Plenty of kids who want to learn Python want to make a game with it, and that is a very good instinct. Games give instant feedback: the code either makes the character move or it does not. This page shows how to get there in two steps. First a game that runs in plain Python with nothing to install, then a real arcade game in pygame, a free and long-established Python game library. Along the way there is a version trap worth knowing about before you install anything, and the four-part loop that sits at the heart of every game.
Live teaching since 2020 · 10,000+ students · Python games from the first class
In short
Kids can code Python games in two steps: a text game such as guess the number, which needs only Python and the random module, then graphical games with pygame, installed with pip install pygame. On PyPI, pygame 2.6.1 has ready-built files for Python up to 3.13, so check versions first. Modern Age Coders teaches Python through games, live online, ages 9 to 16.
Learn it live
Three courses that begin with games
Each course writes a game in the first weeks, then uses games to teach the ideas behind them.
Five Python games for kids, from easiest to hardest
This is the order we use, because each game adds exactly one new idea to the last one. The first two run in plain Python; the last three need pygame.
Five Python games, ordered by difficulty (our teaching order)
Game
Needs
The new idea
Typical age
1. Guess my number
Python only
Loops, input and if statements
9 and up
2. Rock, paper, scissors
Python only
Random choice and comparing values
9 and up
3. Dodge the falling block
pygame
The game loop, rectangles and collisions
10 and up
4. Catch the stars
pygame
Lists of moving objects and a timer
11 and up
5. Two-player Pong
pygame
Velocity, bouncing and two sets of controls
12 and up
Why start without graphics
A text game strips a program down to its logic. There is no window, no images and nothing to install, so a nine-year-old can write a complete, working game in a single lesson and understand every line.
It also teaches the hardest early skill, reading an error message, at a time when the program is short enough that the error is easy to find.
When to move to pygame
Once a child can write a while loop with an if inside it without help, they are ready. The pygame games on this page are the same structure with a window added.
Teenagers who already type confidently can start at game 3. In our plan, younger children spend a few weeks on games 1 and 2 first.
Game 1
A first Python game kids can code in one sitting
This guessing game needs nothing except Python itself. It uses randint from Python’s random module, which the Python documentation describes as returning a random integer N such that a <= N <= b, so 1 and 100 are both possible.
Program 1 · guess my numberpython
# Guess my number (ours): plain Python, no installs
import random
secret = random.randint(1, 100)
tries = 0
while True:
guess = int(input("Guess from 1 to 100: "))
tries += 1
if guess < secret:
print("Higher!")
elif guess > secret:
print("Lower!")
else:
print("Got it in", tries, "tries")
break
Run it in IDLE, which the Python docs call Python’s Integrated Development and Learning Environment, or in any Python editor. Typing a word instead of a number stops it with a ValueError, which makes a perfect first bug to fix together.
The maths hiding in the game (our worked example)
The clever way to play is to guess the middle every time: 50, then 25 or 75, and so on. Each guess halves the numbers left. Since 2 to the 7th power is 128, which is more than 100, halving finds any number from 1 to 100 in at most 7 guesses. Six guesses are not always enough, because 2 to the 6th is only 64.
Children who work this out have discovered binary search, one of the most important ideas in computer science, by playing their own game.
Three changes to try
Limit the player to 7 tries, and print the secret number if they run out. That needs a counter and one more if.
Ask whether they want to play again at the end. That needs a loop around the whole game.
Let the player choose the range, 1 to 1,000 for example, and work out the new maximum number of guesses: 2 to the 10th is 1,024, so 10.
Before you install
Installing pygame, and the Python version to check first
pygame describes itself on its PyPI page as a free and open-source cross-platform library for making multimedia applications like video games in Python. Installing it is one command, as long as the Python on the computer is one that pygame has ready-built files for.
