Ludum Dare (LD), which means "to give a game" in Classical Latin, is a game jam competition. It was started by Geoff Howland and first held in April 2002. Today, it is managed by Mike Kasprzak, who has been involved with the event since its beginning. Players must design a video game that matches a specific theme within two or three days. Many participants share a time-lapse video showing how they created their game.

History

Ludum Dare began as an online forum. The first competition, often called "Ludum Dare Zero," took place in April 2002 with 18 participants. As the event became more popular, the focus shifted to the competitions instead of the forum. The time limit for the competition was later increased to 48 hours because 24 hours was considered too short. Starting in 2011, the number of game submissions grew significantly each year, partly because of increased public awareness of Minecraft creator Markus Persson, who has participated seven times.

Until 2014, the event was informal, as the Ludum Dare team worked on it during their free time. However, due to the growing number of participants, organizer Mike Kasprzak announced in September 2014 that he would try to create a business model to work full-time on the project. Charging for Ludum Dare is not allowed, and all money is currently raised through donations.

During Ludum Dare 35 in April 2016, organizers acknowledged problems with the game jam’s rating system. Some users had tried to increase their game ratings using fake accounts. Because of this issue, future Ludum Dare events were canceled indefinitely until a new website could be built. This caused community members to express frustration. Despite this, Ludum Dare 36 in August 2016 took place, organized by Sorceress, a website administrator and long-time community member. After discussions, the community decided by referendum to stop the rating phase after the game jam, so no winners were announced.

Starting with Ludum Dare 44, the event schedule changed to occur twice a year—in April and October—because Mike Kasprzak struggled to manage the workload.

In April 2026, ahead of Ludum Dare 59, Kasprzak announced that Ludum Dare 64, scheduled for October 2028, would be the final planned Ludum Dare event.

Structure

As of March 2023, Ludum Dare is held twice a year. Before each competition, possible themes are voted on by people who might join. After the theme is chosen, participants have 48 hours to create a video game (board games and similar types are allowed) that fits the theme. All game code and content must be made during the competition by one person. Including source code is encouraged. During the event, many participants take multiple screenshots of their game’s development to create a time-lapse video later. Many also broadcast live videos, especially since April 2013, when a widget showing Ludum Dare streams on Twitch was added to the website. After the competition ends, participants have three weeks to play and rate other games to decide winners. There are no physical or cash prizes, but each person keeps full ownership of their game. Some have made money from their initial submissions.

Starting with the 18th competition in August 2010, a more relaxed version called the "Jam" was added. The Jam allows teams, private source code, and 72 hours to develop a game. It happens at the same time as the solo competition ("Compo").

From early in the game jam’s history until 2016, a smaller event called "Mini Ludum Dare" or "MiniLD" was held during months without a main Ludum Dare competition. These were organized by community members with help from website staff. The host would pick the theme, set rules, and prepare announcements. A staff member managed game submissions, updated the website, and oversaw the event. MiniLDs were less formal, and following rules was optional. Themes often focused on specific ideas, such as using reusable assets ("Swap Shop") or creating game tools ("Tool Jam"). A booking system let people choose to host MiniLDs, but this led to a two-year backlog. After 70 MiniLDs, the event ended in October 2016, disappointing many participants.

During the 2010s, October hosted the October Challenge, which encouraged people to "Finish a game, take it to market, and earn $1." Players had 31 days to post a link to their game on the website. The event was not competitive and aimed to help people try making money from their games for the first time.

Notable games

The following games were created as part of Ludum Dare submissions:
• Broforce
• DMCA's Sky
• Dome Keeper
• Evoland
• Friday Night Funkin'
• Galcon
• Gods Will Be Watching
• Hollow Knight
• Inscryption
• Inside My Radio
• Loop Hero
• McPixel
• Mini Metro
• Minicraft
• Pony Island
• Pretentious Game
• The Republia Times
• Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate
• Snakebird
• Sneaky Sasquatch
• Snowden Run 3D
• Titan Souls
• Vox