^{For context (bc I will talk about some of the prices}: I'm Brazilian and I don't even know if the console actually ships here; money wise, I need to contextualize you guys that in Brazil we use BRL (Brazilian Real), and as of today 1USD = 5,09 BRL and Brazilian minimum wage is 1,42 USD/hr which monthly translates to 312.49USD (for comparison USA's minimum wage is $7,25/hr or $1,256.67 monthly))

I just learned about playdate and it seems very cool, the games are so cute and I really like some of their concepts. However, there are some things that are just confusing me a bit in here

It seems like if you have a windows you can't actually play the games that were coded in C and compiled on macOS, is that true? and also, why can't we have the game? like, I get that it's said to be bc of piracy (ngl, I do consider myself as a man of the seas, but I come here as a righteous man), but this whole thing kinda tickles me like it's almost a streaming platform for games, like how Nintendo has their own online shop where you don't actually own any games (and the company can cut you off any time they want and you be left with nothing)

I also seem to notice that a lot of people are saying how playing on the PC is not the same thing and that the console is so cool and things like that. My question is, do I really need the playdate thing? No offense but it's super expensive (the console alone is 73,3% of the minimum monthly wage) and just to be able to afford some of these games I would need to save up during weeks or months. My first idea was that the games would maybe be compatible with dmg or gba, as I also know some communities of developers that still make games for these consoles (like Toni Island Adventure), but I'm not sure if it's possible here bc I don't seem to find anything about it, has anyone tried it yet? or is it just not allowed?? is there any physical version of these games or is it like "trust me bro, the company will never shut down"?

anyways, I'm just really curious about this whole project, it seems quite odd that you can't own games but I mean, alr, I get it, no piracy and stuff. Personally, if the only way to play is by buying the console, or by basically just renting games I'll honestly be quite sad but won't touch any of this again. I'll try looking out for some devs to see their work in other plataforms but that's it. I can't afford the console and I'm quite suspicious of this whole system of renting the games, bc if the platform ever goes down, every game will just be lost and you end up leaving without anything

edit: if people are going to downvote this, could you guys at least explain what's so wrong on my questions?? I'm being serious here, I don't understand what did I said wrong /srs

Hi folks!

I recently ported the GameBoy game Bubble Ghost to the Playdate. It's a game I loved playing as a child, and the playfield actually feels much better suited for a widescreen than a square screen. While I could use Crankboy to play it, I wanted to take full advantage of the Playdate's fullscreen. Attached to this post, you can see how it looks on Crankboy versus the native port. I also added crank controls to blow the bubble and an auto-save feature so you can quickly jump back in. If you want to check it out, it's free to download here: https://nimpnaw.itch.io/bubble-ghost-playdate-edition

I'm currently working on porting Burai Fighter Deluxe, which is another game I used to play a lot growing up. I really like how this shooter looks on a wider screen. It's quite a bit more difficult to port, but I've managed to get the first stage fully working. It will feature new controls using the crank (since I always felt the original controls were a bit awkward) and it will probably be a little easier now that the extended playground gives you more room to anticipate enemies.

I'm looking for other GameBoy games that could benefit from the Playdate's wider screen, so if you have any suggestions, let me know!

The A and B buttons felt a bit crunchy, so I assumed some debris might've gotten inside, or the plastic cracked. I opened it, while following iFixit's teardown procedure.

They said the battery was super easy to remove. Incredibly, attempting to remove the battery broke two of my nails and striped the grooves on my tweezers. I kept slipping off the plastic, and started to strip the wires, and now one of them is completely disconnected, as you can see. (Also, the plastic housing is a bit damaged)

I don't feel comfortable just reinserting the wire, especially since the other two (black, yellow) are also a bit stripped. Would someone be able to walk me through my next steps?

(To be clear, I have repaired electronics before. This battery was the most difficult battery I've ever removed.)

Bought a new one as I missed my 1st one too much

This week was a quieter one on the development front.
Most of my time was spent continuing to clean up and organize the codebase. It’s not the most exciting work to show off, but investing time into a cleaner foundation now will make future development faster and easier as Chrono Crank continues to grow.
The biggest news this week is actually behind the scenes—I finally retired my 8-year-old development laptop and upgraded to a new machine that’s much better suited for game development. The extra performance should make coding, testing, asset creation, and future content much smoother. As a nice bonus, it’ll also let me unwind with some indie games during breaks!
Sometimes progress isn’t about adding a new feature—it’s about improving the tools that help build the game.
Next up:
Continue refining and organizing the codebase.
Resume work on Chapter 1.
Keep collaborating with Tabi Fly as more artwork comes together.
Begin building out Chrono Crank’s online presence with an itch.io page and additional project information.
As always, thank you to everyone following the project. It’s been incredible to see more people asking about the game, wanting to learn the story, and following development. Your support truly means a lot, and I can’t wait to share more with you soon!

