Creating tutorial levels (Tutorial) for games

Players Leave Without Understanding the Rules: Creating Tutorial Levels

The first minutes in a game decide the fate of the entire project. A newcomer opens the app, doesn't understand where to tap or why, and leaves — before even seeing the bosses, story, rare mechanics, and everything the team spent months working on.

Early churn is the most expensive loss: you pay for acquisition, and the player disappears on the second screen.

The problem is usually not in the game itself, but in the presentation. Onboarding newcomers in a game is often done on a leftover principle: a tooltip, a wall of text, a "skip" button. The player doesn't get experience — they get an instruction and don't remember a single rule.

Creating tutorial levels is a separate discipline. We design the first game experience so that a person masters the rules through action: reaches the right solution themselves, safely tries and makes mistakes, and at the end feels they already know how to play. No lectures — only moments where skill is born naturally.

The result is visible in the metrics that matter to the business: new player retention grows, the share of those who complete the first session to the end increases, and support stops answering the same questions. The player reaches the main content and the end of the path, rather than quitting at the start.

We cover the task end-to-end: we look at exactly where newcomers get lost and build onboarding for your genre and your audience. You get not random tips, but a structured path from first touch to confident player.

What a Project Gets from Thoughtful Onboarding

Thoughtful onboarding is not a "textbook" at the start of the game, but a working tool that directly affects the project's result.

A newcomer who understands the rules in the first minutes stays and returns; the one who didn't figure it out leaves silently and doesn't tell the team. Tutorial levels close this fork in favor of the product.

• Completion of the first levels grows. The player reaches the essence — the mechanics they came for — rather than quitting on the second screen.
• Early churn decreases. First sessions stop being a "survival test," and the share of those returning on day two grows.
• Player engagement is higher. Clear rules give freedom to experiment — more time in the game and more reasons to invite friends.
• New player retention becomes manageable. You can see exactly where people get lost, and that spot is fixed precisely, based on behavior data.
• Support and updates don't slow the project down. Fewer repetitive questions from players and fewer "on-the-fly" edits when releasing new content.

This is not a one-off job but an investment in the project's economics: as in Angry Birds, where the first level explains the mechanic without a single word, onboarding is embedded into the game rather than glued on top.

We test the scenario on real newcomers before launch — the client gets a predictable start instead of hoping for luck.

Tutorial Level Formats for the Project's Task

A tutorial level is the first thing a player encounters, and it is these minutes that determine whether they stay in the project or close it on the second scene.

We select the onboarding format for the task: genre, audience, complexity of mechanics, and what habit is important to reinforce in the player from the first minutes.

Below are four working formats. In practice they are often combined: embedded onboarding at the start, a separate training mode for complex mechanics, short tips — when the player reaches something new.

We combine formats for the project's task and test them on real newcomers: onboarding should not slow down experienced players and should not lose newcomers.

Then it is easy to expand — when new mechanics appear in the game, a separate level or tip is added for them, without redoing the entire intro.

How the Work Goes: From Brief to Onboarding Launch

A tutorial level is the first thing a new player sees, and whether the person stays in the game or closes it on the second minute depends on it. That's why we run the project in stages: at every step you see the result and influence it before launch, not after. Below is the path from the first conversation to refinements based on the first measurements.

1. Brief and goals. We analyze what the level should teach, who your newcomers are, and what actions they will master by the end. We agree on which metrics we will use to consider onboarding successful.
2. Onboarding plan. We build the sequence of steps and tips so that the player learns through actions rather than reading instructions. We agree on what we show immediately and what we reveal as the game progresses.
3. Mockup approval. We show the scenario and on-screen tips on wireframes. Edits at this stage take minutes; in a finished game, weeks — so we get an unambiguous "yes" before assembly begins.
4. Implementation. We assemble the level and check that onboarding doesn't break under non-standard actions: the player skipped a step, went back, tries again.
5. Testing on newcomers. We give the level to people unfamiliar with your game and see where they stumble. We fix weak spots before launch, not after complaints.
6. Launch and first measurements. We release onboarding into the game and look at real numbers: how many players reach the end, where they drop off. This is the basis for the next round of refinements.
7. Post-launch support. We stay in touch: refine tips, add steps for new mechanics, adjust based on measurements.

Timelines for creating levels depend on scope: a short onboarding sequence takes weeks, a branching scenario with several roles — from a month. We agree on the schedule before start.

What's Included in the Delivery Along with Onboarding

Tutorial levels are not just a "first level with tips." The delivery includes everything needed for a newcomer to reach the main content, and for your team to develop onboarding further without us.

We agree on the package before work starts so that you can see in advance what you will receive and in what form.

