Question 1

True or false: PICO-8 was developed by Nintendo as a modern take on the Game Boy development environment.

Accepted Answer

False. PICO-8 was created by independent developer Joseph White (Lexaloffle), not Nintendo. It's a fantasy console, not an official Nintendo product.

Question 2

True or false: PICO-8's default palette has exactly 16 colors, and you cannot change them per cartridge.

Accepted Answer

True. PICO-8 uses a fixed 16-color palette globally. You can remap colors using the draw state, but the palette itself is permanent and shared across all cartridges.

Question 3

True or false: PICO-8 games are limited to 32 kilobytes of code, but can use up to 128 kilobytes for graphics.

Accepted Answer

True. PICO-8's code size is capped at 32KB, but cartridge data (sprites, maps, sound) can total 128KB, thanks to its compressed bank-switching system.

Question 4

True or false: PICO-8 was originally created as a tool to teach children how to code in Lua.

Accepted Answer

False. PICO-8 was built by Joseph White for game jams and retro enthusiasts, not specifically for kids. Its simplicity appeals to all ages, but that wasn't the primary goal.

Question 5

True or false: You can export PICO-8 games as standalone HTML files that run in any browser.

Accepted Answer

False. PICO-8 exports HTML, but it requires the PICO-8 JavaScript player to run, which is not allowed for distribution without a license. Most exported games need the PICO-8 app or a special embed.

Question 6

True or false: PICO-8 can play music composed in a tracker, but only in 4-channel chiptune format with no samples.

Accepted Answer

True. PICO-8's sound engine uses 4 channels (square, noise, etc.) and lacks sample playback. All music is synthesized live, similar to classic NES-style audio.

Question 7

True or false: PICO-8 cartridges can be shared as PNG images that contain the game data hidden in the pixels.

Accepted Answer

False. PICO-8 cartridges are stored as PNG files, but the game data is encoded directly into the image pixels, not hidden—it's a visual representation of the code and assets.

Question 8

True or false: PICO-8 supports saving game progress to a tiny built-in battery-backed RAM of just 64 bytes.

Accepted Answer

True. PICO-8 has 64 bytes of persistent storage (persist) that survives cartridge reloads, perfect for high scores or basic save data, but far smaller than most expect.

PICO-8 Trivia Questions