How to Plan a Game MVP in 30 Days – Complete Guide

In this article we will discover how to plan a game MVP in 30 days

Section 1: Pick the Core Loop Before Anything Else

Explanation

If you do not select the core loop on day one your entire plan falls apart. The core loop is the shortest repeatable action the player performs. That is the thing you test. If your core loop is dull your game will never survive. Many founders confuse the core loop with the feature list. That is wrong. A feature is a support element. The core loop is the heartbeat.

Why this matters in the 30 day plan is because one loop lets you focus assets, mechanics and UX around a tiny slice. That slice is enough to test user reaction. You do not need 20 weapons. You need one weapon that works smoothly.

When you start without a defined loop the team starts improvising. The designer adds systems that are not ready. The developer picks a random architecture. The artist creates five styles. Then everything slows down.

Steps

• Write one sentence that describes the core loop. One sentence only.
• Remove anything that does not directly support that loop.
• Give your team a strict rule. If someone proposes a feature ask: does it improve the core loop. If no, remove it.
• Decide the emotional outcome. Fast, calm, competitive, funny, stressful.

Common mistakes

People pick too many loops. They try to merge them to create a unique idea. Innovation comes from refinement not from stacking mechanics on each other in the first month.

What happens if you skip this

You lose the first 7 days debating features. At that point a 30 day MVP becomes a 60 day MVP.

FAQ

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Section 2: Freeze the Scope By Day 2

Explanation

A 30 day MVP is dangerous if you keep changing direction. Scope freeze means you stop adding ideas. You stop reinventing the plan. People think freezing scope will limit creativity. Actually it saves you from chaos. Creativity is good in pre production. Not during a compressed timeline.

When I say freeze I mean it. No new mechanics. No new UI screens. No extra camera modes. No new game modes. Nothing. You lock these rules and the team respects it. Most studios fail here because the founder keeps inserting new features.

Steps

• List every feature you think you need.
• Remove half of them.
• Split what remains into must have, optional and nice to have.
• Keep only must have.

Common mistakes

Founders add new features on day 10 because they think the MVP feels small. It should feel small. That is the point.

What happens if you skip this

Your timeline extends. Art pipeline becomes scattered. QA gets confused. Developers rework code. You burn budget and energy.

FAQ

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Section 3: Choose the Right Engine and Tech Stack in 24 Hours

Explanation

Do not waste days comparing Unity and Unreal or Godot or custom engines. For a 30 day MVP the selection criteria is simple. Which engine lets you build the core loop fastest with your existing resources. Not the most powerful engine. Not the trendiest. The engine your team can execute with minimal friction.

Recommended tech

• Unity or Unreal
• Firebase or PlayFab if backend is needed
• Basic analytics
• Lightweight UI
• Minimal shaders and VFX
• Cloud build support

Common mistakes

People pick an engine that is powerful but unfamiliar. Then they waste 10 days learning. They add backend systems they do not need.

What happens if you skip this

Your team loses days on environment setup. Every day lost hurts the final result.

FAQ

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Section 4: Build a 3 Day Production Plan

Explanation

You cannot plan daily tasks for 30 days upfront. You will fail. But you can build a 3 day rolling plan. Every 3 days you evaluate progress. You adjust. You continue. This keeps the team flexible but disciplined.

How to do it

• Create a 30 day outline.
• Break into 10 slices of 3 days each.
• Each slice should have tiny deliverables.
• Track progress aggressively.

Common mistakes

People try to plan all 30 days in detail. Then reality breaks the plan and they panic.

What happens if you skip this

Tasks pile up. Uncertainty grows. The team starts guessing. You lose hours every day.

FAQ

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Section 5: Prototype the Main Mechanic By Day 7

Explanation

You cannot wait until day 20 to see gameplay. You need a rough prototype by day 7. It can be ugly but real. A cube can replace a character. A sphere can replace a bullet. The faster you test feel and input the better decisions you make.

Steps

• Build the simplest loop.
• Test it internally.
• Adjust physics or timing.
• Lock decisions.

Common mistakes

People chase visuals before prototyping. They try to impress instead of validate.

What happens if you skip this

You might spend 3 weeks building beautiful assets for a mechanic that does not work.

FAQ

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Section 6: Create Final Art Rules By Day 10

Explanation

You define only the art direction. Not full art. Art rules guide the team and stop mismatches. Pick style, palette, animation feel, lighting.

Steps

• Pick reference images.
• Lock the palette.
• Define texture density.
• Decide if you use store assets or custom.

Common mistakes

Teams pick references from too many different games. The result looks confused.

What happens if you skip this

By day 20 assets do not match and you waste days fixing them.

FAQ

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Section 7: Build the First Playable By Day 14

Explanation

You need something that runs from start to finish. Rough but functional. Player moves. Camera behaves. Loop completes. This is a heavy milestone and must be hit.

Key parts

• Character or placeholder works
• Camera movement works
• Input works
• Loop completes with success or fail

Common mistakes

Developers wait to connect systems at the end. They should connect early.

What happens if you skip this

You end up fighting bugs during the last week instead of polishing.

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Section 8: Add Core UI By Day 18

Explanation

Build the basic screens only. Main menu. Pause. One screen for progress. Keep everything simple.

