In the ever-evolving landscape of tech entrepreneurship, few stories captivate as much as Pieter Levels’ latest creation—a 3D flight simulator game that took the internet by storm. Known online as @levelsio, this self-taught developer and digital nomad has a knack for turning wild ideas into viral successes. His flight simulator, built in just three hours with the help of AI tools and no prior game development experience, isn’t just a game—it’s a testament to the power of modern technology and a glimpse into the future of indie gaming. Buckle up as we dive into everything you need to know about this vibe-coded masterpiece.
Pieter Levels is no stranger to the spotlight. A serial entrepreneur, he’s the brains behind hits like Nomad List and Remote OK, platforms that have fueled the digital nomad movement. Famous for his "build in public" philosophy, Levels shares his journey—successes, failures, and all—on X, where his handle @levelsio boasts a loyal following. His latest project, however, pushed the boundaries of what even his fans thought possible: a fully functional 3D flight simulator, coded with AI, that’s raked in thousands of players and serious cash.
Imagine this: it’s a regular day, and Levels decides to mess around with Cursor, an AI-powered code editor. With a simple prompt, he spins up a basic game—a beach town with cliffs, a runway, and a plane you can fly. Three hours later, he’s got a working prototype. No game dev degree, no years of experience—just pure curiosity and AI muscle. As he shared on X (source), this was the spark that ignited a wildfire.
But he didn’t stop there. Teaming up with Marc Köhlbrugge, Levels added multiplayer functionality using PeerJS for WebRTC, letting two players soar together in real time. A Python WebSocket server, whipped up with the help of Grok 3, kept things humming. Over time, the codebase ballooned to 3,000 lines, hitting snags that required assistance from Michael Truell (Cursor’s cofounder) and tools like Claude 3.7 Sonnet and ChatGPT to iron out bugs (source). The result? A game that’s as chaotic and brilliant as its creation story.
Picture yourself launching into a 3D beach town, cliffs rising on either side, a runway stretching ahead. You’re in control of a plane, free to explore—or, if you’re feeling adventurous, blast off to Mars, a nod to Levels’ SpaceX fandom. Built with Three.js for rendering and WebSockets for real-time action, it’s a browser-based thrill ride. The multiplayer mode, though initially limited to two players per server, adds a social twist (source).
Then there’s the money-making flair: microtransactions. Fancy an F-16 jet? That’ll be $29.99. Want to advertise on a blimp floating through the skies? Prices vary, but players and brands are biting. With Stripe handling payments, Levels turned a fun experiment into a revenue machine.
The game’s rise was meteoric. An Elon Musk retweet sent it into overdrive, pushing player counts to a peak of 31,000 online at once and a total of 296,000 users. Early revenue stats? $1,270 from nine F-16s and one blimp (source). A later update? $38,360 a month from 19 blimps and 12 F-16s (source). Today, it’s pulling in a cool $72,000 monthly, with sponsors—including unexpected non-tech brands—jumping on board (source).
But fame comes with headaches. A DDOS attack via Tor slammed the servers with 120 million requests, nearly crashing the party. Levels leaned on Cloudflare to fend it off, while a 16 GB log file once ate up disk space—fixed with a quick flush (source). Through it all, the game held strong.
Levels’ creation didn’t just entertain—it inspired. On X, @ThatArrowsmith curated a thread of vibe-coded games sparked by Levels’ work (source), showing how one idea can ignite a movement. Indie developers are taking note, and AI’s role in gaming is getting a serious spotlight. As Indie Hackers put it, this is a blueprint for what’s possible when creativity meets cutting-edge tech.
Here’s the kicker: Levels’ flight simulator isn’t just a fluke—it’s a game-changer. By leveraging AI tools like Cursor, he’s shown that you don’t need a decade of coding chops to build something big. This could flood the indie scene with fresh talent, shaking up an industry long dominated by big studios. Plus, the game’s quirky charm—Mars trips, blimp ads, and all—proves there’s room for weird and wonderful in gaming.
One curveball? The game’s appeal stretches beyond tech geeks. Non-tech companies are sponsoring blimps, a sign that Levels’ vibe resonates far and wide. It’s a quirky detail that hints at the game’s universal pull.
@levelsio’s vibe-coded flight simulator is more than a hit—it’s a revolution in miniature. Born from a three-hour AI sprint, it’s soared to 296,000 players, $72,000 a month, and a cultural moment that’s inspiring others to follow suit. Whether you’re a gamer, a coder, or just a fan of wild success stories, this is one tale worth watching. Check out Levels’ journey on his blog or GitHub, and see where the vibe takes him next.