Neal Agarwal has a knack for making the internet feel like a playground again. You’ve probably seen his stuff before—the "Spend Bill Gates' Money" simulator or the "Size of Space" scrollable map. But Infinite Craft is different. It’s a rabbit hole. You start with Water, Fire, Wind, and Earth. Simple, right? Then you combine Water and Fire to get Steam. You combine Earth and Water to get a Plant. Suddenly, three hours have vanished and you're trying to figure out how to craft "Cyberpunk 2077" by mixing a Philosopher with a Microchip.
It’s addictive because there are no real rules, just logic—or at least, the specific brand of logic used by a Large Language Model.
How Infinite Craft Actually Works Under the Hood
Most people think Infinite Craft is a pre-programmed database of recipes. It isn't. If Neal had to manually code every possible combination, he’d be working on it until the sun burned out. Instead, the game uses generative AI (specifically Llama 2 or similar models via an API) to determine what happens when two elements collide. When you drag "Drunkenness" onto "Tiger," the game doesn't look up a spreadsheet. It asks the AI, "Hey, what do these two things make?" and the AI spits back "Drunken Master" or maybe just "Chaos."
This is why you get "First Discoveries."
If you manage to combine items in a way that nobody else among the millions of players has tried yet, the game stamps your name on it. It’s a digital land grab. I’ve seen people find things like "Zombie Space Pope" or "Gluten-Free Darth Vader." Because the AI is generative, the possibilities are technically infinite, though they do start to get a bit loopy once you get deep into the weeds of specific celebrities or obscure anime references.
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The Llama Factor
The reliance on AI means the game inherits the "hallucinations" and biases of the model it's built on. Sometimes the logic is impeccable. Fire + Wood = Charcoal. Makes sense. Other times, it feels like the AI is gaslighting you. You’ll combine two things that should make a specific result, but the AI decides to take a metaphorical left turn into a completely different category. It's this unpredictability that keeps the game from feeling like a chore. You aren't just solving a puzzle; you're poking a brain to see how it thinks.
Why We Can't Stop Playing
It’s basically a digital version of chemistry, but without the risk of blowing up your kitchen. There is a deep, lizard-brain satisfaction in seeing a new icon pop up. It’s the same dopamine hit you get from a gacha game or a loot box, but it’s free and requires actual (sorta) creative thinking.
The UI is intentionally barebones. No tutorial. No "buy more energy" buttons. Just a white screen and a sidebar of elements. That minimalism is a breath of fresh air in a 2026 gaming landscape filled with battle passes and 100-hour open worlds. Sometimes you just want to see if you can make "God" out of "Dust" and "Electricity." (Spoiler: You can, and it's surprisingly easy if you take the right path through the "Universe" branch).
Common Misconceptions About the Recipes
A lot of players get frustrated because they follow a "recipe" they found on a subreddit and it doesn't work. Here is the thing: Infinite Craft is live. Neal updates the backend. The AI models get swapped or tweaked. What worked in February might result in something slightly different in June because the underlying LLM's "temperature" or prompt structure changed.
- Logic isn't always linear. Just because A+B = C, doesn't mean C-B = A. It’s one-way alchemy.
- The "First Discovery" rush. Many players think all the "cool" stuff is taken. Wrong. Because the AI can generate strings of text, you can find infinite variations of "Super Mario" or "Batman."
- It’s not just nouns. You can craft concepts, emotions, and even abstract eras of history.
If you’re stuck in a loop of "Mud" and "Swamp," you need to pivot. Stop trying to refine what you have and go for a "Big Bang" approach. Mix your most complex items together. The results will be messy, but that’s where the high-tier elements like "Multiverse" or "Time Travel" live.
The Cultural Impact of Neal.fun
Neal Agarwal has basically created a new genre: the "LLM-based Toy." Before this, AI in gaming was mostly about smarter NPCs or procedural terrain generation. Infinite Craft proved that the AI itself can be the gameplay mechanic. It’s a conversation between the player and a machine.
We’re seeing clones pop up everywhere, but they usually lack the charm. There’s a specific snappiness to the Infinite Craft UI—the way the icons bounce, the ease of clearing the board—that makes it feel more like a tool than a game. It’s been used by teachers to explain associations and by bored office workers to waste entire Friday afternoons. It's a rare piece of the internet that feels wholesome and weird at the same time.
Navigating the Late-Game Chaos
Once you have about 500 elements, the sidebar becomes a nightmare. You’ll spend more time scrolling than crafting. The search bar is your best friend here. Pro tip: try to organize your "base" materials like "Human," "Engine," and "Life" so you can quickly get back to them. Most of the complex stuff like "Iron Man" or "Internet" requires a "Human" or "Machine" base.
Honestly, the best part isn't even the crafting. It’s the community. People sharing screenshots of their most unhinged discoveries is what keeps the game viral. It’s a shared hallucination. When someone finds "Sharknado 5," we all collectively nod because, yeah, that makes sense in the world of Infinite Craft logic.
Actionable Tips for Crafting Success
If you want to actually get somewhere instead of just making "Steam" over and over, you have to be aggressive with your combinations.
Focus on the 'Human' element early. Getting to "Human" or "Adam" and "Eve" opens up the entire world of technology, religion, and pop culture. You usually get there through "Life," which often comes from "Earth" and "Primordial Soup" (or some variation of Water/Lightning/Earth).
Use the reset button. If your screen is cluttered with "Stone," "Cloud," and "Puddle," just wipe it. Your sidebar saves everything. Don't be afraid to clear the workspace to focus on one specific goal, like making "Harry Potter."
Don't ignore the elements that seem boring. "Paper" might seem useless compared to "Dragon," but "Paper" leads to "Book," which leads to "Library," which leads to "Knowledge," which is a gateway to "Philosophy" and "Science." These abstract concepts are the real heavy hitters in the late game.
To make progress, try combining your newest discovery with your oldest "base" elements. Dragging "Supernova" onto "Water" might give you something totally different than dragging it onto "Fire." Experimentation is the only way forward. There are no mistakes, just weird AI-generated dead ends that might eventually lead to a "First Discovery" if you're weird enough.
Start by aiming for "Life." Once you have that, the game truly begins. Mix "Life" with "Earth" or "Dust" and see how fast you can get to "Human." From there, the "Internet" and "Meme" categories are only a few clicks away.