2026 Independent Games Festival Awards

Last night on my break that last night on my break that SC for the moon. I leave your face. Hands fed onto the roof. The rest I leave in place. Ain't no fully gold. Clap clap. Folks, it go clut clut

cl's the only way I go. ain't scared of you bringet anything it sh it sh it sh it another baby it get Winning doesn't end when your death is how it burns. It go drop

it go drop the clap clap the clack clack clack the cloud. Don't falter, don't hide, don't revel, don't look back, don't breathe. Just act the swift sword for more days. War more days. What's wrong with the gun? Come between us. Nots. Cut them when they cut them low. Cut them when they high.

Is it in the ropes? Weather weapons to man. Seconds between kills slow single grains of sand till it blows and plugs and stills and cuts then does it all again. Lots of lambs. Switch the states begin to land. I stand not a single thing begin rips it bring a strike inside a string. Number

The world alone. Everyone down the road. [music]
[music]
Hey,

hey, hey.
[music] [music] [music]

Hey. [music] Hey. Hey.

your skin like a splinter kept alive right on time on the surface. I'mving right now your heart round like we're [music] not okay and that's all right way on the right side. Silver lining [music] still bright.

[music] Thanks for letting me know. less and maybe one [music] day there's a lesson in the meantime. Use discretion on the surface undeserving [music] right now. Spill your heart out [music] in a heart lock down. We're not [music] okay and that's all right. It's [music] not okay. Out of harm's way on the bright side. Silver lining, still up bright. [music]

Thanks for letting me know. Let's be letting this go. [music] Thanks for letting me know. Best feeling. [music] Thanks for letting me know [music] in the [music] Out of [music] way on the bright side. Silver lining still uprise.

Thanks for letting me know. Thanks for letting me know.
[music]
Thanks for letting me know. [music] Thanks for letting me know.

[music] [music]
All my days [music] used to feel the same. Just playing a waiting game.

At a table [music] set for one, stuck in an endless
and one day you walked into [music] my life. It was you I needed. I can't wait to be home to you.
Can't wait to [music] be home to you.
Can't wait to be home to it all. [music] Walking alone makes the world a lonely shade of blue. Walking alone was a boring till [music] the moment [singing] I met you.
All that it took was a single glance to change my point of view.
With our hands tied me together. Let us [music] settle on an adventure. Along the way, things could turn in the way we planned.
Now both of us [music] are traveling all alone again.

But our journey led us on two different paths before the end.
Please [music] don't leave me without it. [music]
I cannot go on alone. I'm not braving up on my own soul.
We won't be coming. No, we won't be coming.
We won't be coming. No, we won't be coming. We won't be coming. No, we won't be coming.
When will we be returning? [music] When we reach the end of our journey with a fire burning for the world to keep on turning. But if it's all a dream, then I'm really all alone. I wish that someone will be there when I come home. When I want to wonder alone,

I wish you would come back to me. I want you to come home.
[music]
Oh, don't you smell the lovely flowers in the air. [music]
You build unbelievable worlds. It's time to go beyond one screen.

Welcome to Google Play. Where one purchase [music] lets your players conquer across devices. Where Sidekick [music] arms them with game tips to survive the alien abyss. [music] And Play Pass unfolds a new path to an instant [music] audience of players. You deserve a bigger spotlight. [music] We have over two billion players ready and waiting. Give your games the power [music] to travel from screen to screen and rewards that keep players coming back. [music] So, if you're ready to bring your worlds to players wherever they are, then [music] you're ready to play.

Hey, [music] hey, hey. Woohoo! [groaning] Here we go.
[music]

3 2 1 Let's go. [music] Heat. [music] Heat. N. [music] Please welcome your IGF chairperson, Shaun Pierre.

[music] [cheering]
[music]
Hey everyone, welcome back to the Independent Games Festivals Awards. I'm Sean and I just want to say a few things before we hand it over to our hosts for the evening. Let's start by saying congratulations and thank you. [cheering]
[applause]
Congrats to everyone who was a part of the festival in any way. The folks who submitted the honorable mentions and the amazing finalists that we are going to see here tonight. Judges, jury, thank you. You are really some of the most amazing folks in games

and it really is something special to see everyone come together to support our peers. I also want to thank Shannon McMullen who started working with me this year [applause] [applause] and really she has been nothing but a joy to work alongside leading up to tonight. And finally, thank you to our platinum sponsor Microsoft and our gold sponsor Google Play. [applause] And you know, just thank you to everyone here tonight. Being able to show up and support your friends, your collaborators, your peers, it means so much. Whether you're a solo dev, a small indie studio, working in single A or AAA development, I'm glad that you are here. Now, with the current state of games in

general, being here to support everyone, it really means a lot. But I know that there are many of you watching online tonight, not here for a number of reasons. Maybe you're not feeling well. Maybe you're busy compiling your code or working on the narrative beats for your next game. You know, maybe the trip out here was too expensive. Or maybe regardless of if you would have traveled from within the states or from abroad, you would feel unsafe here because others don't feel you fit someone's mold as a game developer, as a designer, or as a person. Whatever the reason, just know that we are sorry that you can't be here and that you have the support of the independent games community. [cheering] [applause]
[applause]

And this independent games community is not something that we can go out alone. It's something we need to build together. Let's be clear, you know, the the things are still difficult right now in the game space. The layoffs, they're still present. Indies of all sizes are failing to secure funding. But despite these glaring and overwhelming issues, we are still seeing wonderful pieces of art changing the game and moving the space forward or games that innovate beyond mechanics. Games that embrace who we are as individuals. Games that are written to make us laugh or find joy. Games that celebrate who we are as people, as people of color, as neurode divergent people, as people who cherish their multi-dimensional heritage. As people with physical disabilities are games just being people. [cheering]
[applause] [applause]
Because when it comes down to it, the

truth is it's not games that will change the world. It's people. The people behind the games you have seen this week, the people behind the games you will see here tonight, the people who will be on stage speaking tonight. It's these people and it's you. If you leave here tonight with one thing, let it be knowing that it's you that can. No, no, not can, will. It's you that will change the game. [applause] [cheering] And you know what? I'm I'm really looking forward to it. But now, let's get the show started with an exclusive behindthescenes look at what it takes to make the IGF happen.
Yes, of course. I'd love to host the

