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Platform Cards
Three of the largest game platforms now turn a typed sentence into a playable game. If your child is asking about one, here is what each says about itself: who can make games, who can see them, who can message, what is sold, and what the terms say.
As read on 7 October 2026. These platforms change often. Every line links to where it came from, and where the sources we read say nothing, the card says so.
Playground
Google (Google Labs)
- Who can make
- Anyone in the US aged 18 or over with a Google Account. Children cannot create games here. playground.google
- You type a prompt, test the game at once, then ask for changes to its rules, physics, characters or setting. blog.google
- How much you can create depends on your Google One tier; there is a weekly allowance with a small free tier. techcrunch.com
- Who can see
- A game can stay private, be shared by link, or be published to a public gallery. blog.google
- Public games can also appear on other Google products. playground.google
- The gallery promotes games using player ratings and play activity. Published games are safety-screened and can be reported. blog.google
- Who can message or play
- A Play Games profile adds a handle, likes and follows. Some kinds of game get leaderboards and multiplayer. blog.google
- The terms forbid building open text boxes or chat features meant to enable bullying. playground.google
- What is sold
- More creating comes with paid Google One tiers. blog.google
- No payment to game makers was announced in the sources we read. blog.google
- What the terms say
- Google does not claim ownership of your games. playground.google
- You give Playground the right to make money from your games, including ads in or on them. Google says it will ask your permission first. playground.google
- No characters or other material you do not have the rights to; no removing AI watermarks. playground.google
- What changed lately
- Opened on 7 October 2026 as an experiment, in the US, for adults. blog.google
One question to ask: If you could make a game just by describing it, what would you leave for the players to decide?
One thing to do together: Invent a game with three things from a kitchen drawer. Write its rules on a card, play it twice, then change one rule.
Unity Spark
Unity, with Google
- Who can make
- A game maker that starts from a prompt and adds a full web editor. A closed beta with a waiting list is on the way. unity.com
- Who will be allowed to use it, and at what age, is not stated in the sources we read. investors.unity.com
- Who can see
- Who can message or play
- Signing in with a Play Games profile brings leaderboards, matchmaking and community features. investors.unity.com
- What is sold
- Price, date and countries were not announced. unity.com
- Games start from artist-made assets in the Unity Asset Store. gaming.net
- What the terms say
- No terms were published for it in the sources we read. unity.com
- What changed lately
One question to ask: When a tool makes most of a game for you, whose game is it?
One thing to do together: Play any board game you own, and each pick one rule you would keep and one you would change.
Roblox Build
Roblox
- Who can make
- A text prompt makes a basic game inside the Roblox mobile app. techcrunch.com
- The public test began on 28 July 2026 in New Zealand, for age-checked users aged 9 and up. techcrunch.com
- Who can see
- Who can message or play
- Roblox now uses age-based accounts and age checks. By the end of June 2026 more than half of daily users had been age-checked. respawn.outlookindia.com
- What is sold
- What the terms say
- Read the Roblox terms on its own site before your child publishes; the sources we read do not summarise them. techcrunch.com
- What changed lately
- Roblox has said its age checks and wider content monitoring are costing it bookings. uk.marketscreener.com
- Los Angeles County sued Roblox over child safety in February 2026; a judge let the case go ahead in September. counsel.lacounty.gov
One question to ask: Who will be able to play what you make, and how would you know who they are?
One thing to do together: Before anything is published, play the game together and agree who it is for.
Horizon Create and Horizon Studio
Meta
- Who can make
- A phone app for describing a game, and a browser editor for refining it. There is a waiting list. invenglobal.com
- Age limits for making games are not stated in the sources we read. invenglobal.com
- Who can see
- Published games can appear inside Facebook, Instagram and Horizon: tap a clip and join a session. pocketgamer.biz
- Each game gets an automated age rating. pocketgamer.biz
- Who can message or play
- What is sold
- What the terms say
- What changed lately
One question to ask: Where would someone first see your game, and what would make them stop scrolling to play it?
One thing to do together: Make a game on paper first. Only then decide whether it needs a screen at all.
Why we wrote these: on Spark & Anvil, children make games by choosing rules, not by typing a wish, and a machine only ever plays the game back and reports what happened. The thinking behind that is in Thinking with Machines. Nothing here is legal advice.