Ludocene, the free “dating app” for video games that matches you with games rather than with people, has officially launched following its successful Kickstarter campaign.
Andy Robertson, a game journalist and developer, created Ludocene, designing the app to help people of all ages find and enjoy video games. Curating its recommendations from user reviews, Ludocene combines the functionality of a dating app with the gameplay of a roguelike deckbuilding card game.
“Ludocene is a new way to find your next game,” Robertson states on the game’s Kickstarter page. “It uses rich human-researched data to build your catalogue of games. Uncovering amazing, unusual and unexpected matches, not just the usual suspects or big popular games. It feels like you’re playing a game, where winning is discovering video games that perfectly match your tastes: Build your perfect deck of games you love. Pick experts whose taste you trust. Discover your best matches in the tailored suggestions.”
🎉LUDOCENE LAUNCHED 🎉So excited (and nervous) to send our game-finder into the world. Ludocene.comIf you want a better way to find amazing games that rewards experts and is in the hands of players, this is our shot. Thank you to the 1000's backers and supporters.This is just the beginning.
— Andy Robertson (@geekdadgamer.bsky.social) 2025-08-06T08:34:20.421Z
Upon signing up, users will pick a bunch of games that they already like and instantly be matched with real-life experts with similar tastes. These experts range from games journalists, developers, and streamers. Users can then start a run and choose whether they want a starter pack that prioritises site recommendations, new and upcoming game titles, or recent discoveries.
Runs consist of swiping through games left or right, similar to a very popular dating app, to indicate whether you like or dislike the game. You can also pin games to play them later, add them to your library of games already played, or dismiss them from your recommendations.
Clicking on cards will also open up a trailer for the game. And flipping the card over gives you a brief description of the game, including its genre, where it is available to purchase, and if it is on any subscription services such as Game Pass. You can check out Ludocene via the free online web app available here.