In an era where modern day one video game patches regularly top 50GB, a new indie game jam is challenging developers to look back at the glory days of 90s computing and embrace the art of digital restraint. Hosted by 2P Game Arcade, the 1.44MB Game Dev Contest invites programmers and creators around the globe to build a complete, playable retro PC game that fits onto a single 3.5 inch High Density floppy disk.
Inspired by historic retro coding challenges like the legendary 100KB game competitions of the 1990s, the contest forces developers to fight for every single cluster, sector, and byte.
The Rule of the Disk: 1,474,560 Bytes
The core premise of the jam is brutal in its simplicity: "No Byte Wasted." When extracted and uncompressed, your entire project including executables, artwork, music, sound effects, and runtime libraries cannot exceed 1,474,560 bytes (1.44MB).
Key competition rules include:
- Engine Freedom: Developers can use any game engine or programming framework, provided the final bundled runtime and executable stay under the strict 1,474,560 byte cap.
- Standalone Executables Only: Games must run natively as standalone PC executables; web browser based submissions are strictly forbidden.
- Original Builds: Projects must be newly created during the contest timeline. Individual and team entries are both permitted.
- Judgment Criteria: Entries will be evaluated based on completion, strict adherence to the file size limit, and most importantly, how fun the gameplay loop is.
Cash Prizes and Physical Nostalgia
To sweeten the deal for developers willing to wrestle with severe technical limitations, 2P Game Arcade is offering cash prizes paired with the ultimate retro trophy: a custom 3.5 inch floppy disk pre loaded with the winning games.
- Grand Prize: 720,000 KRW (approx. $520 USD) plus Commemorative Floppy Disk
- Gold Prize: 280,000 KRW (approx. $200 USD) plus Commemorative Floppy Disk
- Silver Prize: 144,000 KRW (approx. $100 USD) plus Commemorative Floppy Disk
Important Dates
The contest submission window is open, giving developers plenty of time to optimize their code, compress their audio into custom MIDI files, and tweak low res pixel art.
- Submission Deadline: September 4, 2026, at 11:59 PM (KST)
Whether you are a veteran coder who remembers wrestling with CONFIG.SYS memory optimization or a modern indie developer looking for a unique constraint based challenge, the 1.44MB Game Dev Contest is the ultimate throwback project.
Ready to boot up A:\> and prove that size does not matter? Head over to the official contest page at 2pgarcade.com/contest-144mb.html to grab the simulator, review the rules, and submit your entry before the deadline.