IGF. I'd be honored. So, what do I need to do?
Well, Carrie, the unfortunate reality is that the independent games market has become oversaturated. In order to give awards to new indies, we need you to eliminate the old IGF winners and to make room for the new ones.
So, you want me to take their trophies away or
No, no, no, no, no. We want you to kill them.
Here's our list. We've sorted them in order of preference.
No, no, not him. [laughter] Blendo Games.
Good morning, Cookie.
I'm sorry, Brendan, but I have to eliminate you to make room for new IGF winners.
Oh, well, all right. I love the blade, by the way. Real

classic stuff.
Can't do it. You're too Nice.
Are you sure you don't want a cookie?
There you are. It's time for the IGFs. You know the rules.
My turn.
Great. Just need you to fill out some forms. Mark here, here, here, here, here, here. Sign here. And initial here. Fill here. Here. Sign. Init your photo here. I've already attached mine here. Sign in here. Initial select here. Sign here. Initials here with blue or black ink. Everything in triplicate.
It's day 167. I'm posting every day until my video game consume me sells 1 million copies. And today I brought Blaster [music] with me to the park and we had a

really nice long walk. And wait a second. I think that person is trying to kill me. Anyway, um,
good day.
Oh, hey. I'm Carrie.
Ah, nice to meet you. My name's Jim.
I don't care. Listen, I'm trying to kill Bennett FOD. Have you seen him?
Oh, no I haven't. But you won't be able to kill him.
Why not?
Oh, nobody dies around here.
Why not?
Nonviolent video game.
Isn't it rated M?
Yeah. Yeah, but not for that.
Is it for something else?
No.
Must be for something.
No, there's nothing. It's nothing.
Okay.
Probably should have been for everyone. E for everyone.
Okay.
Yeah. Well, see you.
Bye. Sounded like Bennett, though.

I can't do it. I can't eliminate a single one.
This is what EP is now. Commit murder or abandon your dreams.
Please. I really want a host, though.
Time's up. It's too late. We're going with the other host.
Wait, there's another host.
Engage other host. Please welcome fourtime IGF awards host and Sheamus McNal grand prize winner

Andy Shatz. [music] [music] Good evening Indies. I am shocked they asked me to host again this year. After all, I'm kind of washed up, right? I mean Monaco tooth and tail. It's old news. That's when it hit me. I'm not washed up. I'm well rested. I'm ready for my second act. And I think the game industry is ready for its second act, too. After all, video game studios may be falling apart all around us, but indie is the soil from which all creativity grows. The business of video games isn't broken, it's fertilized. Uh uh what what what are you doing here? Go. [applause] [cheering]

[applause] I was going to skip this year.
Please welcome your 2026 IGF host, Carrie Shao. [cheering and music]
[applause] [cheering] [music]
Let's give a round of applause to Andy Shots who gave his life for indie games. [cheering] [applause]
Welcome to the Independent Games Festival Awards.
[applause]
Tonight we celebrate the year we learned the only good slop is friend slop. [cheering] The year it turned out there might be a

downside to being acquired. The year of the publisher civil war we don't talk about. The year we stuck to our guns and switched to GDAU. Right. Right. [applause] The year the Hollow Knight and Slay the Spire teams finally had a hit. The year we learned Yerba Buena Gardens is for fences now.
Yeah, those fences. [cheering] Yes, things are feeling pretty different in 2026. For the first time, the IGFs get their own nights before the GDCAS. Yeah. [cheering] [applause] No longer do those big studios with huge budgets and ad campaigns have to socialize with us, the procedural clowns and cave trolls of game development. Consider tonight's grand prize nominees. Baby Steps is nominated for five awards

tonight. [cheering] [applause] It's a game about learning to accept help, about interrogating the most toxic elements of traditional masculinity, about maxing out PS5 hardware to make a man's big juicy ass jiggle at 60 frames per second. [cheering] [applause] Bipo Plus is up for four awards tonight. [cheering]
[applause]
It's a sci-fi take on public access television made by an indie pop band for the Play Date. That's the most indie possible sentence ever spoken on this stage. And that's before mentioning the band originated in Portland. And then there's the mysterious four-time nominated stranger of this IGF, Titanium Court. [applause] Now, this is a game that feels like it

was sprung fully formed from the mind of AP Thompson. It's like Bejeweled meets Undertale in the FA realm, which I know also describes half of this room's dream wedding. Meanwhile, Angeline era is like a Bible study group all took acid and ended up at a Renfair. It's a game where you can open a chest and then destroy the chest and then have the chest read you a short mournful poem about its demise. It's the most thoroughly explored chess experience in video games since dead or alive beach volleyball. [applause] Horses has been through so much since its launch, but it's up for two awards tonight. [applause] It may have been kink shamed from every major storefront, but the indie dev community stood up as one and said, "Give us our pony play."

[applause] Perfect Tides: Station to Station is up for both excellence and narrative and the grand prize tonight. It's a pixel perfect ode to being an adolescence adolescent in the early 2000s. Be warned, if you're a millennial, this is schedule A nostalgia. The kind of they keep behind plastic at the CVS. A year ago, I sat over there at table 1, nominated for the game I wrote, Pacific Drive. [applause and cheering]
As I looked onto the stage at last year's hosts, the brilliant Emma Kidwell and Alexa Ray Korea. [applause] [cheering] I wondered what did it take to get up here? What did I need to do with my career to earn an opportunity like that? And I'll tell you what it took. And no, it did not include winning the IGF because we lost to Tactical Breach Wizards, a modern classic. I'm sure I'll have the inner piece to play one day.

