, the settings menu trap, the "while I'm at it" pattern), a written scope contract that fixes it, and a free in-browser tool.

Read the full piece ▸
Featured Listicle 2026-05-09 ~6 min read

The 5 Claude prompts every solo game dev should keep in a file

Five copy-paste Claude prompts that solve the five most-recurring problems in indie game dev. Player controller. State machine. Save system. Level loader. Game-feel patch. Save them somewhere you can find them, because you'll reach for them on every project.

Read the full piece ▸
Featured Cost 2026-05-09 ~7 min read

How much does it actually cost to ship an indie game in 2026?

A real breakdown by category: engine, art, audio, distribution, and the hidden cost of time. Three tiers, real prices, no affiliate links, and a recommendation for solo devs working on a budget that's basically zero.

Read the full breakdown ▸
More posts shipping every couple of weeks.
Bookmark this page and check back. New posts ship every couple of weeks.
Roadmap In drafts

What's coming next on the blog

These are being written or fact-checked right now. Bookmark and check back as each one ships.