Versions on the official pages, read 17 October 2026
What
Official figure
Source
Latest pygame
2.6.1, files uploaded 29 September 2024
PyPI
Python versions pygame 2.6.1 has ready-built files for
CPython 3.6 to 3.13, plus some PyPy builds
PyPI file list
Python that pygame says it requires
3.6 or newer
PyPI
Newest Python on python.org
3.15.0, released October 9, 2026
python.org
Latest Python 3.13 release
3.13.16, released September 30, 2026
python.org
pygame licence
LGPL
PyPI
Check Python. In a command prompt on Windows or a terminal on a Mac, type python --version. pygame’s own instructions give Python 3.8.10 as an example of a message that means Python is installed.
Check pip. Type pip --version. pip usually comes with Python, but pygame’s page notes that you can never be sure.
Install pygame. Type pip install pygame, or pip3 install pygame on some computers.
Test it. Type python3 -m pygame.examples.aliens. A small game should open; that game ships with pygame.
Keep the docs close. python -m pygame.docs opens the documentation, and pygame says it launches the website if the docs are not found locally.
The version trap
On PyPI, the newest ready-built pygame files stop at Python 3.13, while python.org’s big download button now offers Python 3.15.0. PyPI also lists a source package, pygame-2.6.1.tar.gz, but without a ready-built file for your Python, installing means building pygame from that source, a much harder job for a first-time install.
That is a gap between two official pages on one day, not a fault in either project, and it may close when pygame publishes a new release. Check the pygame files on PyPI before you choose a Python.
What we do with new students
Our choice, for now: we set up game students on the latest Python 3.13 release, which python.org updated on September 30, 2026, because pygame has ready-built files for it.
When pygame lists files for a newer Python, we move up. The habit we want children to learn is the one behind this table: read the official version list before installing anything.
Sources, read 17 October 2026: pygame on PyPI and python.org downloads. We are not connected with the pygame project or the Python Software Foundation.
How games work
The game loop: four steps every pygame game repeats
Every game on a screen, from Pong to the largest console game, repeats the same short cycle many times a second. pygame’s newbie guide calls this update, render, wait loop a design pattern that serves as the skeleton of most games.
The four parts of a pygame frame (our labels; the rules are from the pygame documentation)
Step
pygame code
What the documentation says
1. Input
pygame.event.get()
Your program must handle events every frame; not handling them may cause your system to decide the program has locked up
2. Update
Move objects, check colliderect
colliderect returns true if any portion of either rectangle overlaps, except the edges
3. Draw
screen.fill, draw, then pygame.display.flip()
flip updates the contents of the entire display
4. Wait
clock.tick(60)
Clock.tick(40) once per frame means the program never runs at more than 40 frames per second
Why the input step is not optional
A classic beginner slip is leaving out the event loop when a game has no controls yet. pygame’s documentation warns what happens: events pile up, and the operating system may decide the program has frozen.
Handling pygame.QUIT is also what makes the close button on the window work. Without it, the only way out is to force the program to stop.
Frames and speed
clock.tick(60) caps the game at 60 frames a second. Movement in the simple games here is counted in pixels per frame, so the frame cap is also what keeps the speed steady from one computer to the next.
Later, students learn the method pygame’s own quick start shows: measure dt, the time in seconds since the last frame, and multiply speeds by it, so movement stays smooth even when frames are uneven.
Game 3
A complete pygame arcade game in under 50 lines
This is the first pygame game our students build. Move left and right, let the white block fall past you, and score a point for every block you avoid. Every line uses a part of pygame that its documentation describes.
Program 2 · dodge the falling blockpython
# Dodge the falling block (ours): needs pygame
import random
import pygame
pygame.init()
screen = pygame.display.set_mode((480, 640))
clock = pygame.time.Clock()
font = pygame.font.Font(None, 36)
player = pygame.Rect(215, 580, 50, 30)
block = pygame.Rect(random.randint(0, 430), -40, 50, 40)
score = 0
running = True
while running:
# 1. input: handle every event, every frame
for event in pygame.event.get():
if event.type == pygame.QUIT:
running = False
keys = pygame.key.get_pressed()
if keys[pygame.K_LEFT] and player.left > 0:
player.x -= 6
if keys[pygame.K_RIGHT] and player.right < 480:
player.x += 6
# 2. update: move the block, check for a hit
block.y += 5
if block.top > 640:
block.x = random.randint(0, 430)
block.y = -40
score += 1
if player.colliderect(block):
running = False
# 3. draw, then 4. wait for the next frame
screen.fill("black")
pygame.draw.rect(screen, "orange", player)
pygame.draw.rect(screen, "white", block)
label = font.render(f"Score {score}", True, "white")
screen.blit(label, (10, 10))
pygame.display.flip()
clock.tick(60)
pygame.quit()
print("Final score:", score)
Save it as dodge.py and run it after installing pygame. Rect stores a position and a size; its left, right, top, x and y attributes can be read and changed, and colliderect does the collision maths for you.