It took learning that celebrating your work starts with you. Nobody's going to pick you to live your dream because they magically decided your work was good. It takes making your work known, which bad news does mean posting on LinkedIn. It means letting everyone know what you did and how you did it. How you toiled with your team to build something and ship it and that you're damn proud of it, no matter how many copies it sells or how many awards you win or lose. So that's what we're here to do tonight. celebrate each other for getting here, for all the work it takes to ship a damned thing at all. [applause]
To be alive, to be doing the job of our dreams, to be surrounded by the best damn community on Earth. [applause]

Except Except for K-pop stands. They're not around. Let's get started, shall we? [applause and cheering]
To present our first award for best student game, please welcome NYU Professor Mitu Kandaker. [cheering] [music] [music] Being around students who make games is one of the best ways to stay rooted in a sense of hope about our medium. In the decade that I've taught game design at NYU Game Center, [cheering and applause] I've seen many students at the beginning of their journeys. They might have ideas about who they are in the world or how they fit into games or even have ideas about how they don't fit into games. But for a few years of their lives, they set

that aside. They get to try on new versions of themselves and try new things without fear. There's this idea that you don't need school to make games, that everything that you need is on YouTube. But colleges are places of creative and cultural proximity. They're places where people who might never have uh otherwise met are asked to make something together. places where you get to experiment before the market and algorithms decide what's acceptable. We're living in a moment right now where expression is being narrowed, where certain histories are being contested, where funding can come with all these conditions or is just impossible to get, where diversity itself is treated as controversial. So when students gather together to make something, whether it's about a pointedly political interface or if it's joyfully queer or if it's rooted in a heritage that's been sidelineed or just a game about a tiny clown that is not

just a class project, it's uh it's an act of culture making of being in defiant community and creation as resistance. The games in this category were not made in isolation. They are made in conversation with each other, in critique and in disagreement and in risk. They reflect this collective belief that games can be more than what we've allowed them to be so far. These projects can be ambitious and insist on possibility. And in times like these, insisting on possibility is political. So, it's my absolute honor to present the nominees for best student game. Best student game. The nominees for best student game are Bubblebee's Digit Dungeon, developed and published by Echolane, with special thanks to Dylan Mer, Ken Kennedy, Sophie

Martin, and Zephr Leart. Kiloton developed and published by Jack Mohart. Poco developed by Whalefall, published by Micah Borisier. Developed and published by Herk with special thanks [music] to Lutia Formon, Mateoic, Janak, Vitec, and Nikki Fiser.

Sparkles.x X [music] developed and published by Pesidon with special thanks to Stannislav Kaidarov, Alexian, [music] Igor Tomolov, Sophia Masalanova and Vladislav [music] Sipfisher developed and published by Siphon Software with special thanks to Oliver Bib, Cole Ya, Vicious, [music] Emmy Han, and Aiden Now three. And the winner is Poco. [cheering] [applause]

[applause and cheering] [music]
Hello. [laughter]
Thank you. This is crazy.
[applause]
Um, Poco was initially pitched as an allegorical story of a fledgling artist uh struggling with self-doubt. And as students, that feeling is all too familiar to us. Um, when you're starting out on your creative journey towards a creative career, it's easy to feel insignificant or like you'll never be good enough for the big leagues. And Poco is a story about overcoming that fear and finding your people. And uh it's about the true

value of the art that we make together, which is the jingle is annoying, which is that it brings people together. And it's been so beautiful to see so many people come together around our little clown game because it affirms that thesis. It shows us that you don't have to be the best clown in the biggest circus to make people happy. And all the beautiful indie games and all the teams that we got to meet today uh just prove that again and again. So, thank you to IGF for encouraging us to continue our work and showing us that there's value in pursuing our passions. And thank you, of course, to our professors, particularly Tom Austin, for advising us and overseeing our project. Thank you to our painter friends, Megan and Sebastian, and the volunteers who helped us out. And thank you to our backers who supported us financially,

and to our family and friends who supported us otherwise. And thank you, of course, to our players for all the kind words and beautiful fan art that bring us joy every day. Thank you. [cheering] [applause] Presenting the award for excellence in design. Please welcome co-designer of Hyper Light Drifter and director of we are OFK, Teddy Def. [cheering] [music] [cheering] [music]

Hi. Rarely when making an indie game do you just do game design? You plan a new mechanic and then you code it. You design a new level, then you spend all day replacing rocks with lower poly rocks. That's right. You wrap game design around your other practices, squeezing them into a beautiful burrito. But among these practices, it's easy to forget that the beating heart of game design is our capacity for empathy. What is my player feeling? What choice do they want to make next? Do I want to let them make that choice? What will they do in response? Will they leave a mean comment on Steam? Our six nominees tonight stare into the core of us. They wield empathy to challenge our determination, push us to introspect, or give us a dumb laugh cuz holy we need a dumb

laugh. This year's nominees for excellence in design created work that demonstrates their curiosity and mastery of the craft and their patience. And I admire every single one of them. And those nominees are excellence in design. The nominees [music] for excellence in design are Angeline Era developed [music] and published by analesic productions with special thanks to Melo Santani and Marina Ayano Kataka. Baby Steps developed by Gabe Kuzio, Maxi Bosch, and Bennett F. Published by Deolver Digital. [screaming]
Okay.

Ooh. Developed by Namat Takahashi. Tiny Cactus Studio. Tsuyomi. Published by Namat Takahashi. Skin Deep developed by Blendo Games, published by Anna Pererna Interactive with special thanks to Brendan Chung, Suzanne Will, and Tinen Wales. Time Flies developed by Playables, published by Panic. With special thanks to [music] Michael Frey and Raphael Munos, Titanium Court developed by AP Thompson.

