#4: Asteroids | 20 Games Challenge

Vects, rects and rigidbodies, making an Asteroids clone was a lot of fun and a great way to finally lock down my knowledge of vector-based movement!

• Physics-based movement relying on thrust, acceleration and friction
• Splitting mechanic for asteroids with random rotation
• Screen wrapping for both asteroids and the player's ship
• Cool scoring system
• Lots of chaos, predictably
• Generally felt a bit simpler than Frogger, but still a cool challenge

Potential to expand with:

• Enemy ship coming in randomly to wreak havoc
• Upgrades, bonuses and maluses
• Extra weapons

Assets: Hat Tap Games

What is the 20 Games Challenge?

In early 2026, I found out about the 20 Games Challenge. It's a fun challenge designed by SDG Games to recreate 20 games in an engine of your choice. The premise of the challenge is that, by copying a masterpiece, artists often gain a deeper understanding of the fundamentals behind their craft. This can also apply to game developers and game designers.

I was sceptical at first, but as someone who's obsessed with figuring out how things work, this challenge had some huge appeal. So, in March 2026, I decided to give it a try: I'd attempt to recreate 20 famous games in about a year!

The 20 Games Challenge is fairly guided for the first 10 games, then free for the rest. Each level requires you to complete a set of steps in a vertical slice to consider it done. If you want to attempt it too, you can see options for the first 10 levels on this page.

My challenge list:

1. Pong
2. Jetpack Joyride
3. Frogger
4. Asteroids
5. Pac-Man
6. Super Mario Bros.
7. Worms
8. Crash Bandicoot
9. Doom
10. Portal ----- HALFWAY MILESTONE - FREE CHOICES FROM HERE -----
11. Minecraft
12. The Binding of Isaac
13. Lemmings
14. Guitar Hero
15. Metal Gear Solid
16. TBC
17. TBC
18. TBC
19. TBC
20. The Sims