One of my New Year’s resolutions for 2025 was to build a WordPress theme. But every time the idea resurfaces, I end up putting it on hold once I remember I need to set up a PHP environment. I’m not trying to build anything complicated—I just want a clean, modern theme that looks better than the default free options. At the start of 2026, I revisited the idea and decided to do some research. That’s when I discovered WordPress Playground—a true game-changer for testing and building WordPress themes locally, without the usual setup friction.
Prequiste
(1) If you’ve never built a WordPress theme before or worked with PHP, and you’re simply looking to tweak or update styling, you don’t need to start from scratch. You can download an existing theme from the WordPress theme library and customise it to fit your needs.
(2) If you’re familiar with AI development tools like Cursor or Claude Code, you can use them to generate a basic WordPress theme blueprint to get you started.
(3) The Playground CLI requires Node.js 20.18 or higher, which is the recommended Long-Term Support (LTS) version. You can download it from the Node.js website.
(4) Have some Frontend development experiences
How to Test a WordPress Theme Locally
(1) To test a theme, navigate to your project folder and run the CLI with the --auto-mount flag using a Terminal:
cd my-plugin-or-theme-directory
npx @wp-playground/cli@latest server --auto-mount(2) You might be asked to install packages during the setup. Just type y to confirm and continue. (See screenshot below for reference.)
(3) If everything runs correctly, you’ll see a message in the Terminal that includes a link. Click the link to preview your theme in the browser. (See the screenshot below for what this looks like.)
Another way to test your custom theme—without using the CLI—is to use WordPress Playground. The experience closely mirrors the WordPress admin dashboard, making it easy to follow along.
- Open playground.wordpress.net in your browser.
- Navigate to Appearance → Themes.
- Click Add New, then select Upload Theme.
- Choose your local theme ZIP file and upload it.
- Once uploaded, activate the theme to preview it.
One limitation to keep in mind is that whenever you make changes to your theme locally, you’ll need to re-upload it to see those updates reflected.
Reference
Check the WordPress GitHub page for more configuration information
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