I Built an iPhone Game with AI and Never Wrote a Single Line of Code

Ever since I was hammering away on a Commodore 64, creating simple text adventures that only made sense to me, I dreamed about making my own video game.

Like a lot of kids who grew up in the 80s and 90s, I imagined one day seeing something I created on a screen that other people could actually play. The problem was that dreaming about building a game and actually building one are two very different things.

When the App Store launched, I immediately caught the mobile development bug. I made several attempts over the years to learn Objective-C and later Swift. Each time I got just far enough to be dangerous before realizing that actual software developers deserve every penny they make. My ideas were always bigger than my coding abilities.

Then 2026 happened.

Today, Xcode can connect directly to AI coding agents. Just pick your favorite model, add an API key, click the Coding Assistant button, and start a conversation. Whether you're using Claude, Codex, Antigravity, or something else, it's a completely different world than it was even a few years ago.

Naturally, I had to find out how far I could push it.

From the Dinner Table to the App Store

The funny thing is that Alpha-Blitz didn't start as a game at all.

It started at the dinner table with my son.

We began playing a simple word game while waiting for dinner. Pick a letter and shout out as many words as possible that start with that letter before the food arrives. It was a fun way to help build vocabulary, improve speech, and keep everyone entertained for a few minutes.

What surprised me was how much fun it actually became.

Somewhere between arguing over whether a word counted and desperately trying to think of something starting with "Q," I realized this would make a fantastic mobile game.

So I decided to build it.

Or more accurately, I decided to have AI help me build it.

Prompting My Way Into Game Development

I started with Gemini. Not for coding, but for planning.

I used it to help create a detailed game design prompt that I could feed into Xcode's Coding Assistant. I described the type of game I wanted, the 60-second gameplay loop, the title screen, scoring, progression, and the overall experience I wanted players to have.

Then I connected Claude to Xcode.

Claude has become something of an industry standard for coding assistance, so I figured it gave me my best chance of turning a childhood dream into something real.

After dropping in the prompt, Claude got to work.

About 35 minutes later, I had the core gameplay running.

Was it perfect?

Absolutely not.

Did it look like a polished App Store game?

Not even close.

But it worked.

And that moment was kind of magical.

For the first time in my life, I was looking at a game that had existed only in my head a few hours earlier.

The Part That Blew My Mind

Over the next few weeks, I refined the game, fixed bugs, tweaked gameplay, and added new features.

I never wrote a single line of code.

If I wanted a feature, I simply described it.

If I found a bug, I explained what was happening.

If an idea popped into my head while sitting on the couch, I could have it implemented before bedtime.

I was genuinely shocked by how quickly ideas became reality.

Challenge Mode was added, where longer words earn more points while invalid or duplicate words cost you.

Then came Chain Reaction Mode, where every new word has to start with the last letter of the previous word.

Apple → East → Train → Night

Simple concept. Surprisingly addictive.

Then I combined both modes for players who enjoy a little chaos in their lives.

By the time I was done, I had a game I was proud of.

And the total development cost?

About $80.

That's not a typo.

Building the Game Was the Easy Part

Here's something nobody tells you about app development:

Making the app might actually be the easy part.

Getting it into the App Store is where the real adventure begins.

Suddenly you're worrying about screenshots being pixel perfect. App previews. Promotional text. App Store Optimization. Privacy policies. Data collection disclosures. In-app purchases. TestFlight builds.

Then there was Game Center.

I manually configured more than 65 leaderboards and achievements.

Manually.

One.

At.

A.

Time.

Then came banking information, tax forms, the Free Apps Agreement, the Paid Apps Agreement, pricing, territory availability, and about fifty other settings that all seemed designed to test my patience.

Finally, after what felt like forever, I clicked Submit for Review.

A few minutes later I was rejected.

Because I forgot to check a box.

Back into the queue.

Then another rejection because all those Game Center achievements and leaderboards had to be manually added and included in the review. This is exactly where an "Import All" button would have been really nice.

Back into the queue again.

If you've ever published an app, you know the feeling. You spend weeks building something, then spend days refreshing App Store Connect like a maniac.

Launch Day Is Only the Beginning

Getting approved feels incredible.

For about five minutes.

Then you realize nobody knows your game exists.

That's when marketing starts.

Blog posts like this one.

Posts on X and Instagram.

YouTube videos.

Apple Search Ads.

Reaching out to gaming sites.

Creating graphics.

Writing store copy.

The good news is that AI can help with a lot of that too.

One final lesson I learned at the last minute: enroll in Apple's Small Business Program if you qualify. If you don't, Apple takes 30% of revenue instead of 15%.

Trust me, that's a checkbox worth remembering.

So, Can AI Build a Game?

Absolutely.

In fact, it's never been easier for someone with an idea but no traditional coding skills to create software.

The real challenge isn't building the game.

It's finishing the game.

Polishing it.

Publishing it.

Marketing it.

And sticking with it long enough to get across the finish line.

Today, that finish line is real for me.

Alpha-Blitz is now available on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. An Android version may be coming for all of you green bubble enthusiasts. And yes, Gemini Code Assist helped quite a bit along the way.

A dream that started on a Commodore 64 and later at my dinner table is finally something anyone can download and play.

Not bad for someone who never learned Swift.

Give Alpha-Blitz a Try

Ready to put your vocabulary skills to the test?

Alpha-Blitz is available now as a free download for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Challenge yourself, compete for leaderboard glory, and see how many words you can come up with before the clock runs out.

👉 Download Alpha-Blitz today and give it a try: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/alpha-blitz/id6796029002

You might just discover your next favorite word game. And who knows, maybe it'll inspire you to build that app you've been dreaming about too.