Published by Fellow Traveler with special thanks to AP Thompson. All right. And the winner is Titanium Court. [cheering] [applause] Congratulations. [applause and cheering] Thank you.
Hello. Uh, wow. So, I made the first prototype of titanium cord in late 2019,

but I didn't start really working on it until January 2020 when I guess I had made a New Year's resolution to switch to a side project that I could actually finish really quickly, you know, like knock it out of the park about a year or so, right? And well, I don't know if anyone remembers what else happened in early 2020, but those events coincided with and perhaps influenced a lot of the early development of Titanium Court. It was a time of isolation and repetition and boredom and anxiety. And maybe most of all, it was a time of fixation. And Titanium Court was my fixation. And at that time, it was also my joy. Uh, I was having a lot of fun working on it despite all the circumstances. And the thought of coming out of lockdown and sharing this game with everyone was a big part of what got me through that period. But I think it's really important to also acknowledge that despite how lonely this period of time

was, uh, I was not actually alone. There were people with me the whole way through and I would like to thank them now. Um, so I would like to thank my friends. I'd like to thank Jenny, Kelly, Kenny, Bennett, Gabe, Gideon, Dan. I would like to thank Lore, Dylan, Nathan, Chris, Spencer, everyone at Fellow Traveler. I'd like to thank Jess, Sandra, Clara, everyone at the NYU Game Center. I would like to thank my mom, and I would like to give a very big thanks to Zoe as well. I can't tell you how good it feels to finally get to share this game with you all. So, thank you so much.
[cheering] [applause]
Our next award is the Alt Control GDC award. All day on the expo floor, people

have been slapping boxing dummies and climbing inside giant hamster balls and voting on this year's very best in batshit crazy controllers. These devs are out there configuring drivers previously unknown to science. Here to present the award is alt control GDC organizer and 10-centent business de development director John Pollson. [music]
[music]
Alt Control GDC changes not only the game, but how we play the game. across all exhibits since its first year in 2014. I've had the pleasure of seeing over 1,000 submissions from developers globally with more schools adopting each year all control workshops and classes into their curriculum. While we learn

not only new ways to play at all control, we also learn new things about our int attendees. For instance, chat GPT says that last year tons of people really loved talking about and slapping big furry cat butts. Who knew? This year's player fantasies include rolling in a giant hamster ball, sailing with bodysized scissors, caring for a monster in his oral hygiene, simulating a Frankenstein monster creation station, dumpster diving raccoon style, and role playing as a pop idol who can physically defend herself from fans who just don't respect her boundaries. All this is to say that at Alt Control uh continues to change the game, change perspectives, and be the most uninhibited and wildly interactive destination you owe you you owe it to yourself to see. I wanted to also give thanks to this year's expanded judge panel, Sammy Geraga, Terry Zang, and Bryant Francis for adding new voices to make All Control even better. Please enjoy. Oh

yes.
[applause]
Please enjoy this video that celebrates our finalists. [music] Heat. Heat. N. [music] [music]

Heat. Heat. [music]
[music]
Hey, hey, hey. [music]
[music]
Heat. Heat. Heat.

[music] Heat. [music] Heat. [music] Heat. [music]
[music]
Heat. Heat.

[music]
[music] [applause]
And the winner is Procto. [cheering] [music] [music] [music]

[music]
Thank you.
Okay. Hi. Um, thank you to everyone who played today and vote for the game. I'm beyond unprepared because this was an impossibility. Um, we bought this game from Argentina in a suitcase. So [cheering] [applause] the fact that it got through customs a box with cables that's we already won at that point. Um so thank you to everyone to Nel Luca the team very small team Vleta and Manolo who couldn't be here the University of Della who funded the project um everyone thank Yeah. [cheering] [applause] [music]

[music] Presenting the award for excellence in visual art. Please welcome art director at second dinner, Mariel Kino Cartwright. Many of the most memorable and impactful games out there are shaped not just by their mechanics, but by their visual identity. It's not just about making the game visually appealing, but about communicating the gameplay, story, and intent to craft an experience that players will remember long after they put the controller down. No matter the style or genre, visual art is how a game teaches us how to play, grounds us in its world, and makes its

ideas feel real. And if you really hit it out of the park, you'll get cosplayers this year. I'm blown away by the range of styles displayed. From psychedelic fever dreams to classic pixel art, from photographic collage to fantasy story book. These nominees prove that there's no one way for an indie game to look. And the nominees are excellence in visual art. The nominees for excellence in visual art are Blippo Plus, developed by Yacht, Teleantasy Studios, Noble Robot, published by Panic, with special [music] thanks to John Beckt, JJ Stratford, Joan Gray, and Kiki Stash.
Whoa. Yeah, what are they? [music] Karamara, Beneath the Fourlor Limbs,

developed by Bastinus Rex, published by [music] Critical Reflex. Eclipsium developed by Housefire, published by Critical Reflex with special thanks to [music] Alice Bjork, Carl Dorsman, Yasmin Nina, and Shan Ostberry. Locomotive developed by Robust Games, published by Chucklefish with special thanks to Adam [music] Riches, Joseph Riches, Jamie Rolo, and Ellien Russo. Morsels developed by Fercula, [music] published by Annaperna Interactive with special thanks to Toby Dixon and Iggy [music] Zhuk.