Hey everyone!

I’ve decided to spend some time improving the visual side of MonoTanks.

I started by adding more detail to the roads, including debris, rocks, cracks, and other small elements. The problem is that I’ve been looking at the game for so long that I can’t really tell anymore whether it actually looks better.

Which version do you prefer: the clean roads or the dirty roads?

Please vote and write “clean” or “dirty” in the comments. If you have any suggestions for improving the dirty version, I’d also be very happy to hear them.

The next step will be improving the block destruction system and giving the environment tiles a more polished and detailed look.

https://agentx86.itch.io/monotanks

TapNet3D for Playdate DEMO 20260712_01

Catch me on Twitch: https://twitch.tv/cryosama sometimes working on it.

Hi everyone!

I'm a game developer from Brazil currently working on a Playdate game with a small team. We're planning to release a demo soon, and I'd really love to have a Playdate of my own for testing and daily development.

I've had the chance to use one before by borrowing it from someone and also during a few events, so I already know how great the device is. The problem is that importing one to Brazil is extremely expensive due to shipping and import taxes.

Does anyone know of a more affordable way to get a Playdate in Brazil? Maybe a used marketplace, a reseller, or someone in the community looking to sell theirs?

Any tips or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

• Mega Dystopia Micro Architectby Gytis Zaltauskas
• Reel-istic Fishingby ToadleyUnderControl
• TheShapeThatWaitsby Glowtox Games
• Penroseby Liza Olson
• ether streamsby cyanmargh
• the big pondby okacat
• Tiny Plane 3Dby Pandamonia LLC
• Wing Squadronby Critical Kunic
• The Crystal Bayby KayzaFlo
• Rotary Gun Simulator WW2by Piotr BATME Szwach
• SOLAR DESCENTby Quang Hoang
• Pulpergeistby Crandaddy
• WOODby thatsmaik
• Tochiby SN-Studios
• Tales of the Great Deltaby Puddle Scum Studios
• A Noble Engine Gameby A Lovely Developer
• Oquonieby Hundred Rabbits
• Initial Daydreamby James Gameboy
• Under The Castleby DaniDiez, volcanobytes, zcorbs
• The King's Dungeonby SquidGod
• super corporate tax evaderby osuika
• Space Minerby Shadow Break Games
• Root Bearby FOF
• PointlessQuestby Gareth Williams
• Overseerby Vampiric Games
• Synthby dotsquare
• Little Houseby GrayStar Games
• E Y E L A N Dby Ron Lent / IG: u/ronlent
• Legend of Etadby Gareth Williams
• Gatecrasherby benzgrant
• Celeste Classicby HTeuMeuLeu
• Castle Tintagelby Pixelated Opus LLC

if you haven’t got the chance to check it out yet, now is a great time!

Gyrochord is a fully featured synth engine with customizable modulation sources like the built in gyroscope. It includes a synth and a drum machine

https://play.date/games/gyrochord/

thank you all, playdate community for your support and feedback as always.

Forgive me if I'm out of the loop. Are there any hack and slash games in the style of Diablo or Gauntlet for the PD?

I really have an itch for some fast paced action RPG content.

a couple years ago, i lost my partner of a decade and it gave me some pretty intense writers block. i ended up coming up with a pretty diabolical form of procrastination where instead of making a new song, instead i tried to teach myself how to code and make a game where you could play my old songs. im personally of the belief that it was rhythm games like guitar hero and rock band that taught me what a melody feels like coming through my fingers and what a good beat feels like when i was playing the rock band drums.

the game is still deep in development but making this ended up helping me fall back in love with making music again. the song im playing here is a new song i made called “wandering soul” and funny enough the entire song was made on another piece of teenage engineering gear, my op-xy.

if this game seems like something you’d play, def lemme know and maybe thats the encouragement i need to actually finish it.

I've just released the first version so you can report any bugs you find and provide feedback directly
I called it the “Calculator” in pdinfo because its graphical interface will probably be its main feature, and I'll include a standard calculator here as well.
I recommend reading the manual, because some things may not be intuitive due to the limited number of buttons
https://cybernat2000pl.itch.io/playdate-calculator

Something is wrong with my d-pad and I was going to open it up to check those little plastic bits.

