Simple Start Menu
A downloadable asset pack for Windows
Quick Start Screen for GameMaker Studio 2
You're working on a game jam project. The clock is ticking. You need a working menu. Fast.
Or maybe you're prototyping a new game idea and you just want to get to the fun part without spending hours on menu buttons.
This is for you.
What This Does
This gives you a complete start screen menu in minutes. Three buttons: Play, Options, and Quit. Background music that plays while you navigate menus. Hover effects and click sounds that make it feel polished.
Everything works right out of the box. No complicated setup. No confusing dependencies. Just import the objects, add your sounds, and you're done.
Why This Exists
I've been there. Game jam starts. You have 48 hours to make something playable. You spend the first three hours fighting with menu code that should take twenty minutes.
This fixes that problem.
Copy the objects into your project. Follow the straightforward setup guide. Ten minutes later you have a working menu and you can get back to building your actual game.
What You Get
Eight pre-made objects that handle everything. Button hover detection, click detection, sound effects, music management, and room transitions. All the code is clean, commented, and easy to read.
The system uses simple parent-child relationships so you can customize it without breaking anything. Change the colors. Adjust the sizes. Add more buttons. It's flexible enough to match your game's style but simple enough that you won't get lost in the code.
Perfect For
Game jams where time matters. Prototypes where you need something functional fast. Learning projects where you want to understand how menu systems work. Any situation where you need a working start screen without the headache.
This isn't trying to be fancy. It's trying to save you time so you can focus on what makes your game unique instead of reinventing the wheel for the hundredth time.
How It Works
Import the objects. Set up three rooms. Add your sound files. Place two controller objects in your menu rooms. Test it. Done.
The included guide walks you through every step. Even if you're new to GameMaker, you can get this running. The code is written in plain English with explanations for what each part does.
What Makes This Different
Most menu systems are either too simple to be useful or too complicated to understand. This sits right in the middle. It's complete enough to actually use in a real project but straightforward enough that you can read through the code and understand what's happening.
No external dependencies. No fancy frameworks. Just solid, working GameMaker code that does exactly what it needs to do.
Free to Use
Take it. Modify it. Use it in commercial projects. No credit required. I made this because I kept rewriting the same menu code for every project and figured other people probably had the same problem.
If this saves you even an hour of work during a game jam, it was worth making.
Download
Install instructions
Download & Install Instructions
What You're Downloading
A complete start screen menu system for GameMaker Studio 2. This is not a playable game, but a collection of objects and documentation that you will import into your own GameMaker project.
Requirements
GameMaker Studio 2 (any version)
An existing GameMaker project or a new blank project
Three sound files for menu music, button hover, and button click sounds
Installation Steps
Step 1: Extract the Files
Download the ZIP file
Right-click the ZIP file and select Extract All
Choose a location on your computer
Open the extracted folder
Step 2: Read the Documentation
Before importing, read the included files:
README.txt for a quick overview
SETUP_GUIDE.txt for complete instructions
CUSTOMIZATION.txt for tips on making it your own
Step 3: Import into GameMaker
If you downloaded the .yymps package file:
Open your GameMaker Studio 2 project
Go to Tools menu and select Import Local Package
Navigate to the downloaded .yymps file
Select all objects in the import window
Click Add All
Click Import
If you downloaded individual object files:
Open your GameMaker Studio 2 project
Open the Objects folder from the downloaded files
Drag all 8 object files into your GameMaker Asset Browser
GameMaker will automatically import them
Step 4: Add Your Sounds
The system requires three sounds. Import your own or use placeholder sounds:
In GameMaker, right-click Sounds and select Create Sound
Import your audio files
Name them exactly as follows:
snd_menu_music
snd_menu_move
snd_menu_click
Step 5: Create Your Rooms
Create three rooms in your project:
Right-click Rooms and select Create Room
Create and name these rooms:
rm_start_screen
rm_options_screen
rm_game
Make sure rm_start_screen is at the top of your room list
Step 6: Set Up the Rooms
In rm_start_screen:
Place one instance of obj_start_screen anywhere in the room
In rm_options_screen:
Place one instance of obj_options_screen_controller anywhere in the room
In rm_game:
This is your actual game room, set it up however you want
Step 7: Test Your Menu
Press F5 or click the Run button
Your start screen should appear with three buttons
Test all buttons to make sure they work
Check that music plays and sounds trigger on hover and click
Troubleshooting
Buttons don't appear:
Make sure you placed the controller objects in the rooms
Check that your layer is named "Instances" or update the code with your layer name
Music doesn't play:
Make sure your sound files are named correctly
Check that snd_menu_music is imported
Buttons don't work:
Verify that all button objects have obj_button_parent set as their parent
Check that each button has a User Event 0
Errors when running:
Make sure all three rooms exist and are named correctly
Check that all 8 objects were imported successfully
Next Steps
Once everything is working, read CUSTOMIZATION.txt to learn how to change colors, sizes, spacing, and add your own style to the menu system.
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