Build a playable Christmas arcade game in 72 hours using Turbo, the modern 2D game engine built for speed. Solo or team up. No experience required—just bring your love for pixels, chiptunes, and holiday spirit.
CHRISTMAS IS GOING RETRO
PRESS START:
Build a playable Christmas arcade game in 72 hours using Turbo, the modern 2D game engine built for speed. Solo or team up. No experience required—just bring your love for pixels, chiptunes, and holiday spirit.
TL;DR
Total Prize Pool: $2,500
Build a Christmas-themed 2D arcade game using Turbo in 72 hours (Dec 19−20, 2025). Retro aesthetics: pixel art, chiptunes, classic gameplay. Solo or teams of 2−4.
Prizes: $ 1,000 / $ 300 / $ 200 + $ 500 Community Choice + $ 500 Category Awards ($ 100 each). Workshop Dec 13. Turbo Support. Gen-AI tools welcome—we judge the game, not the process.
Prizes: $ 1,000 / $ 300 / $ 200 + $ 500 Community Choice + $ 500 Category Awards ($ 100 each). Workshop Dec 13. Turbo Support. Gen-AI tools welcome—we judge the game, not the process.
THE NEURO NOSTALGIA SAGA CONTINUES
Requirements:
Christmas Theme Examples: 🎅 Traditional: Santa delivering presents, snowball fights 🚀 Sci-Fi: Santa in space, robot elves, cyberpunk Christmas 👹 Dark: Krampus survival, evil snowmen, Christmas apocalypse 🎁 Abstract: Holiday emotions as mechanics 🎵 Musical: Rhythm-based Christmas carols
Arcade Game Types: Platformers • Shooters • Puzzle Games • Fighting Games • Racing • Beat-em-ups • Any genre with arcade DNA (high scores, lives, progressive difficulty)
- Use Turbo game engine (provided by our sponsor)
- Christmas theme (traditional, sci-fi, horror—anything goes!)
- Playable in web browser
- Clear arcade-style gameplay (quick to learn, challenging to master)
- Built entirely during Dec 19-22, 2025
Create a fully playable Christmas-themed 2D arcade game with 90s gaming spirit.
Why Turbo Is Perfect for Arcade Games:
MEET OUR SPONSOR:
Turbo is a new open-source game engine designed to make games fast! Our Rust-based SDK provides all the functionality you need to quickly turn your ideas into playable prototypes.
Turbo
-
Lightning-Fast Development- Live hot-reload: See changes instantly
- Command-line based: Skip bloated UIs
- AI-assisted: Built-in GPT integration
- Template-driven: Start with working examples
-
Built for Retro Aesthetics- Low-res sprite rendering
- Pixel-perfect graphics
- 60fps performance (Rust-powered)
- Simplified shader coding for visual polish
-
One-Command Web Publishing- turbo export gives you a small web build
- WebAssembly output runs everywhere
- No configuration needed
- Upload to any hosting platform and get a shareable URL
-
Multiplayer Made Easy- Built-in networking
- Global server infrastructure
- Leaderboards included
- Real-time multiplayer support
Turbo’s Commitment: As our sponsor, Turbo provides the engine, training, 72-hour support, hosting infrastructure, and post-hackathon showcase opportunities. They’re not just funding prizes—they're empowering you to build something amazing.
Learning Resources:
- Documentation: docs.turbo.computer
- Workshop: Dec 18 — "Build Your First Arcade Game"
- AI Assistant: 24/7 Turbo GPT
- Support Team: Core developers on Discord
- Examples: github.com/super-turbo-society
- Install: curl -sSfL turbo.computer/install.sh | sh
THE RULES
Mandatory:
✅ Must use Turbo engine (sponsor requirement)
✅ Must have an identifiable Christmas theme
✅ Must be playable in browser
✅ All work during 72-hour window (Dec 19 @ 18:00 UTC - Dec 22 @ 18:00 UTC)
✅ Submit on time with source code
✅ Must have an identifiable Christmas theme
✅ Must be playable in browser
✅ All work during 72-hour window (Dec 19 @ 18:00 UTC - Dec 22 @ 18:00 UTC)
✅ Submit on time with source code
GameJam
Teams:
Prizes split as team decides
Find teammates in Discord #team-matching
Solo or up to 4 people
Assets:
✅ Code must be original
✅ Art/audio can be pre-existing (credit required)
✅ Gen-AI tools fully encouraged (code, art, audio, design)
❌ No stolen copyrighted content, please!
