I Tested 11 Top LLMs: The Free Winner Shocked Me

Two of the most powerful AI models in the world are currently off the table. Anthropic’s Claude Opus 4.5 (referred to as “Fable 5” in the original discussion) was shut down by the US government just three days after release on national security grounds. OpenAI’s GPT-5.6, despite all the rumors, doesn’t actually exist yet—the current flagship is still GPT-5.5.

So what are we supposed to use right now? I got curious and decided to find out. I headed to OpenRouter and tested 11 of the world’s leading large language models with the exact same prompt. The same game, the same website request, the same everything. What happened next genuinely surprised me—and the best performer was completely free.

Key Takeaways

• Claude Opus 4.5 remains unavailable with no official reopening date; Anthropic is negotiating with US authorities
• GPT-5.6 has not launched despite widespread speculation; GPT-5.5 is still OpenAI’s current flagship
• I tested 11 models on OpenRouter: Gemini Pro, OpenAI (GPT-5.5), Claude Opus 4.8, Kimi 2.7, Grok 4.3, Ollama, DeepSeek V4, GLM 5.1, Qwen 3.7, MiniMax M3, and the free open-source Nexa N2
• MiniMax M3 produced the best playable game from a single prompt—visually impressive and fully functional
• Nexa N2, a free open-source model, built a professional website in seconds that outperformed paid alternatives
• Grok and Kimi failed outright—Grok’s game was unplayable, Kimi crashed repeatedly and required multiple reprompts
• Completion speed varied dramatically: Grok and Gemini finished in ~5 minutes, MiniMax took 11 minutes, others fell in between

Why the Top Models Are Missing Right Now

Before diving into my test results, let me clarify why I even had to do this comparison. Claude Opus 4.5 was released and then immediately pulled—I’ve confirmed in my own system that it’s still inactive and unavailable for selection. Anthropic says they’re working to bring it back “as soon as possible,” but there are only three realistic paths forward: the US government reverses its decision, Anthropic launches a geographically restricted version for US users only, or a lengthy legal battle unfolds. My honest assessment? It’s going to stay unavailable for a while.

As for GPT-5.6, the rumored specs sound impressive—over 1 million token context memory, significantly improved autonomous agent capabilities, and 2-5x faster code execution. But I’ve seen the “it’s out now” videos too, and they’re wrong. The official top model from OpenAI is still GPT-5.5. When GPT-5.6 actually drops, I’ll notify my community immediately.

How I Set Up the 11-Model Showdown

I wanted a test that reflected real-world use: vibe coding—building something functional from a single, natural-language prompt without extensive back-and-forth refinement. I chose a classic space shooter game similar to ones I played as a kid at Atelier arcades. Simple concept, but it tests visual generation, game logic, controls, and overall polish.

I sent the identical prompt to all 11 models through OpenRouter and let them work independently. I also asked each model to build a website for “Okyanus.com” to test web development capabilities. No hand-holding, no follow-up fixes—just one shot to see what each could deliver.

The lineup included five American companies (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Grok, Ollama) and six Chinese companies (Kimi, DeepSeek, GLM, Qwen, MiniMax, and Nexa). Yes, I burned through credits running this. Several models hit rate limits mid-test and I had to purchase additional credits to complete the comparison.

The Game Results: From Broken to Brilliant

The Fast Finishers: Gemini and Grok

Gemini Pro and Grok 4.3 completed their games in roughly 5 minutes—the fastest of the batch. Gemini’s result was functional but basic: simple interface, working sound, movement controls operational. Playable? Yes. Impressive? Not particularly.

Grok, on the other hand, was a disaster. The game killed the player before it even properly loaded. Enemies fired from every direction simultaneously, making forward progress impossible. I genuinely wanted to test it properly, but it was unplayable by any reasonable standard.

The Visual Standout That Couldn’t Run: GPT-5.5

ChatGPT’s system (GPT-5.5) produced what I consider the best visual design of any model. The game’s aesthetics were genuinely stunning. The problem? Severe performance issues—lag, freezing, unresponsive controls. Beautiful to look at, impossible to play. There’s a lesson here about the gap between appearance and functionality.

The Control Problem: Opus 4.8 and GLM 5.1

Claude Opus 4.8 created something visually superior to most competitors, but with a critical flaw: the left-right arrow keys didn’t work properly. Only forward and backward movement functioned. GLM 5.1 had a similar issue initially, though I discovered mouse controls worked for lateral movement—still not the intended keyboard experience.

