gamemods

<p align="center"> <img src="assets/icon.png" alt="Gamemods icon: a retro handheld console with a terminal prompt on its screen" width="128"> </p> <h1 align="center">Gamemods: games for Claude Code</h1>

Play games in Claude Code while Claude works. Gamemods is a Claude Code mod (plugin): a game menu in the band above the prompt, each game in a side pane. It works in the terminal and in Desktop. Every key is answered locally: zero model calls, zero tokens, nothing added to the conversation.

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/4ed57392-6d74-4186-94d2-9fe6d065f97f

A side project, for fun

Gamemods started as a way to try Claude Code mods and to have a good time doing it. It is not a productivity tool and it does not take itself too seriously: think of it as an arcade cabinet for Claude, where you play a round while Claude works. It feels good to ship something fun next to the everyday grind.

The cabinet is meant to fill up. If you have a game in mind, add it: a game is a small pure module, and docs/ADD_A_GAME.md walks you through it. Not sure yet? Open a game proposal and let's talk.

Requirements

• Claude Code 2.1.287 or later (mods are on by default from that version).
• A local session in the Code tab of Claude Code Desktop, or in a terminal.

Install

From a terminal:

claude plugin marketplace add Birium/gamemods

claude plugin install gamemods@gamemods

Or inside a Claude Code session: /plugin marketplace add Birium/gamemods, then /plugin install gamemods@gamemods. In Desktop: + next to the prompt, Plugins, Add plugin. Desktop and terminal share the same settings, so one install covers both.

Play

• Open the menu: press Games on the GAMEMODS line above the prompt (click, or Tab then Enter), or type /gamemods.
• Start a game: pick it in the menu, or type /gamemods <game> (/gamemods tic-tac-toe). /gamemods stop closes the pane.
• Give it the keyboard: on Desktop, click inside the pane once.

Every game has these keys; its own are in its README.

| Key | Action | | :-- | :-------------------- | | p | Pause or resume | | r | Restart | | q | Back to the game menu |

The game pauses on its own when Claude asks for a permission, when Claude finishes its turn, and when the pane loses the keyboard. It never resumes by itself: press p.

Each game has its own score, described in its README. The best score of each game is kept across sessions.

Games

The Claude Code game mods available today. Rules, keys and score of each game are in its README.

| Game | What | Surfaces | | :--------------------------------------------- | :----------------------------------------------- | :---------------- | | Tic-tac-toe | Three in a row against a bot | Desktop, terminal | | Hogzzle | Swap the tiles until PostHog's hedgehog is whole | Desktop | | Echo | Repeat a growing sequence of lit cells | Desktop, terminal | | 2048 | Slide and merge the tiles until one reaches 2048 | Desktop, terminal |

Limitations

• Nothing is drawn in Desktop WSL sessions, the VS Code chat panel, claude -p or cloud sessions.
• On Desktop, /gamemods typed during a turn waits for the turn to end. During a turn, use the Games button instead.
• Tested on Claude Code Desktop 2.19675.0 and terminal 2.1.288. A newer build can behave differently.

Contributing

• CONTRIBUTING.md: dev loop, checks, manual test protocol.
• docs/ARCHITECTURE.md: how the mod is built.
• docs/ADD_A_GAME.md: add a game, new games are very welcome.

Security issues: SECURITY.md.

License

MIT © Birium

Hogzzle's pictures are © PostHog, used unmodified and not covered by this license: see Hogzzle → Pictures.

Gamemods is an independent project, not affiliated with or endorsed by Anthropic. Claude and Claude Code are trademarks of Anthropic.

If you had fun, leave a star on the repo: it is the cheapest way to say thanks, and it helps other people find the project.