Google’s Project Genie turns text prompts into playable game worlds

Google has started selling access to Project Genie, an experimental AI tool that turns short text prompts into playable 3D worlds. Built by Google DeepMind, it creates interactive spaces on the fly, letting you run, swim, fly, or drive through environments that react instantly to what you do.

What makes Genie interesting isn’t just that it can generate worlds, but how it does it. There are no pre-built levels waiting in the background. The AI constructs the environment as you move through it, reshaping the space in real time based on your inputs.

Using it feels less like booting up a game and more like nudging an idea into motion, a small glimpse of how generative AI could eventually change how games are designed.

When demos look a little too familiar

That freedom has also led to some very recognisable results. Early previews showed Genie producing playable scenes that closely resemble well-known games such as Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

On social media, things get even more on-the-nose. Clips show a Link-like character gliding across landscapes that look uncannily like Hyrule, while other user-created worlds echo the visual language of franchises like Grand Theft Auto. It’s a reminder that, at least right now, Genie doesn’t seem particularly strict about steering users away from copyrighted styles and worlds.

What you can actually access today

Google isn’t presenting Project Genie as a finished product. Worlds are limited to about 60 seconds in length, with visuals capped at roughly 720p and 24 frames per second.

Access is bundled into Google AI Ultra, the company’s highest-tier AI subscription, priced at $124.99 (~Rs 11,400) per month when purchased as a three-month package. For now, it’s only available to US users aged 18 and above.

According to DeepMind product manager Diego Rivas, Genie is still very much a research prototype. He has said the team is closely watching how people use it, and some prompt types have already been restricted following early testing, with warnings referencing the interests of third-party content owners.

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At this stage, Project Genie feels more like a window into a possible future than a platform ready for prime time. It shows how quickly AI can spin up interactive worlds from a handful of words, while also highlighting how unresolved questions around creativity, ownership, and control still loom large.

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