Imagine walking through Prague, with every street offering a new puzzle and an intriguing story about the city. That’s the concept behind Playing Prague, a mobile game developed by Ing. Ondřej Paška, a graduate of the Faculty of Information Technology at the Czech Technical University in Prague (FIT CTU), together with the game studio Charles Games. The game blends entertainment, education, and city exploration, and is designed both for tourists and for locals seeking new experiences.
Players rebuild the city using cards featuring ancient symbols from Prague’s historical house signs. By arranging the cards correctly, they can uncover iconic landmarks in each level—such as Charles Bridge, the Prague Astronomical Clock, or the Petřín Lookout Tower. Along the way, they may encounter Kafka, Einstein, Mozart, and other figures whose lives are tied to Prague.
“The Prague City Tourism agency approached us with an offer to collaborate. They had seen our previous joint projects with Charles Games, such as a game adaptation of Franz Kafka’s work, and wanted to promote the beauty of Prague in a similar way,” Paška explains. “We chose a simple logic game that anyone can play, yet one that can also challenge experienced players,” he adds.
Across six levels, players can gradually build iconic Prague landmarks—for example, the Old Town Hall, the towers of Charles Bridge, or the Petřín funicular—while also discovering the stories of famous figures connected to these buildings and to the capital city.
“In each level there is one major landmark that players can unlock. They can also unlock one or two historical figures per level. We carefully selected the landmarks and personalities in collaboration with Prague City Tourism. Players can read short stories about the landmarks and characters and learn various interesting facts,” says Paška.
The game received the prestigious CEEGA award for Best Mobile Game of 2025.
“It’s a great honor and also a surprise. The award has strongly motivated us to continue developing the game. I assume the jury appreciated the quality of the design and the absence of ads,” Paška states.
“Without the technical foundation from software engineering at FIT CTU, this would not have been possible. My studies gave me context and the ability to estimate the complexity of a project and its hardware requirements. Thanks to that, we can focus on player experience and added value,” explains Paška, who has been creating simple video games in his free time since elementary school.
The game now offers a winter update featuring new levels, snowfall, and translations into seven additional languages—besides Czech, English, and German, also Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Korean, and Japanese. Further expansions are planned for 2026.
“Exactly which landmarks will be added remains a secret,” Paška adds.
“The game industry offers diverse work and the chance to meet many inspiring people. I recommend that students start with small projects, try game jams, and get involved in the Prague developer community, which is open to new talent,” Paška encourages current students.