Skate story developed by Sam Ang published by Deolver Digital. And the winner is Eclipsium. [applause] Congrats. [music]
Okay, thank you. Uh, holy did not expect that. Um, yeah, we're a team from Sweden and uh, this is a couple of

people that made a game. The rest are back home at in Sweden. So, I just want to thank them and everyone that's made this game possible. Uh, thank you.
[cheering] [applause] [music]
You've all joined us on a very special night. The IGF was founded in 1998 and over 28 amazing years, it's evolved and reached new heights. And tonight is no exception. You see, this GDC is about one thing and one thing only. Unleashing synergies at the Festival of Gaming [cheering and applause] and we're ramping up the IGF to match. To pay tribute to the nominees for

excellence in audio, we are beyond honored to welcome for the very first time the Independent Game Awards Festival of Gaming Orchestra. [cheering] [applause]
Uh, I see we're on an indie budget here. Um, anyone want to make $30? $30. Anyone?
I am so down. [cheering] Yes. [applause] Austin Winry, didn't you just win a Grammy? What are you?
Neither here nor there.
I think you want to split down the middle. 1515. Okay, let's do this. [music]
[cheering] [applause]
That had to have been worth at least 35, but I guess you'll decide after the

fact. Yes. Well, anyway. Yes. The nominees for excellence in audio are
excellence in audio. The nominees [music] for excellence in audio are
like a scream
baby steps developed by Gabe Kuzio, Maxi Bosch and Bennett FO published by Deolver Digital. [screaming]
Okay. Ball Pit developed by Kenny Sun and Friends. Published by Devolver Digital with special thanks to Kenny Sun and Amos Broady. Coming to you from
Plus developed by Yacht, Telephantasy Studios, Noble Robot, published by Panic

with special thanks to Jon Beech and Rob Keywatter. This is a publicly operated network serving
Eclipsium developed by Housefire published by Critical Reflex with special thanks to Hudson Bishki. Morsels developed by FCula published by Annaperna Interactive. With special thanks to Sam Webster Wheelworld [music] developed by Meshoff, published by Annaperna Interactive with special thanks to Italians do it better, Thomas Hoey and Christy Norinder. [music]

All right. And the winner is
Baby Steps. [applause] [cheering]
[applause] [applause]
more crap. It's heavy. Thank you so much. Uh this is such an honor to accept this on behalf of the audio team. Um the uh this wouldn't have been possible without the vision of Maxie Buck who

could not be here today. Um [applause and cheering] and I also wanted to shout out the third member of the audio team, Ash Kilborn, who did an amazing job on all the cutscenes that uh really kind of made the world shine. Um, yeah, I, you know, receiving this honor from this group of people couldn't mean more to me just because as a, you know, this is a group of people who understand what it means to slide down a river of milk a thousand times to make sure that you get it right. Uh, thank you all so much. Um, and thank you to Bennett and Gabe and the rest of uh, the people that I don't remember right now because I did not prepare a speech. Um, but thank you all so much. [applause]

One of the things that sets the IGF apart is that it's a peer-reviewed competition. The judges and jury members are also game developers. That means tonight's nominees are receiving the purest form of artistic recognition, professional jealousy. I want to acknowledge the members of the IGF award jury. Let's give them a round of applause. [applause and cheering]
These 40 people worked tirelessly to sift through nearly 800 games submitted this year. These people dedicated their holidays to redeeming more Steam codes than you've ever seen in your life. But on the other hand, the audience award is decided by a vote open to GDC attendees and the general public. And

well, let's be real, the 20 of you out there making fake email addresses to stuff the ballot box, you are the true fans everyone tells us to build a business around. Every IGF nominated game is eligible to win this audience award. Let's see the nominees. Oh, there's no nominees because I just have to reveal the winner [laughter] drama. [applause] [cheering] [applause]
And the winner is Wednesdays. [applause] Where are you? [music] [music]

[applause and music]
Congratulations.
Um, thank you. Thank you very much. Um, shout out to the whole team and especially Exa, our art director, who would have loved to be here on stage with me tonight, but couldn't because uh she didn't feel welcome in the United States. Um, shout out to my co-producers, Arty and the Pixel Hunt. Uh, the game wouldn't have been the same without their trust. Thank you to to to everyone who vote voted for Wednesdays to be honest uh when we started making this game. We didn't think anyone would actually want to play it. Uh because nobody like wakes up in the morning thinking, "Oh, I want to play a video game about incest

and you know fair." Uh but uh people did play it and people did enjoy it and based on the numerous messages we received uh it seemed uh the game did have a positive impact on many people's lives. Uh, so it's something I'm super proud of and thanks again uh to everyone and to the IGF. Um, that that's it. [applause] [music] [applause] [music] Next up is the Wings Award. And I need you all to understand how deeply cool Wings is. It is a developer first fund that gives revenue share from the first dollar. It exclusively funds teams founded by women and gender marginalized developers and it operates a selection

committee of only women and they are still funding in 2026. They are moving mountains when it comes to equitable funding. And if you want to pitch them, the line starts behind me. Here to present the Wings Award is co-CEO Astred Restru [cheering and applause] Independent Games Festival for the second year. Wings invest in games made by studios founded or co-founded by women and gender marginalized developers. Our missions is to ensure that investment hands-on support is available to those who are often not trusted with these resources. Today, I'm honored to present the Wings Award selected from five incredible finalist. This year's winner will receive the Wings IDF award alongside a 2,000 euro prize. And here are the finalists.

Wings Award. The nominees [music] for the Wings Award are 13Z, The Zodiac Trials, developed [music] and published by Mixed Realms PTE Limited. Ambrosia [music] Sky developed and published by Soft Rains. Backpack Battles developed by Play with Fospher, published by Indie Arc with special thanks to Mario Yanka and Dorite Kolahoff.

