How to Make the AI Game Menu Video (The 'Main Character Loading Screen' Trend)

What You're Trying to Make

You've seen them: someone's selfie turned into the title screen of a AAA video game that doesn't exist — their stylized character standing center-frame, a game logo up top, ▶ PRESS START blinking, a loading bar creeping across the bottom. The best ones animate: the character does a slow, confident turn toward the camera like an idle character-select screen, smoke or embers drifting, the menu humming.

This guide walks through how to make one yourself — what photo to use, which art style to pick, exactly what to prompt, which AI tools to use, and how to keep the UI text from turning to gibberish. By the end you'll have a repeatable workflow.

Where This Came From

The game-menu trend grew out of the broader "turn yourself into a video game" wave on TikTok and Reels. Creators started generating cinematic loading screens and main menus — first as static images (inspired heavily by survival-horror menus like Resident Evil), then as short animated reveals. Tools like Media.io shipped dedicated "game loading screen" generators, and "how to make a video game main menu AI trend" became a recurring search. The styles that travel best: GTA-style crime art, dark-fantasy RPG, cyberpunk, survival horror, military shooter, and anime.

The Fastest Way — Use the Game Menu Templates on Starrd

Two Game Menu templates are live in the Starrd library, each gender-adaptive (it styles a male or female hero to match your photo). Both take one photo and return a 9:16 main menu with a slow character turn — no prompt writing, no UI wrangling.

1. Pick a clear face photo. One person, front or three-quarter view, eyes open, good lighting.
2. Open Most Wanted (crime) or Chosen One (fantasy) in the Starrd app or web library.
3. Upload and tap generate. The template stylizes you into the art style, builds the menu screen, and animates the slow idle turn on Seedance 2.0.

The rest of this guide is for people who want to roll their own — a different art style, a custom game title, or a different model.

Or, Build It Yourself — What You Need

1. A clear face photo of one person (front or three-quarter, eyes open, no sunglasses).
2. An image model that renders legible UI text — Nano Banana Pro, ChatGPT, or Gemini.
3. A video model that accepts a reference image — Seedance 2.0, Kling, Runway, or Veo — for the animated version.

Step 1 — Pick Your Reference Photo

The photo decides the face on the loading screen. Use a clear, well-lit, front or three-quarter shot of one person, eyes open, minimal filtering, no sunglasses. Avoid group photos and low-res images — the model has to stylize your real face into the art style, so detail matters.

Step 2 — Pick a Game Art Style

This drives everything. The strongest styles right now:

• GTA-style crime — bold cel-shaded comic illustration, sun-soaked city, palm trees, a sports car. Swagger energy.
• Dark-fantasy RPG — painterly concept art, ornate gold UI, embers and god-rays, a warrior or sorceress hero.
• Cyberpunk — neon, rain, glitch, holographic HUD.
• Survival horror — dark, film grain, ominous red UI (the Resident Evil look).
• Military shooter / post-apocalyptic / anime — pick the one that matches the vibe you want.

Lock one before you prompt. Mixing styles ("cyberpunk fantasy western") muddies the output.

Step 3 — Write the Prompt

Two parts: the menu image, then the animation. Get the image right first — that's where the UI text renders cleanly.

Vertical 9:16 video-game MAIN MENU / loading screen, [ART STYLE — e.g. bold cel-shaded GTA crime cover art / painterly dark-fantasy concept art]. NOT photorealistic.
A [stylized hero description — your character in the genre costume], standing center-frame in a confident hero pose, [environment behind — e.g. sun-soaked city skyline / ruined cathedral with embers], dramatic key light.
UI (sharp, legible, correctly spelled, [HUD style — modern white/neon / ornate gold serif]):

Top: a bold game title logo "[GAME TITLE — 1-2 words]".
A highlighted "▶ PRESS START", then "CONTINUE", "OPTIONS".
A thin loading bar at ~70% with "LOADING 70%".
A short tip line and a tiny "v1.0".
Cinematic game cover-art quality. No watermarks.

Then animate it — but the key is to feed the video model a character reference sheet (your hero from front, three-quarter, and side) rather than the flat menu, so it can actually turn the character:

A LIVE, idle game main menu, vertical 9:16, [art style]. The hero stands centered and performs ONE slow, subtle turn on the spot — settling to face the camera. No walking, no big action, stays centered.
Overlay the menu UI (title, ▶ PRESS START, two items, loading bar) and keep ALL text STATIC and legible.
[0-3s] Hero begins a slow turn from a 3/4 angle. Ambient particles drift, PRESS START pulses, slow push-in.
[3-6s] Hero continues turning, cloth/hair drift, loading bar creeps up.
[6-9s] Hero settles facing camera, title logo shimmers.
[9-12s] Hero holds a confident look. Loading bar nears full. Hold.
Audio: faint looping menu-theme pad + ambient atmosphere + soft UI blip. Subtle motion only — no cuts, no fast spin. Generate audio.

