# How to Enter Idle Hands: Your Guide to RUN’s First Creator Jam

Join RUN's first creator jam and build an idle game in 10 days for a shot at $2,500. Free to enter, no coding experience needed—start with the Idle Jam Kit today.

By RUN.team · June 5, 2026

![How to Enter Idle Hands: Your Guide to RUN’s First Creator Jam](https://res.cloudinary.com/venusseriesai/image/upload/v1780700348/upload_jbcp9s.png)

The Idle Jam Kit drops **today, June 5 at noon PT** — and that’s your starting gun.[ Idle Hands](https://events.run.game/events/idle-hands/) is RUN’s first creator jam: a 10-day sprint to build an idle game, ship it to[ RUN](https://run.game), and compete for a **$2,500 prize pool**. It’s free to enter, there’s no submission form, and you don’t need a team — or any coding experience.

Here’s everything you need to go from zero to[ on the leaderboard](https://run.game/jams/idle-hands).

## **The jam at a glance**

- **Theme:** Idle games — the core loop has to keep running even when nobody’s playing
- **Dates:** June 5–15, with judging through June 16
- **Prize pool:** $2,500
- **Cost to enter:** Free (prize money is open to US residents only)
- **Submission:** Publish to RUN before June 15 at noon PT — that’s it

## **Step 1: Start from the Idle Jam Kit (required)**

Every entry must be built with the **Idle Jam Kit**, which unlocks June 5 at noon PT. This one’s non-negotiable: anything started before the kit drops is disqualified.

There are two ways in — pick whichever fits how you build. Either way, **no coding experience required**: both tracks let you describe your game in plain English while the AI writes the code.

### **Track A: Build in RUN Studio (in your browser)**

Studio runs entirely in your browser. You describe the game; the AI builds it; you keep steering until it’s fun.

1\.       **Open[ RUN Studio](https://run.game/studio)** and click the big button at the top of the page: **“Create an Idle Hands Game Jam entry.”** That starts a project already set up for the jam.

![image4.png](https://res.cloudinary.com/venusseriesai/image/upload/v1780700448/upload_nm3pjc.png)

2\.       **Describe what you want to build** in the prompt box. Be specific about the idle loop — what keeps growing or earning while the player is away.

3\.       **Attach your own art** with the paperclip button — up to 10 files — then ask the Studio agent to work them in.

![image3.png](https://res.cloudinary.com/venusseriesai/image/upload/v1780700478/upload_tjp8r3.png)

4\.       **Keep chatting with the agent** until the game feels right. It rebuilds as you go.

### **Track B: Build with the rundot CLI in Cursor or Claude Code**

Prefer working locally in your editor? The CLI scaffolds an Idle Hands project on your computer. Setup takes about five minutes, once.

1\.       **Install[ Node.js (LTS)](https://nodejs.org/en/download)** — click the LTS button, run the installer with defaults, then confirm in your terminal:

```
 node --version
```

2\.       **Install the rundot CLI** — paste this into your terminal and let it finish ([Windows / other setups guide here](https://run.game/studio/cli-quickstart)):

```
curl -fsSL https://github.com/series-ai/rundot-cli-releases/releases/latest/download/install.sh | bash
```

3\.       **Update to the latest CLI** — the jam template needs it:

```
rundot update
```

4\.       **Create your jam entry** — run this in the folder where you want the project. It scaffolds an Idle Hands project wired to the kit, with full docs in a .rundot-docs/ folder:

```
rundot jam init idle-hands
```

5\.       **Open the project in[ Cursor](https://cursor.com/) or[ Claude Code](https://www.anthropic.com/claude-code)** and build by talking — “a cozy farm that grows while I’m away.” When it’s ready, tell the agent:

```
Initialize this as a RUN.game called My Game, then build and deploy it
```

\
**Need art?** Grab the[ free jam-ready asset pack](https://github.com/series-ai/jam-ready-assets), or bring your own.

## **Step 2: Build your game**

You have 10 days, including two full weekends. Solo or team — your call, no team-size cap, but every team member must be credited.

