Game Design DocumentA free one-page game design document template plus practical guides for core loops, scope, systems, economies, and living GDDs.https://gamedesigndocument.com/Put a Change Log in the Game Design Documenthttps://gamedesigndocument.com/articles/gdd-change-log/https://gamedesigndocument.com/articles/gdd-change-log/A source-linked guide to put a change log in the game design document.Tue, 08 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTguideverification2026Every GDD Decision Needs an Ownerhttps://gamedesigndocument.com/articles/gdd-decision-owner/https://gamedesigndocument.com/articles/gdd-decision-owner/A source-linked guide to every gdd decision needs an owner.Tue, 01 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTguideverification2026The AI-Written GDD Confidence Traphttps://gamedesigndocument.com/articles/ai-written-gdd-confidence-trap/https://gamedesigndocument.com/articles/ai-written-gdd-confidence-trap/Generative AI can turn unanswered design questions into polished paragraphs, making uncertainty look like a settled production plan.Tue, 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTAI game designGDDgenerative AIdesign validationA Prototype Does Not Replace the Design Documenthttps://gamedesigndocument.com/articles/prototype-does-not-replace-gdd/https://gamedesigndocument.com/articles/prototype-does-not-replace-gdd/The build shows current behavior. The document preserves intent, assumptions, dependencies, unresolved decisions, and the reason a rule exists.Tue, 18 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTgame prototypeGDDdesign documentationdecision logHow to Document Systems, Economies, and Progressionhttps://gamedesigndocument.com/articles/document-systems-economies-progression/https://gamedesigndocument.com/articles/document-systems-economies-progression/A hands-on guide to writing the hardest parts of a GDD: interacting systems, in-game economies, and progression curves that stay clear enough to build.Tue, 11 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTgddsystemseconomyprogressiongame designThe Playtest Plan Belongs in the GDDhttps://gamedesigndocument.com/articles/playtest-plan-belongs-in-the-gdd/https://gamedesigndocument.com/articles/playtest-plan-belongs-in-the-gdd/Connect a game's design decisions to testable player questions, build versions, evidence, and the next decision instead of storing playtesting as a loose task list.Mon, 10 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTGDDplaytestingdesign validationgame productionLiving Design Docs: Keeping Your GDD Alive Past Month Onehttps://gamedesigndocument.com/articles/living-design-docs/https://gamedesigndocument.com/articles/living-design-docs/Most game design documents die within weeks. Learn the lean, modular habits that keep a GDD accurate, trusted, and actually used through full production.Tue, 04 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTgddliving documentleandocumentationprocessWriting a One-Page GDD That Wins a Greenlighthttps://gamedesigndocument.com/articles/one-page-gdd-greenlight/https://gamedesigndocument.com/articles/one-page-gdd-greenlight/How to compress your whole game into a single persuasive page, with a section-by-section walkthrough and a worked example built to survive a pitch.Thu, 23 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMTgddone-pagepitchgreenlighttemplatesThe Sections Every GDD Needs (And Three It Doesn't)https://gamedesigndocument.com/articles/sections-every-gdd-needs/https://gamedesigndocument.com/articles/sections-every-gdd-needs/A practical breakdown of the core game design document sections that earn their place, plus three bloated sections you can safely cut in 2026.Mon, 20 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMTgddtemplatesgame designdocumentationindie dev