✅ Art/audio can be pre-existing (credit required)
✅ Gen-AI tools fully encouraged (code, art, audio, design)
❌ No stolen copyrighted content, please!
-
Allowed Before Dec 19:- Learn Turbo
- Brainstorm ideas
- Gather/create assets
- Form teams
- Not Allowed Before Dec 19:
- Writing game code
- Building mechanics
- Creating levels
Quality over quantity—nail one challenge rather than rushing through several.
Boost your score with these optional challenges:
(Optional)
BONUS CHALLENGES
🎵 Chiptune Christmas Carol: Original retro audio and sound effects
🏆 High Score Hero: Addictive scoring systems with multipliers
👥 Co-op Christmas: Multiplayer features (2−4 players)
🎮 Genre Bender: Creative genre combinations
👹 Boss Battle Bonanza: Multi-phase Christmas boss fight
🔄 Endless Mode Master: Procedurally generated infinite gameplay
💰 Quarter Muncher: Perfect arcade difficulty balance
🎨 Pixel-Perfect Present: Authentic 8-bit/16-bit art with period-accurate palettes
Bonus
PRIZES
$2,500 TOTAL
$500
Community
WINNER
WINNER
Plus: Get recognition from the community. Certificate!
$200
Rising Star
Plus: Certificate!
$300
Master Developer
Plus: Feature on Turbo's event website! Certificates!
$1,000
Grand Champion
Plus: Feature on Turbo’s event website, mention in press-release. Certificates!
Winners announced early-2026 — fast payment via many providers from Wire to Crypto.
Category awards are separate from main prizes—you can win both!
CATEGORY EXCELLENCE AWARDS
🕹️ Best Arcade Authenticity - $100
🎮 Best Gameplay & Fun Factor - $100
💻 Best Technical Execution - $100
🎄 Best Christmas Theme - $100
✨ Most Innovative & Creative - $100
🎮 Best Gameplay & Fun Factor - $100
💻 Best Technical Execution - $100
🎄 Best Christmas Theme - $100
✨ Most Innovative & Creative - $100
Best in each evaluation category:
$100 x 5
TIMELINE
Dec 13, 2025
@ 18:00 UTC
@ 18:00 UTC
Dec 13, 2025
@ 18:00 UTC
@ 18:00 UTC
🎓 Pre-Hackathon Workshop:
“Turbo 101: Build Your First Arcade Game”
“Turbo 101: Build Your First Arcade Game”
📝 Registration Opens
Dec 19, 2025
@ 18:00 UTC
@ 18:00 UTC
Dec 19, 2025
@ 18:00 UTC
@ 18:00 UTC
🚀 Hackathon Begins !
Start of the official 72-hour competition
Dec 19–22, 2025
Dec 19–22, 2025
💻 Development Period
Daily office hours: 10:00–12:00 & 20:00–22:00 UTC
Dec 22, 2025
@ 18:00 UTC
@ 18:00 UTC
Dec 22, 2025
@ 18:00 UTC
@ 18:00 UTC
🏁 Submission Deadline
Dec 22-31, 2025
Dec 22-31, 2025
⚖️ Judging Period
Jan 05, 2026
@ 12:00 UTC
@ 12:00 UTC
Jan 05, 2026
@ 12:00 UTC
@ 12:00 UTC
🎊 Main Winners + Category Awards Announced
Jan 05–12, 2026
Jan 05–12, 2026
🗳️ Community Voting Period
Jan 13, 2026
@ 12:00 UTC
@ 12:00 UTC
Jan 13, 2026
@ 12:00 UTC
@ 12:00 UTC
👑 Community Choice Winner Announced
EVALUATION CRITERIA
Evaluation
WEIGHT SYSTEM
🤖 Gen-AI Policy
We evaluate the game, not the process. Use any Gen-AI tools you want—Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot, Cursor, Midjourney, Suno, Turbo GPT, or others. Vibe-code your entire project if you like. Judges score the playable result: fun, polish, creativity, and execution. No penalties, no bonuses—just fair evaluation of what you ship. Disclose your tools honestly in the submission form.