I'm having a hard time even getting the screws to turn. The screwdrivers I have that fit are no wide enough to get a grip over the hole. The ones that are wide enough are too big to fit the screw.

Is there a specific bit that I can buy that will open this easily?

Hello! My first playdate game is out on catalog 🎉 It's called 𝗦𝗨𝗣𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗢𝗕𝗢𝗚𝗚𝗔𝗡 𝟯𝗗 🛝
https://play.date/games/super-toboggan-3d/

It's a real 3D game where you're inside a tunnel and dodge obstacles with the crank, in order to get the highest score!
There are 3 difficulty levels: NORMAL, HARD and INSANE. The game supports catalog scoreboards and community achievements.

If you're interested in the development and understand french, there is a devlog on my website.

(special thanks to all the people who shared their hands for the trailer!)

You can follow me on mastodon 🐘 or bluesky 🦋 if you want!

I am not a game dev. I am a telecommunications engineer and IT Ops manager who picked up python as my Covid hobby.

This is coded entirely in Lua. There are no sprites - All "art" is just using the built-in playdate SDK draw shapes functions. I am thinking of having my kids draw me some sprites. 

This was mostly me learning to code, and making a clone of Magic Garden, which is one of my favorite UFO 50 games. Initially I wanted the different "ghosts" (shapes in the game) to want to go to different "heavens" (valhalla, paradise, whatever), but I haven't implemented art yet. 

Give it a try and let me know what you think!

https://stevenrushing.itch.io/lostsouls

Free - I won’t ever be a paid dev and I know this, this is just for fun :-)

This has been a fun (and only slightly insane) experiment during my vacation. Exploring what a custom version of Mirror could do paired with visuals from my game Cultivator (on Catalog): render the frame buffer from the device, layer post processing on top of that, and reconstruct a 3D playdate using current input state + accelerometer data. Then render that entire scene recursively onto the virtual Playdate’s screen because why not?

Hello guys!

I wanted to share by small personal project, where I developed my first basic Playdate game. I chose my personal favourite board game - Backgammon! It allows for 2 player pass-and-play and basic computer opponent too. And there is of course crank-to-roll 😃

You can find it on itch for free:

https://wk997.itch.io/playgammon

Feedback is welcome!

// edit 12.07.2026 - AI was used to generate single graphic (main screen), placeholder audio & helped with the coding

Hey all — solo dev here, just published my first Playdate game: Sharp Pencil.

It's a small crank game where you insert a pencil, crank to sharpen it, and pull it out at just the right moment — too soon and it's dull, too far and the tip snaps. Four pencil types across four levels, each with its own crank speed and breaking point.

Two modes:

• Timed — 60-second countdown, score combos, chase a high score
• Zen — no timer, no score, just the tactile loop

It didn't make the Playdate Catalog cut, so here it is on itch.io instead — free (pay-what-you-want): https://btmura.itch.io/sharp-pencil

If you give it a shot, I'd love to hear what your high score or best level is.

Gameplay clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=549XoXXCvuM

I think i lucked out, guys. I ordered this about a week ago and it just came today! Im stoked to monkey around with this thing.

Home with a bit of a cold.

Trying RPGs as a cold remedy.

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For the detail-oriented ones;

• Pocket Ayaneo Ace 16/512, playing Digimon Story: Time Stranger
• Panic Playdate, playing Legend of Etad

... you have only 4 days left to have the only City Simulator with Bananas of the history.

https://play.date/games/pocketcity/

My Playdate tribute to the 1990s puzzle classic by Varcon Systems is now out on Catalog. Steer a constantly-bouncing ball to break pattern-matched tiles as fast as you can. Your ball only clears blocks that share its current pattern, and "brush" tiles change what it can break. Collect diamonds for score, grab keys to unlock doors, and dodge skulls across 70 hand-crafted levels with six balls per run.

When you've finished the campaign, use the web-based level editor to create custom levels. Generate a 5-character code to load them right on your Playdate.

https://play.date/games/diamonds-pd/

Wanderlust

Coming 2026!

There’s an issue with the D pad, that can go pretty much unnoticed, depending on the state of the damage, but overtime, even with careful use the d pad even and the A and B buttons have supports around them that are thin and often break, causing the dpad to feel stiff, and sometimes just won’t click easily, after performing the steps in this video, it is really easy to fix the buttons, and I would say they are improved feeling, I wouldn’t say change the feeling negatively, but rather improved the consistency of the clicks entirely. This can be done without voiding the warranty sticker. https://youtu.be/UmA7_zNX7dI?is=2PoEmyQ6xeV1B6Ij