The only hard creative rule: **your core loop has to keep running even when nobody’s playing.** Beyond that, make it cute, make it crunchy, make it weird.

A few rules to keep your entry safe:

- **Original ideas only.** No 1:1 clones of existing games.
- **No copyrighted character names or art.**
- Stuck or want feedback? There are themed office hours throughout the jam, and the **#idle-hands channel on the[ RUN Discord](https://discord.gg/XY2ynd3gn3)** is where collaborators and questions live.

## **Step 3: Publish to RUN before the deadline**

Publishing happens right from Studio (or your editor agent on the CLI track), and it asks one important question — visibility.

1\.       **Hit Publish Game** — the rocket button at the top-right of Studio.

![image1.png](https://res.cloudinary.com/venusseriesai/image/upload/v1780700608/upload_qbbyid.png)

2\.       **Publish to private first** to playtest. Your game deploys privately and only people with the direct link can open it.

3\.       **When it’s ready to compete, publish to public.** Your game goes through a quick review by the [RUN.game](http://RUN.game) team; once approved, it’s visible to every player — and entered.

![image5.png](https://res.cloudinary.com/venusseriesai/image/upload/v1780700625/upload_uiog5w.png)

The deadline is **Monday, June 15 at noon PT**. Late means disqualified, so don’t cut it close. Once your game is public and approved, it lands on the[ Idle Hands leaderboard](https://run.game/jams/idle-hands) automatically — usually within about 5 minutes. No form, no submission step. **Only public, approved games enter the leaderboard and count plays** — private builds are for testing only.

## **I published — now what?**

Now you get plays. The game the most people come back to wins, and that comes down to sharing:

- **Grab your game’s share link and post it everywhere it fits** — the #idle-hands channel on Discord, Reddit, X, your group chat. Every public play and vote counts.
- **Point people at the[ leaderboard](https://run.game/jams/idle-hands).** Watching the standings move is half the fun, and it pulls in more plays.
- **Keep shipping updates.** You can keep improving your game all jam — a more fun loop means more repeat plays, which is exactly what’s scored.

## **How winners are picked**

Scoring is built around the only metric that matters for an idle game: **do people come back?**

Your game is scored on **average daily plays** — unique players per day — from the day you publish through the close of the play window on June 16. Because it’s a daily average, publishing on day 3 or day 9 doesn’t help or hurt your standing. The real takeaway: **ship the moment it’s fun.** Plays only count once your game is public and approved.

**Voter’s Choice** is separate, decided by community votes during the June 15–16 judging window.

## **The prizes**

1st: $1,000\
2nd: $600\
3rd: $400\
4th–5th: $100 each\
Voter’s Choice: $300

Winners are announced the afternoon of **June 16, live on the RUN channel**. Note: prize money is open to US residents only.

## **Key dates:**

June 5, 12:00 PT: Idle Jam Kit goes live — building opens\
June 5–15: 10-day build sprint\
June 15, 12:00 PT: Submissions close\
June 15–16: Judging: community plays + votes\
June 16, afternoon: Winners announced live

## **Quick answers**

**Do I need to know how to code?** No. Both tracks — Studio in the browser, or the CLI with Cursor or Claude Code — let you build by describing your game in plain English. The AI writes the code; you guide it and test it.

**Can I work with a team?** Yes. Solo or team, no size cap. Just credit every member on your entry.

**Is it really free?** Yes. Anyone can join, build a game, and compete for the $2,500 prize pool.

**When does it all end?** Submissions close Monday, June 15 at noon PT. Plays and votes are counted through June 16, and winners are announced live on the RUN channel that afternoon.

## **Ready?**

The kit is live, the clock is running, and the leaderboard is waiting. Open[ RUN Studio](https://run.game/studio), start from the Idle Jam Kit, and build something that plays while you’re away.

[**Build on RUN**](https://run.game/studio) ·[ **Join the Discord**](http://discord.gg/rundotcreators) ·[ **Live leaderboard**](https://run.game/jams/idle-hands) ·[ **Full event details**](https://events.run.game/events/idle-hands/)