Is the game fair? (our arithmetic)
At 60 frames a second, a block moving 5 pixels a frame falls 300 pixels a second. It starts 40 pixels above the window and is replaced when it passes 640, so it travels 680 pixels, taking about 680 / 300 = 2.27 seconds.
The player moves 6 pixels a frame, 360 pixels a second, and the widest trip across the window is 480 - 50 = 430 pixels, about 1.19 seconds. Because 1.19 is less than 2.27, the player can always escape. Make the block faster than that and the game becomes unfair.
Five upgrades, in order
Speed the block up a little each time the score rises. Then add a second block. Then give the player three lives instead of one.
After that, replace the rectangles with images loaded from files, and add a sound when a block is dodged. Each upgrade practises one new part of pygame.
By age
What Python game coding looks like at each age
Our guide for US families, by grade. Children vary a lot, and we place each one by what they can already do, not by birthday.
Grades 3 to 5, ages 9 to 11
Text games, turtle drawings and simple quizzes. Typing speed is the main limit, so programs stay short and lessons stay playful.
Grades 6 to 8, ages 11 to 14
pygame games 3 and 4, with lists, functions and a scoreboard. A good moment to start a folder of finished games.
Grades 9 to 12, ages 14 to 18
Pong, then larger projects with classes, sprites and levels. A good stepping stone toward AP Computer Science or a portfolio project.
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Fees
Fees
Python and pygame are both free to download, and so is the first lesson. Regular classes are paid by the month in US dollars, with no long contract, and can stop when any month ends.
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Questions from families
Python games for kids: common questions
What Python games can kids code?
Start with text games such as guess the number and rock, paper, scissors, which need only Python. Then move to pygame for games with a window: dodging blocks, catching stars and two-player Pong.
Is Python good for making games?
For learning, yes. Python reads clearly, and the pygame library handles windows, drawing, keyboard input and collisions, so children spend their time on game logic rather than setup.
Is pygame free?
Yes. pygame's PyPI page describes it as a free and open-source cross-platform library, and lists its licence as LGPL.
How do you install pygame?
Check that Python and pip work with python --version and pip --version, then run pip install pygame. Test it with python3 -m pygame.examples.aliens, a small game that comes with pygame.
Which Python version works with pygame?
On PyPI, pygame 2.6.1 has ready-built files for Python up to 3.13, while python.org now offers 3.15.0. We set students up on the latest 3.13 release until pygame publishes files for newer versions.
What age can kids start making Python games?
We start text games from about 9 or 10, once a child types comfortably, and pygame games from about 10. Teenagers can start with pygame directly.
Can kids make Python games without installing anything?
A text game needs only Python itself, which includes the random module. Graphical games need pygame, which is installed with pip.
What does clock.tick(60) do in pygame?
It limits the game to at most 60 frames per second. pygame's documentation says that calling Clock.tick(40) once per frame means the program never runs faster than 40 frames per second.
Which class times work for US kids?
Weekdays or weekends, flexible: choose your batch, or for a very personalised plan choose 1-on-1 at your convenience, weekend mornings or weekdays.
How much are Python game coding classes?
The first lesson is free. Regular classes are billed per month, and the fees panel on this page gives the monthly amount in US dollars.
Classes are taught live online by teachers working from India, so the lesson comes to your home in any state. For a fast reply, send us a WhatsApp message.
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