Unwinnable Arcade Game Satirizes Trump's Iran War on the National Mall

May 13, 2026 - 23:12

A new pixel-art role playing game called Operation Epic Furious: Strait to Hell has appeared on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and it is designed to be impossible to beat.

The game, created by an anonymous public art collective called Secret Handshake, turns President Donald Trump's war in Iran into an arcade-style experience that players cannot win. Physical arcade cabinets were installed this week at the DC War Memorial, and the game is also available online.

Trump is the only playable character in the game, which features three levels and tasks like burning Epstein files and finding oil in Iran. But the makers say victory is not an option.

"Much like most American conflicts in the Middle East, it is impossible to win," a representative from Secret Handshake said. "But you can lose by trying to hold Melania's hand." Asking to hold first lady Melania Trump's hand in the game triggers an immediate game over.

A plaque at the installation states that the Trump administration knows the best way to sell combat is by making it a video game. This references social media content from Trump's team that mixed actual war footage with scenes from video games and movies.

The group worked on the game nonstop for three weeks. It includes battle scenes and cameos from top administration officials like Vice President J.D. Vance. Russian leader Vladimir Putin appears as a centaur who asks Trump to go away with him to start a new life. Other Easter eggs include statues of Trump with Jeffrey Epstein on the White House grounds, which Secret Handshake previously installed in D.C.

Secret Handshake said the best satire for someone like Trump is simply holding up a mirror. Since Trump tries to sell his unpopular war like a video game, the medium becomes a fitting platform for protest.

Recent polling shows large and growing majorities of U.S. adults disapprove of Trump's handling of the Iran war and do not believe he has clearly explained why the country is involved. By making an actual arcade game out of the experience, the team behind Operation Epic Furious highlights what they see as the misguided nature of Trump's attempts to sell the conflict.