ChatGPT Spot the Difference Prompt: Make Your Own AI Generated Puzzle Game

Remember those spot the difference puzzles from kids' magazines? The ones where you'd spend way too long comparing two nearly identical images, trying to find where the artist sneakily removed a button or flipped a hat?

Well, turns out you can make these yourself now with ChatGPT.

No design skills required. No Photoshop subscription gathering digital dust on your credit card statement. Just some clever prompting and about 3 minutes of your time.

I've been playing with this for a few weeks, and it's ridiculously fun. Let me show you how to do it.

In This Article

• 🧰 What You'll Need
• 🛠️ The Simplest Prompt (Just to Get You Started)
• 🧩 The Ultimate Spot-the-Difference Prompt Template
• 🎯 Difficulty Levels Explained
• 🔥 6 Real Examples You Can Copy and Use
• 🎨 Tips for Better Spot-the-Difference Puzzles
• 🧼 Common Problems & Easy Fixes
• 🧠 Why This Is Worth Doing
• 🤖 Wrapping Up Making Spot the Difference Puzzles With ChatGPT

🧰 What You'll Need

• A ChatGPT account with the new image generation (GPT-4o or later)
• About 2-5 minutes
• An idea or theme (optional but fun)
• That's it. Seriously.

No design tools. No special software. No artistic ability whatsoever. (Trust me, I've got the drawing skills of a caffeinated toddler.)

🛠️ The Simplest Prompt (Just to Get You Started)

If you want to test this out in literally 2 seconds, here's the absolute minimum prompt that works:

Make me a spot the difference image with two scenes side by side, make [X] differences.

That's it. ChatGPT will generate a wide image with two nearly identical scenes and hide a few differences between them.

Is it perfect? Nope. Is it still kind of amazing? Absolutely.

What you'll get with this basic prompt:

• A wide image with two scenes that look mostly the same
• A few easy-to-spot visual changes
• Random theme (whatever the AI feels like making)
• Decent but not mind-blowing quality

It's like ordering "coffee" without specifying anything else. You'll get caffeine, but maybe not exactly how you like it.

🧩 The Ultimate Spot-the-Difference Prompt Template

After much trial and error (and some truly bizarre results), I've developed a template that gives you much more control. This is for when you want to create puzzles with:

• Custom themes (robot playground? alien bakery? SEO command center?)
• Specific visual styles (cartoon, pixel art, realistic)
• Control over difficulty level
• Consistent, high-quality results

Here's the full template:

Make me a spot-the-difference image puzzle with two scenes side by side in a wide image, both scenes look the same at first glance. The scenes MUST be nearly identical with the same layout and visual elements, BUT with a specific number of subtle differences between them. NO text or labels.

**Theme:** [Insert concept, ex: "a robot playground", "a futuristic cafe", "an alien lab"]  
**Style:** [Insert visual style, ex: cartoon, clean sci-fi, hand-drawn, retro pixel art]  
**Key Elements to Include:** [List 4-6 main objects, characters, or features that should appear in both images. Keep each item short and specific: ex: robot, swing, coffee cup, chair, sign, laptop]  
**Difficulty:** [Easy, Medium, Hard]  
**Layout:** wide horizontal image split evenly 50/50 down the middle. Both left and right scenes should be centered within their half and framed identically. ***IMPORTANT: Each scene MUST be 768 x 1024 pixels***.

*IMPORTANT:* When considering the types of differences, think about object removed, color changed, large object swapped, accessory added/removed, etc. Match the changes to the difficulty level. The differences should be subtle and take some effort to discover, tailor them to the difficulty.

(I know this looks long, but it's mostly just filling in blanks. Trust me, it's worth the extra 30 seconds.)

🎯 Difficulty Levels Explained

The difficulty setting is probably the most important part of your prompt. Here's what each level actually means:

Easy

• Big, obvious differences
• Missing items, bold color swaps
• Perfect for kids or casual games
• "Where did the hat go?" level of challenge

Medium

• Moderate changes that require some attention
• Object swaps, small item moves, minor detail edits
• Good for puzzles with more visual depth
• "Wait, is that cup different?" level of challenge

Hard

• Very subtle differences that make you squint
• Shadow direction, small pattern changes, expressions, object angles
• Perfect for adult puzzle books or brain teasers
• "I've been staring at this for 10 minutes" level of challenge

🔥 6 Real Examples You Can Copy and Use

Here are some fully written prompts using the template. I've created two for each difficulty level:

🟢 EASY

1. AI Pet Grooming Spa

Make me a spot-the-difference image puzzle with two scenes side by side in a wide image, both scenes look the same at first glance. The scenes MUST be nearly identical with the same layout and visual elements, BUT with a specific number of subtle differences between them. NO text or labels.

**Theme:** A futuristic AI pet grooming spa  
**Style:** Cute cartoon with soft colors  
**Key Elements to Include:** robotic dog, bubble tub, grooming arm, hairdryer unit, grooming table, wall shelf  
**Difficulty:** Easy  
**Layout:** wide horizontal image split evenly 50/50 down the middle. Both left and right scenes should be centered within their half and framed identically. ***IMPORTANT: Each scene MUST be 768 x 1024 pixels***.

