More than a decade after Minecraft took the gaming world by storm, a new knock-off game called Oasis is making waves for its unique twist: it’s powered entirely by AI. Released by Israeli startup Decart in partnership with hardware designer Etched, Oasis offers players a familiar yet strange experience in an ever-shifting, AI-dreamed world.
Unlike traditional games built on a pre-set game engine, Oasis uses a transformer-based AI model trained on endless Minecraft gameplay data to generate every frame and respond to user interactions. This approach, typically seen in language models, allows Oasis to create spontaneous, fluid environments based on players’ inputs. Result? A world that is never static—blocks, landscapes, and structures morph and shift unexpectedly as players navigate through m.
“People are experimenting with Oasis, tricking the game’s AI into creating bizarre landscapes and even attempting teleportation,” says Robert Wachen, Etched’s COO. Thanks to this unpredictability, Oasis has quickly gained popularity, particularly among players curious about the boundaries of generative AI.
The game’s surrealism is best experienced first-hand: players can upload images to see them transformed into blockish environments. One player, for example, uploaded a picture of his cat, only to find it reimagined as a blocky, abstract terrain.
Despite its charm, Oasis is also sparking debate on the role of generative AI in gaming. “This is impressive technology, but it’s an answer in search of a question,” says Julian Togelius, a computer science professor at NYU. While the potential for generative AI in gaming is immense, experts like Togelius note that Oasis still lacks the stability necessary for a traditional gaming experience.
According to NYU game designer Frank Lantz, Oasis occupies a “kind of uncanny valley” that makes it more intriguing than conventionally enjoyable. Yet he remains optimistic about AI’s potential, suggesting it might inspire a new generation of game designers.