We evaluate the game, not the process. Use any Gen-AI tools you want—Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot, Cursor, Midjourney, Suno, Turbo GPT, or others. Vibe-code your entire project if you like. Judges score the playable result: fun, polish, creativity, and execution. No penalties, no bonuses—just fair evaluation of what you ship. Disclose your tools honestly in the submission form.
Category Excellence Awards:
The top-scoring submission in each category wins $ 100 (separate from main prizes).
Meet the expert panel of designers, developers, and creators evaluating every game for creativity, technical mastery, and authentic arcade spirit.
Main Jury
Experts
COMMUNITY & SUPPORT
Channels: #announcements, #team-matching, #tech-support
contact
Turbo
Game-Engine
Game-Engine
Website: turbo.computer
Docs: docs.turbo.computer
GitHub: github.com/super-turbo-society
Twitter: @makegamesfast
Docs: docs.turbo.computer
GitHub: github.com/super-turbo-society
Twitter: @makegamesfast
Hackathon Raptors:
Meet the Jury
A global panel of game designers, developers, and artists from leading studios across six countries — united by their passion for creativity, innovation, and the spirit of retro gaming.
KEY FAQ
F.A.Q.
A: Highly prefered yet beginners welcome. Attend Dec 18 workshop to learn basics.
A: Basic programming helps, but Rust expertise is not required. Great docs and vibe coding are generally OK.
A: Yes! Solo devs compete in same category as teams.
A: Yes for art/audio (with credit). Code must be original and written during hackathon.
A: Absolutely. Full vibe-coding workflows are legitimate. Let AI write your game loop, generate your sprites, compose your chiptunes. Our evaluation criteria don't distinguish between hand-crafted and AI-assisted—only the shipped game matters. Just disclose what you used.
A: Submit what you have! Polished demos are better than nothing.
A: Just needs identifiable holiday elements. Interpret creatively!
A: Yes—Gen-AI is fully welcome. Use AI for code (Claude, Copilot, Cursor), art (Midjourney, DALL-E), music (Suno, Udio), sound design, brainstorming, debugging—anything that helps you ship. Turbo has built-in GPT integration too. Judges evaluate your final game only: Is it fun? Does it work? Does it feel like Christmas? Be transparent about your tools and focus on making something great.
A: You do! You keep all the IP rights. We just run the competition.
A: Yes! You can win a main prize AND category award (s) AND Community Choice.
ABOUT US
Hackathon Raptors: Non-profit organizing inclusive hackathons for community, learning, and fun. UK C.I.C. 15 557 917.
Turbo (Our Sponsor): NYC startup building the future of 2D game development. Mission: make game creation accessible by eliminating complexity and maximizing speed.
- Neuro Nostalgia 2025: AI-powered 90s web design transformation
- DreamWare 2025: Surreal digital experiences
- LifeQuest Balance 2025: Health gamification
OUr 3 RANDOM EVENTS:
CODE OF CONDUCT
Violations result in disqualification. Report to: hello@raptors.dev
Unacceptable: discrimination, bullying, plagiarism, inappropriate content.
Expected: Be respectful, supportive, collaborative, constructive, and honest.
The Retro Christmas Arcade 2026
Sponsored by Turbo Game Engine © 2026
Organized by Hackathon Raptors
Where holiday magic meets arcade legends
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