From immersive history lessons and environmental storytelling to playful AR journeys grounded in real places, the Real-World Impact Challenge invited developers around the world to build meaningful WebAR experiences using Niantic Studio. These winning projects showcase the creative power of AR to preserve culture, promote education, and inspire community action.

These are the projects that had the most impact on our judges:

Vladimir Storm’s Snek Game is a modern twist on the classic snake game, rebuilt from the ground up using Niantic Studio. But this version isn’t just about chasing apples—it’s also a developer resource, offering a detailed codebase and tutorial to help others get hands-on with building 3D web games using ECS, Gaussian splats, and mobile-friendly inputs.

We caught up with Vladimir to learn what inspired him to build Snek Game, how Niantic Studio helped accelerate development, and why this is just the beginning for web-based gaming.

Yasas Sri Wickramasinghe’s Portal Hunter Adventure is an immersive WebAR game where players dive through portals into new locations, search for hidden objects, and defend themselves against enemies—all within a real-world environment enhanced by Gaussian splats and interactive gameplay mechanics. Built in Niantic Studio, the experience blends classic adventure mechanics with AR-native features like projectile launching, portal visibility control, and dynamic UI screens.

We spoke with Yasas about how this game evolved from a research concept to a playable experience, and what he learned along the way.

Gouda Fish Market AR created by Dylan Smit from Dunk Technologies is a time-traveling WebAR experience that transports users to the historic fish markets of Gouda. Players take on the role of fishmongers, sorting fish under time pressure while learning about the local history of the trade. By blending historical storytelling with interactive gamification, this project makes history more engaging and accessible—especially for younger audiences.

We spoke with Dylan about the development process, the challenges faced, and the role of Niantic Studio in bringing this experience to life.

Sushi Beat Drops is an interactive WebAR rhythm game that challenges players to catch falling sushi in perfect sync with the music. Built in Niantic Studio, the game utilizes face-tracking mechanics to let players control the action by tilting their heads left or right to catch sushi as it lands on plates. For an alternative input method, a tap-to-play mode allows players to tap the screen to catch sushi on the correct side.

Inspired by classic rhythm games like Taiko no Tatsujin and Osu!, the game blends fast-paced music-based gameplay with real-world interaction, creating a fun and immersive experience.

We caught up with creators Saul Peña Gamero and Mackenzie Li to learn about their process and the lessons they learned along the way.

Mini-games thrive on simplicity, challenge, and replayability, and MouseTap delivers on all three. Created by Alex Bradt and the team at Mousepack, this game tests your precision and timing as you tap to inflate a balloon. But miss, and it's game over.

MouseTap is built entirely with 2D assets in a 3D space, leveraging Niantic Studio to create seamless animations, dynamic UI changes, and responsive gameplay. Let’s dive into how Alex and his team brought this fast-paced game to life.

Have you ever wished you could step inside a historical monument that’s normally off-limits? Thanks to Niantic Studio, Gaussian splats, and Niantic VPS, you can now explore these spaces anytime, anywhere—no special access required. Developer Stijn Spanhove created an innovative WebAR experience that brings historical sites to life by allowing users to peer inside landmarks using 3D scans.

We sat down with Stijn to dive into his process and explore how he combined Niantic Scaniverse, SuperSplat, and Niantic Studio to create a seamless, location-anchored experience.

What happens when you become the last pin standing? The Last Pin, created by Sam Guilmard of Playbound Studio, is a WebAR game that challenges players to survive an onslaught of bowling balls using only head movements. By tilting left and right, players maneuver the lone pin to dodge incoming strikes. The longer they survive, the faster and more frequent the bowling balls become. This high-energy experience showcases how intuitive, physical input mechanics can be used to create engaging, browser-based gameplay.

We had the chance to chat with Sam about his creative process, the challenges he faced, and how Niantic Studio helped bring The Last Pin to life.

We're always adding new tools to Niantic Studio to help you build more engaging and complex WebXR experiences and 3D web games. Today, we're rolling out Niantic Maps for Web and Spaces, two features that make creating location-based experiences and multi-level gameplay easier than ever.

Tyler White’s UFO Rodeo is a fast-paced WebAR game where players must defend their cattle from incoming UFOs using a high-powered cattle prod. Set on a New Mexico ranch, this arcade-style experience immerses players in a sci-fi western showdown, blending physics-based interactions, real-time score tracking, and dynamic spawning systems. Built in Niantic Studio, UFO Rodeo leverages WebAR to create an engaging and interactive mobile game. 

We spoke with Tyler about the development process and lessons learned while bringing UFO Rodeo to life.