It's that time of year again! We're so excited to have you here for UC Davis Fall 2026 Game Jam!

Q&A

What is a game jam? It's a timed event where you make a game to fit a certain theme. It's basically a hackathon, but for games in particular. Many popular commercial projects began as game jam prototypes! 

Do I need to know anything about games or making games? No! We don't even care if you've never played a game! A lot of people create their first games at game jams, as it is a low stakes environment! 

Can I make an analog game (i.e. board game)? Yes!

Where do I attend? We will have full access to the Open Lab and Alt + Ctrl Lab in Cruess Hall during the event!

Rough event schedule outline:

• 5:30PM Friday, October 16th: Opening Ceremony! Join us in person or online for icebreakers, the theme reveal, pitch brainstorming, and team formation!
• Saturday, October 17th: Doors open 10AM-10PM!
• 5:30PM Sunday, October 18th: Closing Ceremony. GDAC will showcase games submitted to the game jam, and you can play the games made by your fellow jammers!

NOTE: We have not finalized the events for each day, but you can expect the times to stay consistent!

For announcements, PLEASE JOIN OUR DISCORD!!! If anything https://linktr.ee/gdacdavis!

If you need to miss any part of it, absolutely no worries. Just make sure you stay active on Discord to find a team (check the Google Sheets that will be available in the GDAC Fall 2026 Game Jam category) and communicate with them throughout the weekend.