The Reliable Middle: DeepSeek V4 and Qwen 3.7

DeepSeek V4 delivered what I’d call the best balance of playability and visuals among the mid-tier performers. Controls worked smoothly, graphics were decent, though enemy spawning seemed limited—I only encountered 4-5 enemies total. Qwen 3.7 was playable but visually primitive, with audio that felt more like noise than designed sound effects. Both worked on the first try, which matters more than you might think.

The Complete Failure: Kimi 2.7

Kimi was the most frustrating experience by far. The game didn’t open on the first attempt. I sent a second prompt—it still failed. On the third try, the game launched but crashed during play. This illustrates a critical real-world problem: models that require constant reprompting don’t just waste time, they often degrade the output with each iteration. Despite Kimi’s strong reputation, it was the only model that couldn’t produce a working result after multiple attempts.

The Clear Winner: MiniMax M3

At 11 minutes, MiniMax M3 was among the slower finishers. But what it delivered made the wait irrelevant. The best game of the entire test, by a significant margin. Smooth controls, polished visuals, proper game mechanics, genuinely playable. I’ve been following MiniMax for a while—the M3 series has become one of my favorite model families—and this performance validated that enthusiasm. From a single prompt, it built something I’d actually show to someone.

The Website Test: Where Free Beat Expensive

While the games were generating, I had each model build a website for “Okyanus.com.” Here the results flipped in an interesting direction.

Nexa N2—completely free, open-source, no subscription—built a professional, functional website in seconds. I’m talking genuinely impressive output that would pass for a paid service. Same prompt to GLM 5.1 produced solid results too, and Kimi actually created something more polished and detailed than its broken game, with custom graphics and professional layout.

But Nexa N2’s performance stuck with me. This is a model you can run without spending a penny, yet it outperformed systems people pay $25+ monthly for. When I say “open source, completely free” in the AI space, I know there’s skepticism. This test made me a believer.

What the Leaderboards Get Wrong

Before running my own tests, I checked the standard benchmarks. They show Claude Opus 4.5 leading in writing, coding, and most categories. Opus 4.7 leads in visual reasoning and document analysis. ChatGPT Image 2 wins at image generation. Gemini 1.0 Flash dominates video creation.

But here’s what benchmarks miss: the single-prompt experience. Most impressive AI demos you see online? They’re the result of extensive prompt engineering, iterative refinement, sometimes dozens of back-and-forth exchanges. My test reflected what happens when you don’t have time for that—when you need something that just works from your first request.

Also worth noting: the visual gap between what Claude Opus 4.5 produced in other users’ refined projects (I showed examples of arcade-perfect Space Invaders clones and Minecraft-style games) and what the available models achieved in my single-prompt test was substantial. When Opus 4.5 returns—if it returns with fewer restrictions—it will likely reset expectations. I’m genuinely curious whether it’ll come back limited or at full strength.

FAQ

Is Claude Opus 4.5 coming back?

There is no official reopening date. Anthropic has stated they are negotiating to restore access, but the most likely scenario is an extended period of unavailability. A geographically restricted US-only version or prolonged legal process are possible outcomes.

Has GPT-5.6 been released?

No. Despite rumors and misleading videos claiming otherwise, OpenAI’s current flagship model remains GPT-5.5. GPT-5.6 has not launched and no official release date has been announced.

What is the best free AI model for coding right now?

Based on my testing, Nexa N2 delivered exceptional results for web development completely free. For game development from single prompts, MiniMax M3 outperformed all competitors including paid options, though it requires API access.

Why do benchmark rankings differ from real-world results?

Benchmarks typically measure performance under optimized conditions with extensive prompting. Real-world use often involves single prompts without refinement. My test showed significant gaps between benchmark leaders and models that actually deliver functional outputs on the first try—completion speed, control reliability, and crash resistance matter in practice but rarely appear in benchmark scores.

My Honest Recommendation

If you’re building right now and need something that works without constant babysitting, MiniMax M3 for game development and Nexa N2 for web projects are my top picks based on this test. Neither requires the patience that Kimi demanded or accepts the broken output that Grok delivered.

The landscape shifts weekly. Models that failed today may improve tomorrow. But the core lesson from this experiment? Price and reputation don’t determine practical utility. The free, open-source option beat expensive competitors. The lesser-known Chinese model outcoded famous American brands. Test for your specific use case—assumptions about “the best” will cost you time and money.

What’s your go-to model for coding projects? I’m genuinely curious whether your experience matches my results.

Watch the full video (in Turkish — English subtitles available):

Tools & Community

• TurkoLister — the AI listing tool I use to turn Amazon products into optimized eBay UK listings in about 60 seconds (from £4.99/month, £1 one-week trial).
• AI & E-commerce Community — my Turkish-speaking community ($19/month) with weekly live sessions.
• Subscribe on YouTube — new experiments every week.