Most game jam disputes come from rules that were never written down: a team that started coding a week early, an asset pack nobody disclosed, a game made mostly with AI tools, or a submission that arrived four minutes late. A one-page rulebook prevents nearly all of them.
Below are the 12 rules every jam needs, each with wording you can paste and edit. The defaults suit 48-hour community jams with 15 to 40 teams. Change the numbers to suit your event, but keep every section.
What should game jam rules cover?
At minimum: who can enter, how big teams can be, what can be made before the jam, what tools and AI are allowed, what the game must include, how and when to submit, how it will be judged, and what happens when someone breaks a rule. Everything else is optional.
| # | Rule | Default for a 48-hour jam |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eligibility | 16+ (younger with guardian consent), one team per person |
| 2 | Team size | 1–5 people |
| 3 | Timing | All work inside the jam window |
| 4 | Pre-made work | Engines, libraries and disclosed asset packs allowed |
| 5 | AI tools | Code help only, with disclosure (three other options below) |
| 6 | Theme | Games must clearly use the theme |
| 7 | Content | Safe for a general audience (PEGI 12 / ESRB T or lower) |
| 8 | Submission | Playable build + 1–3 screenshots + short description |
| 9 | Deadline | Hard deadline; a 15-minute upload window for late uploads |
| 10 | Judging | Weighted rubric, published before the jam |
| 11 | Ownership | Teams own their games |
| 12 | Conduct and disputes | Code of conduct; organizers have the final say |
1. Eligibility
Anyone aged 16 or over can enter. Participants under 16 need written consent from a parent or guardian. Each person can be on one team only. Organizers, judges and their household members can take part but are not eligible for prizes.
Set the age line deliberately. A jam with prizes, a venue or overnight hours needs a clear minimum age and a consent process for minors.
2. Team size
Teams have 1 to 5 members. Solo entries are welcome. You can change team members until team registration closes at [time].
Five is the most common cap. Above that, teams spend more time coordinating than building. If you offer team matching, say when it happens and whether solo participants will be placed automatically.
3. Timing
All game code, art, audio and writing must be made between the theme reveal at [date, time, time zone] and the submission deadline at [date, time, time zone].
Always write the time zone. For online jams, also add a link to a time-zone converter or show both UTC and local time.
4. Pre-made work and assets
This is the rule that causes the most arguments. The usual compromise is: tools are fine, games are not.
You may use any game engine, framework, library and your own reusable code (input handling, save systems, build scripts) made before the jam. You may use third-party asset packs, fonts and music if you have the right to use them, and you list every one in your submission. The game itself, its design and any assets you create must be made during the jam.
Two optional versions for stricter jams:
- "Everything from scratch": all assets must be made during the jam. Good for art- and audio-focused jams.
- "Composition-only": asset packs allowed, but judges score art and audio only on work made during the jam.
5. AI tools
Every jam in 2027 needs an AI rule, even if the rule is "anything goes". Without one, teams guess, and the ones who guessed wrong feel cheated after results.
Pick one of these four options and paste it into your rules.
Option 1: No AI. Suits student and skills-focused jams.
You may not use AI tools to write code, make art, audio or voice, or write any text in your game. Spell check and your engine's non-generative built-in tools are fine.
Option 2: Code help only. Suits most community jams.
You may use AI tools for code assistance, debugging and brainstorming. All art, audio, voice and in-game writing must be made by people. You must list every AI tool you used and what you used it for in your submission.
Option 3: Allowed with disclosure. Suits open jams that want a level field.
You may use AI tools for any part of your game. You must list every AI tool you used and what you used it for in your submission. Games with AI-generated art, audio or voice compete in the "AI-assisted" category.
Option 4: No restrictions. Suits AI-themed jams.
You may use any AI tools for any part of your game. We encourage you to list them in your submission, and doing so won't affect your score.
Tell judges how to treat disclosed AI use, and tell participants. A disclosed, permitted use should never cost points in secret.
6. Theme
Your game must use the jam theme in a way the judges can see when they play it or read your description. Games that ignore the theme can still be submitted but will not be ranked.
