YouTube allows users to build AI-powered games with Playables Builder

YouTube is expanding its push into casual gaming by allowing users to build games using artificial intelligence through a new tool called YouTube Playables Builder.

The streaming platform has launched a closed beta of Playables Builder, a prototype web app powered by Gemini 3, which enables users to create simple games using short text, video or image prompts. The initiative marks YouTube’s most direct move yet to democratise game creation on its platform.

As part of the beta rollout, YouTube has partnered with select creators including Sam, Ay Christene and Gohar Khan, who have begun experimenting with building and publishing games through the tool.

YouTube began testing small-scale games on its desktop and mobile platforms in 2023, before adding multiplayer functionality to Playables last year. The new builder tool builds on those efforts by opening up game creation itself to a wider set of users.

YouTube Playables hosts lightweight, casual games such as Angry Birds Showdown, Words of Wonders, Cut the Rope, Tomb of the Mask and Trivia Crack, positioning the feature as a low-friction entertainment layer within the core video platform.

The move comes at a time when traditional videogame console sales are under pressure, weighed down by tariff-related uncertainty and weaker consumer spending. At the same time, demand for random access memory (RAM)—a key component in consoles such as Sony’s PlayStation, Microsoft’s Xbox and Nintendo’s upcoming Switch 2—has begun to outstrip supply, as the technology sector accelerates investments in artificial intelligence infrastructure.

High-end consoles are also becoming more expensive, with the Xbox Series X retailing at around $650 and the PlayStation 5 Pro priced at approximately $750, according to company announcements. Rising component costs could further complicate the rollout of new gaming hardware, including Valve’s Steam Machine, a PC-based gaming platform expected to launch next year.