As gaming platforms like Roblox become video hubs, YouTube is engaging in a bit of tit-for-tat. The company that launched a gaming library titled Playables in 2024 is now beta testing an AI-powered tool that makes it easy for creators to develop and launch their own video games.
Playables Builder, as the tool is known, was developed using Google’s Gemini 3 AI model. Users feed the tool text, image, and video prompts, and it does the heavy lifting on the coding side. As its name implies, Playables Builder is designed to deliver its completed titles to YouTube’s gaming hub.
In 2023, YouTube moved to capitalize on its long-prominent gaming category by collecting a host of casual titles for Playables. The hub officially launched about a year later and has since leveled up through the addition of multiplayer functionality and other improvements.
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A separate trend has seen YouTube creators become more curious about the ins and outs of the gaming industry. Interactive YouTube games date back to the platform’s early years, when enterprising creators used annotations to design choose-your-own-adventure narratives. Recent games with ties to the YouTube community are a bit more sophisticated than that. The critic known as Dunkey, for example, has worked his way into a competitive industry with the launch of a game publishing unit called Bigmode.
Even if YouTubers want to become game devs, the launch of Playables Builder is also an effort to keep up with Roblox, Fortnite, and other game creation platforms. An innovative licensing program has made it easier for Roblox users to work with IP owners to build indie games that attract millions of players.
The culture of Roblox games has even made its way onto YouTube. One of the most successful Roblox titles of the year, Steal A Brainrot, ended up as one of YouTube’s top trending topics of the year.
If brainrot is being used as the inspiration for video games, then YouTube — the spawning ground of many Gen Alpha memes — has a golden opportunity in its hands. It’s no surprise that Shorts feed favorites like Sambucha are among the first creators to gain access to the Playables Builder.
YouTube is launching a closed Beta test for Playables Builder, a prototype web app built using Gemini 3 where users create games with short text, video or image prompts. we’ve partnered with YouTube Creators like @sambucha, @AyChristene, @goharsguide and @Mogswamp to start making… pic.twitter.com/1Gx0v4oZFA
— YouTube Gaming (@YouTubeGaming) December 16, 2025
Though the Playables Builder is still in a closed beta for now, YouTube is on the lookout for users who are interested in test-driving the tool. If you think you fit that description, you can apply for access to the Builder by clicking here.