• Ready tutorial levels embedded in the game and tested on real newcomers, not just the team.
• Completion scheme: what the player learns at each step, where they are given freedom, and where they are supported.
• Texts, tips, and lines — in the tone of your world, without didacticism that scares players away.
• Materials for your team: description of level logic, editing rules, and places where it is easy to break something.
• Project handover: a walkthrough with your team and answers to questions so that you continue the work independently.
• Post-launch refinement plan: which metrics to watch in the first weeks and what to change first.

We hand over materials with an explanation of logic, not just a set of files — so that your specialist can make edits, not only us.

We plan post-launch refinements as a separate stage: we look at where players get stuck or quit the game and change onboarding based on actual behavior, not guesses.

Case: Onboarding Raised First-Level Completion

A mobile strategy team, Severny Rubezh, came to us with a typical complaint: players download the game, complete the first level, and never return. Onboarding was long — text windows, untimely tips, mechanics explained before the person understood the goal. The newcomer closed the game before they could feel interest.

We started with analysis: we watched gameplay session recordings and compared them with onboarding steps to find the points where people stop. It turned out that the game's strongest opportunities opened only at the fifth level, while the first minutes were occupied by theory.

What We Changed in Onboarding

Tutorial levels were rewritten as short steps, where each explanation is immediately reinforced by action: first one clear task, then a combination of two, then freedom of choice. Tips began appearing at the moment when the player actually needs help, not in advance.

The key mechanic was moved into the very first scene so that interest appears in the first minutes, not after a long intro.

What It Gave by the Update Launch

Newcomer engagement metrics grew across all key funnel points:

• first-level completion rose from 41% to 68%;
• the share of players reaching the third level almost doubled;
• average newcomer session length increased by a third;
• support requests phrased "didn't understand what to do" dropped by almost half;
• day-two returns after install grew from 22% to 34%.

The results of newcomer onboarding proved stable: metrics held even months after launch, without additional edits. The client returned with a new task — to rework onboarding in the second game and tips in the combat system.

We now use this onboarding development case as a benchmark: first we find exactly where the player gets lost, and only then do we write levels.

What If We Have a Non-Standard Project or Our Own Requirements?

Non-standard projects in games don't exist except for those who make a copy of a copy. Unique mechanics, your own rules, your own view of how the player should learn — this is a working situation, not an exception, and we adapt to it, not the other way around.

Onboarding for your own mechanic starts with analysis: we study your rules, try the prototype, and find the actions without which the player won't move further. It is around them that we build the presentation — without unnecessary tips and explaining what is already clear.

We have no rigid format. Onboarding can be embedded directly into the narrative, moved into a separate introductory level, broken into short tasks, or hinted during gameplay — we choose what suits your audience and genre.

If part of the game is already ready, we work with existing levels: we embed onboarding into the existing logic without breaking balance or redoing what already works.

Sometimes it is enough to rebuild the order of presentation so that the player stops getting lost in the first steps.

As a result, you get onboarding that speaks to the player in your game's language: they understand the essence in the first minutes rather than abandoning it at the start.

This reduces early-session churn and increases the chance that the player reaches the mechanics for which everything was made. Describe the task — we'll come back with an estimate and plan.

Common Client Doubts Before Starting

Doubts before starting are normal: onboarding is seen by everyone who launches the game, and a mistake here is more noticeable than on any other screen. Below are the questions clients ask most often, and we answer them directly — without general words.

Won't it turn into a boring instruction that everyone skips?

Our task is not to explain the rules, but to guide a person through them so that they don't notice it. Completion of the first minutes grows, and with it the share of those who reach the main content rather than leaving at the start.

How long will it take and what do you need from our team?

From you — an understanding of what product you are making and why the player should stay in the first minutes. That's enough to start.

Then we take on the scenario, presentation, and assembly, and we show intermediate versions — you see how onboarding looks before final delivery.

Will there be many edits and refinements?

Edits are part of the work, not a separate service you have to beg for. We collect feedback along the way rather than saving it for the end, so by launch you get a finished level, not a list of unresolved questions.

Let's Discuss the Task and Come Back with an Onboarding Plan

Tell us about the task — game genre, who your audience is, how a newcomer's first session currently goes, and what you don't like about it.

We will analyze where players get lost, quit the game, or write to support, and come back with an onboarding plan for the specific project: what to teach, in what order, and at which moments of the game.

After the conversation, you'll have a clear picture, not general words. You'll see guidance on timelines and scope of work and make a decision to start the project based on concrete inputs.

• Analysis of current onboarding: at which step newcomers leave and what stops them.
• Onboarding plan for the project: sequence of skills and moments when to present them.
• Scope of work and roles: what we do, what is required from your team, where your edits are.
• Timeline guidance: how many stages and when the first playable level will appear.
• Scenario of the first minutes of the game with points where we hold the player's interest.
• Result metrics: share reaching the end of onboarding, reduced support load.
• Next step: what we start with and what is needed from you to launch the work.

Describe the task in two or three paragraphs or a short message — that's enough for us to come back with an onboarding plan and timeline estimate. Then you decide whether to start the project or postpone it.