Yes, your [music] grace too. Snowfall developed and published by Brave at Night. [music] The Wandering Village developed by Strayfon Studio, published by Strayfon Publishing. Whisper Games. Congratulations to all the finalists. Whether you are playing alone or with friends, you will be immersed in this beautiful world. The character design, shaders, and art direction create a world ready for exploration. Handcrafted, tightly designed rogike

hacken slash combat is combined with well-written character dialogue and story arc brought to life through incredible voice acting. All of this is carefully crafted and inspired by eastern mythology, inviting players into a world they won't want to leave. Therefore, Wings is honored to recognize this team with this well-deserved award. The winner of the IDF 2026 Wings Award is 13C, the Zodiac Trials. [applause] [music] Unfortunately, they are not here to accept the award, but they send a video with their remarks.
Awardees, nominees, and to all my fellow indie game developers who grew up playing games and are now making the games that we've always dreamed of. On behalf of the team behind 13: The Zodiac Trials, I'd like to thank IGF and Wings for this honor. This award means a lot

to us, not just because it is our very first award as a team, but because it celebrates the people and the stories that make this industry bigger, kinder, and more welcoming. And we are happy to be part of it. Thank you to our family and friends, to our industry friends who back us up and our amazing community who support and believe in our ideas just as much as we do. Thank you. And finally, I realized that one of the few perks of living so far away, not being able to attend GDC in person, is I get to bring my entire team of hardworking, passionate, and really talented people who made 13 Z possible. Thank you. [applause] [applause]
And here to accept the award is Jenna.
Thank you so much. [applause] Hello everybody. Uh my name is Jenny. I am the CEO of Vendetta and uh I have the immense pleasure to accept this award on

behalf of the Mixed Realms team who could not be here today and also the immense pleasure uh and uh pressure of not up their acceptance. So [laughter] first of all very very sorry. Um but also thank you so much um to everyone and I especially want to call out Eddie who you saw on video just now. um she is obviously a badass woman that's really leading the charge and so incredibly grateful to the teams um and the wings you know organizers for supporting her. So thank you again so much and congratulations to all of the winners tonight. [cheering] [applause] Please welcome back your host, Carrie Shiao. [music]

I'm so incredibly honored to choose myself to present this next award because if there's anything the last few years have taught me, it's about how there's no consequences to wielding your power for your own selfish purposes.
[applause]
You see, I felt it was so important for me to present the Excellence in Narrative Award because, well, I've never won it. Really wanted to touch it and feel it in my hands and close my eyes and imagine for a second what it would be like for this award to be mine. And I think it's really important, critical even, to personally make sure that the team who wins this really

deserves this for their expert pros, for their intricate narrative systems, for their ability to look me in the eye and take this award out of my hands. And the nominees for excellence in narrative are [music] excellence in narrative. The nominees for excellence sin narrative are
hey hi how's it going
baby steps developed by Gabe Kuzio Maxi Bosch and Bennett F published by Deolver Digital
I heard you screaming
yeah no help buddy
I see how you could think I was in trouble
perfect [music] Tides station to station developed [applause] and published by 3Bs

Promise Mascot [music] Agency developed and published by Kaizen Gameworks. Titanium Court developed by AP Thompson, published by Fellow Traveler with special thanks to AP Thompson and Jez Haskins. Type help developed and published by William Roose Wednesdays [music] developed by the pixel hunt published by AE France with special thanks to Pierre

Carbon Exava Kristoff Galiti and Virginia [music] Berson. To whoever is about to win, consider the fact that you watched me kill Andy Shots 45 minutes ago. [laughter] And the winner is Perfect Tides. [cheering and applause]
[music] [music and applause] [applause] [music]
Oh my goodness. Thank you. This is such an incredible honor. Um, this story is

so very personal to me and uh uh yet it would be have been impossible for me to make it without the help of so many people. Um, my editor Matt Carney, thank you so much Matt. Um, for helping me manage this massive story and to help it cohhere. Um, to Edmundo who helped me develop uh the controller support for this game to make it accessible. uh for the artists and musicians uh Saurin, Daniel, Hunter, Kevin. Uh thank you all so much. Um to my husband, Mike Holmes, who heard every word of this game before it had been written down. And to my son, Oscar, who uh I've been carrying since I started making video games, and he's now turning eight next month. So, thank you all so much. This is so wonderful. [applause] [cheering]
[applause] [music]

I've been incredibly lucky throughout my life and career. Moments like this, sharing the IGFS together with you all feel like luck, but come with an enormous amount of privilege. The privilege to earn a living making video games. Privilege that I expected to make it to San Francisco and back home safely. There are so many friends and colleagues missing this year. If you're watching us from home because you didn't feel safe enough to travel here, we miss you. Stay safe and we will see you soon. [applause]
To present the Novo award. Please welcome 2023 Novo nominee for He the Girl Out of Me, Taylor McHugh. Innovators don't exist and anybody who calls themselves bad is probably a scam artist. What does exist are people who have the time and the will to try to accomplish things that haven't been done before. I wanted to get a lot of paint

out of my head, but as an artist, I didn't really have a road map to do it, you know. So, I discovered the 2018 Nova Award-winning game Everything is Going to Be Okay. The game captured pretty much everything I felt that could be said about depression, mental illness, pain, trauma. For a long time, I'd wanted to make a game about trauma, but after playing their game, I was so odd that I considered stopping since they'd said everything that could be said about being human. You know, in desperation, I asked Alien Milan to write a game about trauma, and they said, "Write about your own personal specifics." Because of them, I was able to find my own words, and I ended up here as a nominee in 2023. The Novo Awards aren't simply an award. They're road map to the future by game developers. I'm so grateful to be able to introduce the people who are here today writing the future. Good luck, everyone. Bye.

[applause] No Award. The nominees for the Novo Award [music] are Baby Steps, developed by Gabe Kuzio, Maxi Bosch, and Bennett F. Published by Deolver Digital. [screaming] Blippo Plus developed by Yacht Teleantasy Studios, Noble Robot, published by Panic with special thanks to John Beckt, Claire L. Evans, Mark Lroy, and Dustin Miro. Horses developed by Andrea Luco Bolera. Published by Santa Rejouri with special thanks to Petro Riy Reva, Stephano

Sanitata, Alberto Putin and Ardan Ripley.
Kevin's playing in Berlin. Developed by Kevin Dian published by Kevin D. on Christmas day.
Mini mini golf developed and published by three more years with special thanks to Fri Kersner, Maria Karstan, Leoni Copenck and Vero Rosa Resnovska. Plum Road Team developed and published by Reveal [music] Game Studio with special thanks to Samuel Bo.