Steps

• Create three screens max.
• Use simple shapes.
• Make sure buttons work reliably.
• Test on device early.

Common mistakes

Too many screens or animated UI. This wastes days.

What happens if you skip this

You create a playable loop that cannot be started or restarted properly.

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Section 9: Add Final Art for Key Elements By Day 22

Explanation

Only the essential visual elements should be final. Character. Weapon. Main object. Important environment piece. Background elements can stay simple.

Steps

• List what the player sees often.
• Produce final art for only those items.
• Optimize later.

Common mistakes

Artists try to finish everything and consume too many days.

What happens if you skip this

Testers cannot judge readability and clarity.

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Section 10: Full Testing By Day 25

Explanation

You clean bugs here. Test devices. Performance. UX. No new mechanics.

Required tests

• FPS test
• UI input test
• Low end device test
• UX observation
• Crash test

Common mistakes

Founders ignore bugs because they want new features. Bad idea.

What happens if you skip this

Testers lose interest and your feedback becomes useless.

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Section 11: Deliver the Full MVP By Day 30

Explanation

Final polish. Sound. Simple effects. Clean transitions. No new content.

Steps

• Build release candidate.
• Test again on real device.
• Fix critical issues.
• Upload to test channel.

Common mistakes

Teams add last minute ideas. This breaks things.

What happens if you skip this

You fail the deadline and delay evaluation.

FAQ

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Section 12: Common Challenges in MVP Development

Explanation

Most founders underestimate how messy a 30 day MVP can get. You are working with limited time, limited team members and more decisions than you expected. Pressure builds. People try shortcuts. Some shortcuts help. Some destroy the timeline. These are the challenges almost every startup faces during MVP development.

Typical challenges

• Scope keeps expanding because founders feel the MVP looks too small.
• Team members misunderstand the core loop and work on things that do not matter.
• Slow communication leads to blocked tasks that sit untouched for days.
• Bad asset planning creates mismatched art that requires rework.
• Delayed prototyping makes it impossible to catch design flaws early.
• Weak testing leads to a final build that crashes or feels confusing.
• Trying to impress investors instead of validating the idea.
• Forgetting that MVP is not the full game and forcing full production quality too early.

Why these challenges matter

If you fail in any of these areas the 30 day target becomes impossible. The entire point of an MVP is to validate the idea while spending the minimum required effort. If you treat an MVP like a full game you lose speed. If you treat it like a rushed hack job you lose clarity. You need balance.

What happens if you ignore these challenges

You will end up with an MVP that is unfinished, unclear or untestable. Investors will not understand the core idea. Early players will be confused. Most importantly you will not get real data. Without real data your next decisions become guesswork.

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Section 13: How NipsApp Helps Startups Build MVPs Successfully

Explanation

Startups need a partner that understands speed, risk and clarity. You cannot afford bloated processes or fancy production pipelines that slow everything down. NipsApp has delivered hundreds of MVPs across mobile, VR, AR and multi platform environments. We already know the patterns. We know where founders get stuck. We know what needs to be ignored and what must be handled early.

How NipsApp helps startups

• We validate scope on day one and cut away anything unnecessary.
• We create a clear 30 day production schedule broken into 3 day sprints.
• We use prebuilt controllers, templates and internal frameworks to skip repetitive work.
• We assign small specialist units so there is no communication chaos.
• We give fast prototypes in the first week so founders can react early.
• We use store assets or internal libraries to reduce art time when needed.
• We manage testing across multiple devices so you do not get surprises at the end.
• We maintain steady communication with founders so direction stays locked.
• We charge affordable pricing so startups do not burn their entire budget before validation.

Why this approach works

Startups need predictable output. They need something playable fast. They need a team that does not overthink but also does not cut corners in the wrong places. Most agencies either move too slowly or lack technical experience. NipsApp combines senior engineering with lean production processes. That is rare. And that is why our MVPs are stable, clear and ready for investor demos.

What NipsApp prevents

• Feature creep
• Overbuilding
• Missed deadlines
• Confusing UX
• Wrong engine selection
• Unstructured assets
• Bad architecture that makes scaling expensive later

Why NipsApp Game Studios is Best for a 30 Day MVP

NipsApp has 16 years of experience in mobile, VR, AR and cross platform game development. We deliver tight MVP cycles because we already have internal templates, systems, controllers, VR frameworks and optimized pipelines ready. This reduces development time dramatically.

We also operate with a cost efficient structure so founders do not burn budget in the first version. We control scope aggressively. We know exactly how to reduce asset needs and build only what matters.

We can deliver a working 30 day MVP because we have the tools, the frameworks and the experience. High quality. Affordable pricing. That combination is why many agencies and founders choose NipsApp as the most affordable high quality game development studio.

FAQ

Final Summary

A 30 day MVP is about discipline. You cut features. You freeze decisions. You prototype early. You test early. You hit deadlines. If you drift you fail. If you focus too much on graphics you fail. If you delay prototyping you fail.

• Choose one core loop.
• Freeze scope.
• Pick engine fast.
• Use rolling 3 day plan.
• Prototype by day 7.
• First playable by day 14.
• Core UI by day 18.
• Key art by day 22.
• Testing by day 25.
• Deliver by day 30.