How to build and optimize interactive games on Vercel with Next.js

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Hi everyone,

I’ve been exploring Vercel for deploying small interactive projects lately, especially browser-based games and lightweight apps, and overall the developer experience has been pretty smooth.

Recently, I started working on a word-based puzzle concept (inspired by games like letter-box style challenges), and I’m curious how others are handling similar builds on Vercel.

Key Challenges

  • Managing state efficiently on serverless functions
  • Handling real-time interactions (without overcomplicating things)
  • Optimizing performance for repeat users

I noticed this community is quite active in areas like Help, Showcase, and Discussions where people share projects and troubleshoot issues, so I thought this would be the perfect place to ask.

Questions for the Community

For those who have built or deployed interactive or game-like apps:

  • Did you stick fully with Vercel (API routes, edge functions, etc.), or combine it with other services?
  • Any tips for keeping things fast and scalable without increasing costs too much?
  • Would you recommend any specific stack with Next.js for this type of project?

Would love to hear your experiences or even see what you’ve built :raising_hands:

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I tend to add Upstash to most of my projects, basically everything benefits from a redis cache but they also have a nice realtime API which I’d recommend for live games

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