You post your game, open it, and get nothing but a blank white (or black) screen. It's the most common snag for first-time creators. The good news: the causes are predictable, and most are quick to fix.

Here are the usual causes, in the order that's easiest to check.

Cause 1: The code is cut off

When an AI writes a long game, its reply can stop partway through. Paste that in and the second half of the game is simply missing.

Check that the code you pasted ends with </html>. If it doesn't, ask the AI: 

Your reply was cut off. Without skipping anything, write out the full HTML
again, from <!DOCTYPE html> to </html>.
If the game is so long that it keeps getting cut off, ask the AI to "make the code shorter" or "remove a few features."

Cause 2: The AI's explanation got pasted too

AI replies often wrap the code with text like "Here's your game:" or "How to play: ...". The code may also be surrounded by ```html and ``` markers. If those get pasted along with the code, the game can break.

Paste only the part from <!DOCTYPE html> to </html>. Using the "Copy" button on the AI's code block is the most reliable way to grab just the code.

Cause 3: The game is split into several files

Sometimes the AI writes the game as separate files, like index.html, style.css, and script.js. CraftNova only takes one HTML file, so the others never load and the screen stays blank. 

Put all the CSS and JavaScript inside the HTML
and combine everything into a single HTML file.

If you give the AI the "Game creation guidelines" from the posting page up front, it writes a single file from the start. Learn more in What is a single-file HTML game?

Cause 4: The game loads something it can't

If the game tries to load an image from the internet, or a library from an unapproved site, its code can stop running. See Fixing images, sounds, or libraries that won't load for how to check and fix this.

Cause 5: There's a bug in the code

AIs make mistakes, and a single error can stop the whole game. On a PC, press F12 on the game screen (or Option + Command + I on a Mac) and open the "Console" tab. Errors show up in red. 

The game shows a blank screen. The console shows this error:
(paste the error message here)
Please fix the cause and write out the full HTML again.

Showing the AI the exact error message is the fastest route to a fix.

Large games take a moment to appear

Games with lots of embedded images or sounds have bigger files and can take a few seconds to show up. What looks like a blank screen may just be loading. For games over about 5 MB, ask the AI to "add a loading screen" so players know something is happening.

Checklist

  • The code ends with </html>
  • No AI explanations or ``` markers were pasted
  • Everything is in one HTML file (no separate CSS or JavaScript files)
  • No images or sounds are loaded from the internet
  • No red errors in the F12 console

You can swap in the fixed HTML from "Edit" on My page. Still stuck? Ask us through the contact form.