In the browser
Open it and play
Every game gets a page with a player. Nothing to install, no hardware required.
Following the announcement of the ModRetro Chromatic: Codex Edition ↗
The platform for
The platform for
Chromatic games.
Upload the game you built with Codex or Claude Code, download what others made, and test it all before it goes on a cartridge.
START to play. Arrows move, Z or A jumps. SELECT swaps the palette, B mutes.
- 160×144
- Pixels. That is 20 by 18 tiles.
- 4 per tile
- Colours, from eight palettes per layer.
- 40 sprites
- On screen, ten per scanline.
- FPGA
- Real logic in the handheld. No software emulation.
Why this exists
The Codex Edition is here. Your games need somewhere to go.
OpenAI and ModRetro announced the Chromatic: Codex Edition, a handheld with a plugin that lets anyone build a Game Boy Color game by prompting. OpenAI shows a handful of its own games. For everything the community makes there is no shared place yet, so games end up scattered across GitHub. Vibe Retro Games is built to be that place.
Read the announcement on OpenAI Supply Co. ↗Upload
Your ROM gets a page of its own, credited to you and numbered in order of arrival.
Download
Every game as a .gb or .gbc file, ready to flash to a cartridge.
Test
Play any game in your browser first, or stream it to your Chromatic.
Opening at launch. An independent project, not run by OpenAI or ModRetro.
Slop doesn't compile.
One handheld, one sceneEvery game here targets the same machine, so every game here can sit in the same pocket.
The bar is a boot screenIt runs on a Chromatic or it stays out. How you made it is up to you.
2 MB keeps it honestTiles, palettes and scanlines leave no room for filler. What fits had to be chosen.
From prompt to plastic
The idea is yours. An agent takes care of GB Studio, the tile limits and the build, so you can start without any Game Boy experience.
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01Describe
Make a tiny game about a lighthouse keeper who repairs storms.
Say what you want to play
Write down the world, who lives in it and what the buttons do.
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02Generate
Building project scenes 12 tiles 187/256 ok sprites 31/40 ok rom 384 KB ok
An agent builds the project
Codex or Claude Code turns your description into a game that runs.
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03Revise
Make the jump floatier and add a second storm.
Done. Two scenes changed, new build ready.
Keep playing, keep asking
Change scenes, art and rules in plain language until it feels right.
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04Flash
lighthouse.gbc Writing to cartridge
Put it on a cartridge
Export the ROM, write it to a cart, then share it here.
One ROM, three places to play it
Every game in the library works the same way, whether or not you own the handheld.
your-game.gbc
Streamed to a Chromatic
Test it in your hands
Send a build from your computer to the handheld and check the controls, picture and sound.
On a cartridge
Keep it in your pocket
Flash the ROM once and it plays anywhere, with no computer attached.
Every slot is open
Nothing has been published yet. Games are numbered in the order they arrive, so the first ones in keep the lowest numbers for good.
0/6Slots claimed
What you are building for
A cartridge you can hold and a handheld that runs it in hardware. These are the numbers your game has to fit inside.
- 1Label area
- 2Flash chip, 2 MB
- 332-pin edge connector
- 4Chamfered shell
- 5Shell seam
- 6Grip ridges
| Display | 160 × 144 | Pixels, laid out as 20 by 18 tiles |
|---|---|---|
| Colour | 4 per tile | Eight palettes for backgrounds, eight for sprites |
| Cartridge | 2 MB | ROM with MBC5 mapping, plus FRAM for saves |
| Sprites | 40 | On screen, 10 per scanline |
| File format | .gb, .gbc | Playable on original hardware |
| Before flashing | Developer Mode | Update the firmware and activate it on your computer |
SubmitOpening soon
Put your game in the library
Upload a working ROM and it gets a page of its own: playable in the browser, downloadable, credited to you.
- A .gb or .gbc file that boots on real hardware
- Original work, never a port or a reskin of an existing game
- A title, a screenshot and one line about how you made it
Launch accessOpening soon
Be there on day one
Accounts, creator profiles and uploads are on the way. Members get a page per game, download counts and a spot in the launch collection.
- A creator profile with everything you have shipped
- A browser player, so nobody needs hardware to try it
- Jams and challenges built around the handheld