Parents' Guide to CodeCombat

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Common Sense Media Review

By David Thomas , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 14+

Defeat enemies with your newly learned programming skills.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 14+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

age 9+

Based on 3 parent reviews

age 9+

Based on 2 kid reviews

Privacy Rating Warning

  • Personal information is not sold or rented to third parties.
  • Unclear whether personal information are shared for third-party marketing.
  • Personalised advertising is not displayed.
  • Data are collected by third-parties for their own purposes.
  • Unclear whether this product uses a user's information to track and target advertisements on other third-party websites or services.
  • Data profiles are created and used for personalised advertisements.

What's It About?

Set in a medieval land of knights, ogres, wizards, and warriors, CODECOMBAT skips most of the mythical narrative to get right to the task at hand: defeating your opponent. Players write short JavaScript, Python, or other featured programs that instruct characters on where to walk, what to do, and when to fight. Learning to code new behaviors makes the player more effective, whereas simply writing scripts that send warriors screaming into battle usually ends up in a messy loss.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say ( 3 ):
Kids say ( 2 ):

At its best, this programming game integrates JavaScript, Python, and other coding so effortlessly that players will be programming before they know it. CodeCombat will motivate kids to want to learn more about computer programming, but it also focuses on writing programs. Without some additional support and training, don't expect to take your CodeCombat programming skills and create the next hit iPhone app. The important principles of coding and the syntax of the various included programming languages are an important first step in leading the life of a coder. And this is where CodeCombat excels.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how programmers create the behavior of characters in video games such as CodeCombat. Do you think it's easy to create unique traits for characters in games? How easy would it be to change these characteristics once you learn how to program?

  • How does solving a problem, such as beating a game level, force you to approach it in separate parts? Can this apply to every problem, or are there some problems that can't be broken into pieces?

  • The game includes multiple languages you can learn. Why learn one language over another? What is similar or different about the various program languages included in the game?

Website Details

  • Subjects : Arts : playing , Hobbies : building
  • Skills : Thinking & Reasoning : applying information , asking questions , decision-making , defining problems , hypothesis-testing , logic , problem solving , solving puzzles , strategy , thinking critically , Creativity : combining knowledge , Self-Direction : achieving goals , Emotional Development : persevering , Tech Skills : digital creation , using and applying technology
  • Genre : Educational
  • Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Adventures
  • Pricing structure : Free to try (30-day trial then it's $99 per year for self-paced learning, or $219 per month for weekly private classes or $399 per month for twice weekly.)
  • Last updated : October 1, 2025

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by

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