If you want themes to be interpreted loosely, say so. If theme counts for a share of the score, link to the rubric. Need a theme? See our 100 game jam theme ideas.
7. Content
Games must be suitable for a general audience: no sexual content, no graphic violence beyond cartoon level, and no hate speech or harassment, including in the game's name, description and assets. Organizers can remove games that break this rule.
If you run an adults-only jam, say that clearly in the eligibility section instead.
8. What to submit
Each team submits one game with: a playable build (web build or Windows .exe; Mac and Linux optional), a title, a description of up to 150 words, 1 to 3 screenshots, a list of team members and their roles, a list of third-party assets and AI tools used, and controls. Source code is [optional / required].
Web builds get played by more judges and more of the public. If you can require one, do.
9. Deadline
Submissions close at [time, time zone]. If your upload is in progress at the deadline, you have 15 more minutes to finish it. After that, no changes are accepted except to fix a broken download link.
A short upload window removes most late-submission arguments, because slow connections stop being a judgment call.
10. Judging
Games are judged on [Game quality 50%, Creativity and theme 30%, Presentation 20%] by a jury of [number] judges. Each judge scores each game from 1 to 5 on each criterion. [Public voting counts for 30% of the final score.] Ties are broken by the Creativity and theme score.
Publish the rubric before the jam starts, not after. Our game jam judging criteria article has a tested 50/30/20 rubric with score anchors, and public voting vs jury scoring explains when to blend the two.
11. Ownership and showcasing
Teams keep full ownership of their games. By submitting, you allow organizers and sponsors to show the game's name, screenshots and video on their channels and to feature the game at a showcase. We will always credit your team.
Never claim ownership of participants' games. It's the fastest way to lose a community.
12. Conduct, penalties and disputes
All participants, mentors and judges follow the [code of conduct link]. Breaking a rule can lead to a warning, a score penalty or disqualification. Report problems to [contact]. Organizers make the final decision on disputes, and decisions are announced in writing.
Decide your penalty ladder before the jam. A simple one: first issue is a warning, second is a score penalty, third or a serious breach is disqualification.
How to write rules participants actually read
- Keep it to one page. Anything longer goes in an FAQ.
- Use numbers, not adjectives. "Up to 5 people", not "small teams".
- Freeze the rules at kickoff. If you must change one, announce it and ask everyone to re-confirm.
- Make acceptance part of registration. Participants should tick a box that they've read the current version.
- Answer questions in public. One shared FAQ channel means everyone gets the same ruling.
Game jam rules in HackathonHost
In HackathonHost, rules are a section of your event with an ordered list of headings and descriptions, so you can paste the 12 rules above in a few minutes. Participants acknowledge the rules, and if you edit them after people have agreed, they're asked to confirm the new version. Optional strikes let you record warnings and apply a small score penalty per strike, capped so one bad moment can't sink a team, and your weighted rubric is applied automatically when judges score.
Drafts are free and you pay $99 when you publish. Code FIRST20OFF takes 20% off your first event. See pricing.
Related guides: how to run a game jam, game jam judging criteria, game jam vs hackathon and 7 emerging game jam formats.
FAQ
Can you use pre-made assets in a game jam? Most jams allow engines, libraries and third-party asset packs as long as teams have the right to use them and list them in their submission. The game itself must be made during the jam. Some art-focused jams require every asset to be made from scratch.
Are AI tools allowed in game jams? It depends on the jam, which is why the rules should say so. The four usual options are no AI, code help only, AI allowed with disclosure (with AI-generated assets in their own category), and no restrictions.
How many people can be on a game jam team? Most jams cap teams at four or five people and allow solo entries. Larger teams tend to lose time to coordination in a 48-hour jam.
What happens if a team submits late? Set a short upload window (15 minutes works well) for uploads already in progress at the deadline, and accept nothing after it except a fixed download link.
Can a game jam game be sold afterwards? Yes, if the rules leave ownership with the team, which they should. Many commercial indie games started as jam entries.
Do participants need to agree to the rules? Yes. Make acceptance part of registration, keep a record of which version each person accepted, and ask for re-confirmation if you change anything.