The non-negotiables:

• Character reference sheet, not a flat menu — a 2D menu image has nothing to rotate, so you'll only get a static parallax. Multiple angles let the model turn the character.
• Slow, subtle turn — idle character-select energy, not a dramatic spin or action.
• Short, static UI text — a 1-2 word title plus PRESS START plus two items. The more text, the more an AI video model garbles it.

Step 4 — Pick Your Models

• Image: Nano Banana Pro (what Starrd uses) renders UI text crisply. ChatGPT/Gemini also work.
• Animation: Seedance 2.0 is the safest for keeping UI static while doing the subtle character turn. Kling is strong for character motion; Runway and Veo work with extra "subtle, no cuts" prompting.

(See our Seedance vs Kling vs Veo breakdown.)

Step 5 — Generate and Iterate

Common failures and fixes:

The character doesn't move (static menu). You animated a flat image. Use a character sheet (multiple angles) as the reference instead.

The UI text is garbled. Cut the text down — fewer menu items, a 1-2 word title. Render the image first, then animate only subtle motion so the text stays put.

The turn is too dramatic / it spins or walks off. Add: "ONE slow subtle turn on the spot, settles facing camera, no walking, no fast spin, stays centered."

The face doesn't look like you. Use a clearer front-facing reference photo.

Budget 3-5 generations. If you're way past that, your prompt has probably drifted toward "cinematic action" — pull it back to "idle menu."

Step 6 — Post It

• Caption it like a real game drop — "if [your name] was a video game 🎮" or "they really made me the main character." Hooks beat "made with AI" framing (still add the required AI label).
• Keep it 9:16 — the menu is built vertical for TikTok/Reels.
• Don't over-edit — no extra text overlays. The clean game-menu look is the whole effect.

Common Mistakes That Tank Your Video

1. Flat reference → no character motion. Use a character sheet.
2. Too much UI text. Garble city. Keep it minimal.
3. An epic, fast spin. Reads as AI slop. Slow and subtle wins.
4. Mixed art styles. Pick one and commit.
5. A messy reference photo. Sunglasses, group shots, low res all hurt the stylized face.

Window of Opportunity

The "turn yourself into a video game" wave is broad and still going, and the menu/loading-screen format is one of the most shareable cuts of it. If you want one without the prompt work, the two Game Menu templates above are this exact workflow in one tap.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I make the AI game menu video? Pick a clear face photo, choose a game art style (GTA crime, dark-fantasy RPG, cyberpunk, survival horror), generate a stylized character of yourself, compose it into a main-menu screen with a title logo and PRESS START UI, then animate a slow subtle turn. Or use the Starrd Game Menu templates (Most Wanted, Chosen One) to do it in one tap.

What is the game menu / main character loading screen trend? A viral trend that turns a selfie into the title screen, main menu, or loading screen of a AAA game that doesn't exist — your stylized character with a game logo, PRESS START, and a loading bar, then a short animated reveal with a slow idle character turn.

What's the best AI tool for it? Two steps: Nano Banana Pro or ChatGPT/Gemini for the menu image and legible UI text, then Seedance 2.0 or Kling for the slow character turn. Starrd chains both.

Why is my menu static / why doesn't the character move? You animated a flat 2D menu image. Feed the video model a character reference sheet (multiple angles) so it can actually rotate the character.

What photo should I use? A clear, well-lit photo of one person, front or three-quarter view, eyes open, no sunglasses or heavy filters.

How do I keep the UI text from garbling? Keep it short — a 1-2 word title, PRESS START, two menu items, a loading bar. Render the image first, then animate only subtle motion so the text stays static.

Do I need to disclose it's AI? Yes — comply with each platform's AI-content labelling rules.

Related Reading

• How to Make a Courtside NBA AI Video — the celebrity-row broadcast trend
• How to Make a Viral AI Baseball Fan Video — the stadium fan-cam format
• Seedance 2.0 Prompt Guide — the full framework for AI video prompts
• Seedance vs Kling vs Veo — which model to pick and why