Titanium Court developed by AP Thompson. Published by Fellow Traveler with special thanks to AP Thompson. Wednesdays developed by the pixel hunt published by a de France with special thanks to Pierre carbon exa Kristoff Galiti and Virginia [music] Berson. And the winner is horses. [cheering] [applause]

Congratulations.
Okay. Thank you. Uh thank you very much. Uh it's really unexpected. Um my friend uh forced me to write a speech. So I wrote a speech. [laughter] So um [snorts] I want to thank everyone who helped me along this journey. Um it has been quite an intense experience. Um I want to thank my family. Um, I want to thank all the people from the Italian

game game development community who support me in so many ways, so many ways. Um, I also want to thank the people who believe believed in the project and supported us financially allowing us to complete the game. And of course, I want to thank the entire Santa Rajoni team uh for their patience and dedication in turning this project into reality and uh of course also the collaborators who contribute to making the game what is today. Uh most importantly uh I want to say thank you to Petroiva who was the craziest of all of us uh to believe in this project and uh without

him this game simply wouldn't exist. So this award belong to him as well. And I want to dedicate this award to all the brave developers like Santon that try to push the boundaries of this medium. So I'm with you. Don't give up. Thank you. [applause] Before we get to the grand prize, alongside the nominated games, there's a slew of honorable mentions that deserve to share the spotlight tonight. These honorable mentions are the ones the members of the jury fought for, and they deserve some onstage glory, too. Not like a ton. We're pretty tight on time. People have

parties to get to. But to give these games their props while saving time, we've brought in experts at reading hard words fast. Two beloved voice actors will read out the honorable mentions using gaming's most time-honored speedrun device, the chess timer. Please welcome Sarah and Jones. [music]
[music] [sighs]
You ready for this? We've been training for this our whole lives.
So, yeah. Let's honor some mentions. All right. Three, two, one. Slap it. Go. Below the crown. A love letter to dungeon crawlers, rogue likes, and chess. Condolume. A candle warrior fighting to keep their flame alive in a world where fire means life and death. Demon School. Defeat big weirdos in between the humans and demon worlds while navigating university life on the

mysterious island. Dreamcore. Step into the largest liinal spaces ever created in a video game. The Drifter. A web of conspiracy murder and the thousand-year obsession of a madman. The end of gameplay. Draen's attempt desperate attempt to explore the true meaning of kill gameplay. Grind set TV. God is dead. Heaven's gone. Corporate and you're a gig worker hive mind engineered for package delivery. Henry Halfad. Have you ever wanted to be a bed, an apple, or a flower? Wait no longer. Here comes Henry. [laughter] The house dreams along with them. Solve puzzles inside a strange house and make the surreal dreams of its rooms real. Is this seat taken? Window, seat, or aisle? Booth or table? Organize groups of people according to their preferences. The myth of Lumi. Dual rival magicians in card throwing showdowns to join the legendary conclave. No players online. You find an abandoned FPS game on an old computer. You decide to play it. Omega Point, a mixtape at

the end of the world. PBJ the musical. Forget Romeo and Juliet. This game tells the romance of the invention of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
I want that one.
Oh, all right. Well, go ahead. The root trees are dead. Search the internet circa 1998 and fill in the family tree of the root tree corporation. Saul Sesto drive through a randomly generated underground world in search of the sun. Sorry, we're closed. A horror game about demons, angels, and what happens when both sides collide? Strange Jigsaws. Solve strange Jigsaws. Enter the Jigsaw verse. Maybe Summit Drive. A difficult game about driving up a mountain using only your mouse.
Threshold. Don't speak. Don't run. Don't look in the train. Just do your job. It'll all be over soon.
Woo. [cheering] [applause]
Well done. Well done. Who won?
I don't know how to read this thing. I don't know how to read this.
Yeah, it's fine. Time isn't real.
Give a round of applause for everyone.

[applause]
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. All right. Bye. Bye. So, I've been doing some thinking about that murder I committed at the top of the show, and I'm coming around to the idea that maybe violence isn't the answer. So, I searched deep within myself and plumbed the depths of our show budget to resurrect Andy Shots. [cheering and applause]
Uh, hey Andy. Sorry about killing you earlier.
It's no problem. It's It's kind of hard for Andy's out there right now. Maybe you could like make it up to me, though.
Well, sure. I mean, as a Sheamus McN Prize recipient yourself, you know, it's tradition for the previous grand prize winner to pass the torch to the new winner.
Wait, wait, wait. You You're going to let me give away the the grand prize

again?
No, no, no, no. I figured you could present the presenter.
Go on, read that. Here to present the Sheamus McNal grand prize is the creator of Consumi, Jenny Xiao [screaming] Sh. Good evening. I'm Jenny Jao Sha. I have the honor tonight of announcing the nominees for the Sheamus McNal Grand Prize. Last year, my game consumed me won the Sheamus McNal Grand Prize at the 2025 Independent Games Festival Awards. [cheering] [applause]

When I initially texted my friends to tell them I'd won, almost all of them told me they were pretty sure I had misspelled Sheamus. [laughter] Future winner, heed my advice. Cherish this night. You might never experience a better opportunity to begin a text with the word actually because after tonight, hundreds of Blue Sky users will know your name. Since I won this beautiful glass truncated obelisk one year ago, zero matrades at Michelin starred restaurants have recognized me when I

asked, "Do you know who I am?" No one has given me $10 million yet, much less $3.2 million. Commenters on YouTube reviews of my game spell Sheamus wrong as frequently as they incorrectly put a hyphen between my two last names. My last name is two separate unhyenated names. And I don't have time to explain why. Yet, I go to sleep every night smiling like a clown because I know for an ice cold fact that game designers will be talking about my game to each other in private for decades [cheering]

