Introducing Levels: our second game mode

Today we're launching Levels, the second game mode on Remix.

For the last year and a half, every Remix game has been an arcade game: you start, you play, you get a score, and you land on a leaderboard. One run, one number. It's the same idea as a cabinet at a real arcade, and it still holds up. Levels is the next step: real games you progress through, level by level, with your progress saved as you go.

Arcade was mode one: one run, one score. Levels is mode two: a whole game you work through over time.

The shape behind every mobile hit

Candy Crush gave you a numbered map and the itch to go back for three stars. Angry Birds did the same with physics: beat level 4, unlock level 5, replay the ones you barely cleared. Different genre, same loop. It's the most common shape in mobile gaming, and the games built on it are some of the most played ever made.

It works for any genre, too. A match-3, a slingshot puzzle, a platformer, a word game: if it has stages, it can use it.

Geo Crush is the puzzle kind: one board after another, each a small puzzle with a score to chase. Astro Jump is the arcade kind: short runs, harder each time, instant restart. Both are already the right shape. Neither had a level map to show for it, because until today nobody on Remix could build one without building the whole thing themselves.

The hard part, handled

That loop is hard to build yourself. You need saved progress, unlock rules, a level picker, a good game-over screen, and stars that stick to each level. Most creators never get there. They make a fun game and stop at "high score goes up."

So we studied the level-based games people keep coming back to, pulled out the patterns they share, and built those into Remix. You make the levels. We handle the map, the stars, and the "one more try" moment.

Why we add limits on purpose

You might expect a creation tool to hand you an infinite canvas. We've found the opposite works better. Too much freedom and every game reinvents its own rules, so players have to relearn how everything works each time they try something new.

Levels is a set of constraints, on purpose. A level-based game on Remix always has the same shape: numbered levels, one to three stars, a map you can see, progress that saves. Creators get a real framework instead of a blank page, so they spend their time on the fun part, the actual levels. And players get familiarity. A new level-based game already feels learnable, because it works like the last one they played.

The loop is shared. The games aren't.

What you get for free

When you mark a game as level-based in Studio (ten levels minimum), Remix handles progression for you:

• Levels unlock in order. Beat a level (earn at least one star) and the next one opens. Lose, and you try again right where you are.
• One to three stars per level. The same stars you grew up with. Your game decides what earns two stars versus three (time left, moves used, accuracy). Remix saves your best and shows it on the map.
• A built-in game-over screen. You don't build the end screen. Remix shows the stars, the level grid, and the Next Level, Try Again, and pick-a-level buttons. Your game reports what happened; we show it.
• Trophies, included. Bronze through diamond for how far you get, plus rewards for finishing and for perfect runs. You don't build a separate system for "reach level 30."

You build level 12. We build the feeling of being on level 12.

For a short summary of what changed, read the changelog.

Why levels keep players coming back

We didn't invent this. We looked at what kept people playing Candy Crush, Angry Birds, and Cut the Rope, and pulled out the parts that actually work:

A clear next step. There's always a level number waiting. No vague "play again?" screen.

A reason to replay. Three stars turn a win into something to chase. Beating a level is good. Getting all three is why you come back tomorrow.

A visible history. You can see where you've been. The empty slots ahead are a promise, not a loading screen.

An easy retry. Lose level 8, tap Try Again, and you're back in instantly.

Want to feel it? BlockPath Levels is the first game built on it. Clear a few and watch the map fill in:

Tap to play

Levels can grow over time

Our arcade mode ends the moment you stop playing: one run, one score. Levels are different. Players work through your game over time and keep their progress, so there's always somewhere to pick back up.

It also means a game is never really finished. As a game catches on and the plays add up, you can ship new level packs to the players already hooked. Ten levels to start, a new pack once they've cleared those. The game grows with its audience instead of peaking on day one.

Build your first ten levels

If you've made a game with separate stages and wondered why it doesn't feel like the games you grew up on, this is the missing piece. Not better graphics. Not more particles. Just the progression that turns ten good minutes into ten good days.

Levels is live in Studio today. Open it up, set a level count, build your first ten levels, and let Remix do the rest.

Start building at remix.gg.