*IMPORTANT:* When considering the types of differences, think about object removed, color changed, large object swapped, accessory added/removed, etc. Match the changes to the difficulty level. The differences should be subtle and take some effort to discover, tailor them to the difficulty.

2. A Robot Playground

Make me a spot-the-difference image puzzle with two scenes side by side in a wide image, both scenes look the same at first glance. The scenes MUST be nearly identical with the same layout and visual elements, BUT with a specific number of subtle differences between them. NO text or labels.

Theme: A robot playground  
Style: black and white doodle  
Key Elements to Include: robot child, slide, swing set, toy drone, sandbox, tree  
Difficulty: Easy  
Layout: wide horizontal image split evenly 50/50 down the middle. Both left and right scenes should be centered within their half and framed identically. ***IMPORTANT: Each scene MUST be 768 x 1024 pixels***.

*IMPORTANT*: When considering the types of differences consider things like object removed, color changed, large object swapped, accessory added/removed, etc. Match the changes to the difficulty level. The differences should be subtle and take some effort to discover, tailor them to the difficulty.

🟡 MEDIUM

3. Cozy AI Coffee Shop

[Same template intro]

**Theme:** A cozy AI-run coffee shop  
**Style:** Hand-drawn cartoon with warm tones  
**Key Elements to Include:** robot barista, chalkboard menu, plant pot, coffee cup, table, laptop  
**Difficulty:** Medium  

[Same layout and important notes]

4. Techy Pet Playground

[Same template intro]

**Theme:** A high-tech indoor pet playground  
**Style:** Retro pixel art  
**Key Elements to Include:** climbing ramp, robot pet, treat dispenser, bouncing ball, toy box, camera  
**Difficulty:** Medium  

[Same layout and important notes]

🔴 HARD

5. Music Studio Control Room

[Same template intro]

**Theme:** A music studio control room  
**Style:** Realistic digital painting  
**Key Elements to Include:** audio mixer, speaker wall, neon light strip, guitar on stand, chair, coffee cup  
**Difficulty:** Hard  

[Same layout and important notes]

6. Spaceport Lounge

[Same template intro]

**Theme:** A futuristic spaceport waiting lounge  
**Style:** Clean sci-fi with chrome and glowing lights  
**Key Elements to Include:** departure board, alien passenger, luggage robot, glass wall, bench, vending pod  
**Difficulty:** Hard  

[Same layout and important notes]

🎨 Tips for Better Spot-the-Difference Puzzles

After making about 50 of these (don't judge me, it's addictive), I've learned a few tricks:

• Keep object names short and specific. "Bubble bath" works better as separate "bubbles" and "tub."
• Don't overload your prompt. Stick to 4-6 elements for best control.
• Repeat layout phrasing exactly. The "50/50 split, 768x1024" part keeps the output clean.
• Pick a style that matches your audience. Kids? Go cartoon. Adults? Try pixel art or painterly.
• Preview and iterate. If it looks too different or unbalanced, tweak one thing at a time (difficulty, number of elements, style).

🧼 Common Problems & Easy Fixes

Problem	Fix
Scenes look way too different	Repeat: "same layout, same perspective, nearly identical"
One side is larger	Add: "each scene MUST be 768x1024 pixels"
Too easy or too hard	Adjust the difficulty line or number of elements
Missing objects	Be more explicit in the "Key Elements" section
Looks messy or cluttered	Use simpler themes, reduce object count, try cartoon or flat style

The most common issue I've run into is when ChatGPT gets a bit too creative and makes the scenes wildly different. Just remind it firmly that you want "nearly identical scenes with subtle differences" and regenerate.

🧠 Why This Is Worth Doing

Besides being stupidly fun (I may have spent an entire Saturday making these), there are some practical uses:

• Fun project idea for creators, educators, parents, puzzle fans
• Easy prompt engineering practice, you'll get better at prompting fast
• Endless replay value: new scene, new vibe, new challenge

You could even turn these into:

• A printable puzzle book
• A classroom warm-up
• An Instagram or TikTok series
• A party game with friends
• A weekly email brain teaser

I've been using them as warm-up exercises for my team meetings. Nothing breaks the ice like adults squinting at their screens trying to find where I hid the difference in a pixel art taco stand. (The salsa changed color. They never see it coming.)

🤖 Wrapping Up Making Spot the Difference Puzzles With ChatGPT

The best part about this whole thing is how accessible it makes puzzle creation. Before AI, making a good spot-the-difference puzzle required actual artistic skill and painstaking editing. Now you can generate custom puzzles in minutes.

So go ahead, make a puzzle set in your office with your coworkers as cartoon characters. Create a series based on your favorite hobby. Challenge your friends with increasingly difficult scenes.

And if you make something cool, let me know! I'm collecting these like digital trading cards at this point.

(Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go make a spot-the-difference puzzle of a spot-the-difference puzzle. We need to go deeper.)