[applause] [applause] Now, maybe you're out there right now thinking, "She doesn't look like she made a Sheamus McNal awardwinning game all by herself." First of all, that's sexist. [cheering] Second of all, you're right. I had help. Big help. My invaluably essential collaborator, AP Thompson, whose last name does not have a P in it, simply could not help himself after we won together on this stage last year. And so he went and got himself nominated again. If he wins tonight, he'll become

factually as good a game developer as Lucas Pope. On the other hand, if he wins tonight, AP would cause an immediate cosmos imploding reality paradox if he handed the award to himself. So, here I am on this big stage in this fantastic dress all alone. [cheering] [applause] Strike a pose. Wait, I wasn't supposed to say strike a pose out loud.
[applause]
The Sheamus McNal Grand Prize represents both a glorious honor and a heavy burden. And by heavy burden, I don't

just mean that college students will stop you in the street for the rest of your life to tell you that a teacher required them to play your game. [laughter] I mean, it literally weighs 6.9 lb. The IGF will provide you an 8-in long, 7-in wide, 4-in tall box in which to carry it. You might not be able to fit it in your luggage or carry-on. The TSA straight up might ask you if it's a murder weapon. If you're like me and you struggle to pack for airline travel and you got to have your McN fast, I recommend tonight's winner, FedEx the trophy to themsself overnight. It'll cost an average of $361.15

at today's rates. [laughter] That's a real calculation, by the way. I googled all the nominees. Yes, I know where you all live. In all seriousness, tonight's nominees for the Sheamus McNal Grand Prize represent the most interesting video games possible with our up tothe-minute current understanding of the medium. Tonight's nominated games demonstrate the bold work of fearless developers working on levels so far outside the box that I suspect some of them have never even heard of the box. I'll be honest with you, these games are so good that I actually played them.

[laughter] even though I technically didn't have to. Let's look at the nominees. [applause and cheering] Sheamus McNal Grand Prize. The nominees for the Sheamus McNal Grand Prize are Angelene [music] Era developed and published by Analesic Productions with special thanks to Melo [music] Santani and Marina Ayano Kataka.
Just uh it was just a playful scream.
Baby Steps developed by Gabe Kuzio, Maxi Bosch and Bennett F. Published by Deolver Digital.
Never change, Nate.
Oh yeah.
Oh yeah.
Blippo Plus. Developed by Yacht

Teleantasy Studios. Noble Robot. Published by Panic. With special thanks to John Beckt, Claire L. Evans, JJ Stratford, [music] and Mark Lacroy. How nobody can stop.
Horses developed by Andrea Lucco Bolera. Published by Sto Reion with special thanks to Petro Riy Reva, Stephano Sanitata, Alberto Putino, and Ardan Ripley. Perfect Tides, Station to Station, developed and published by 3Bs.
Titanium Court developed [music] by AP

Thompson, published by Fellow Traveler with special thanks to AP Thompson. It's getting pretty weird. And the winner is Titanium Cord. [cheering]
[applause and cheering]
Wow. Um, yeah. Wow. Oh my gosh. So, I kind of did this last year, but you have foolishly honored me twice, so I'm going

to go ahead and do it again. Uh, while I'm up here, I just want to shout out all of our friends and neighbors who couldn't be here tonight. Uh, our international friends and neighbors who cannot safely travel to this country. Our immigrant friends and neighbors who cannot safely travel inside this country. Our trans friends and neighbors who cannot safely travel after having their driver's licenses revoked overnight with no warning by a cruel and unnecessary legislative act. are friends and neighbors in places like Iran, Venezuela, or Gaza who fear for their lives on a daily basis because of cruel and unnecessary violence. [cheering] Um, [applause] I don't have any plans to stand on this stage again anytime soon. Uh, but if I ever were to do so again, I would want it to be amongst all of my friends and

neighbors safe and thriving. So, thank you very much. [cheering] [applause]
[screaming]
We've reached the end of the show, but if I never leave the stage, they cannot start the GDCAS tomorrow. It's the little known awards show filibuster. Allow me to share one last thought before we part for the night. In 2026, we continue we find ourselves continuing to ask how and why we make art at a time like this. And not only that, but how can we how dare we make art when the world is what it is and getting worse all the time. We are gathered today at great expense to ourselves. We debate every year about whether to come, wondering if we can afford to come or

afford the lost opportunities not to come. And that's not a good feeling. We shouldn't do things because we have to or because we fear loss because we if we don't do it. We should do things because we want to because it's good for us. None of us decided to make games because it was necessarily the smart decision but a necessary one to feed our creative drive. So why why are we allowed to celebrate like this when there's genocide and war and state violence on our front steps? Because we need this. Because this is our week to celebrate each other's W's, to come up for air in a world that's growing increasingly harder to survive. In a few days time, we're going home. Back to our crunch and our job uncertainty, to our funding woes and burnout. All of that will be there when you get back. But you're here now. So go on and have the best week ever. Bottle up all the positivity you can get over the next few days because you're

going to need it to keep fighting for the future we deserve. [applause] [cheering] [applause] Congratulations to all of tonight's winners and best of luck escaping next year's host. Thank you for the honor of hosting tonight from the bottom of my heart. And if you're looking for a pastry that will change your life, go to Craftsman and Wolves in the Mission and get the Rebel Within. Mom, Dad, Teddy, I love you. Rob Dubbin, you're the best. Good night. [cheering and applause]
Thanks for attending your 2026 IGF awards ceremony. Please have a safe evening. [applause]

Hey, hey, hey.
[music]

350.