Welcome to the 9th edition of inkJam!This is an annual community-organized jam all about ink, a versatile scripting language for narrative games. If you're a writer it's one of the most accessible tools to get into creating interactive fiction. If you're a dev it gives you a massively increased scope in the story structures available to you. Is inkJam associated with ink's creators, Inkle Studios? No, but we love using it to tell stories.
This is an online jam, but if you'd like to create and host an in-person hub then get in touch via the Inkle discord.
This is a week long jam set up to accommodate participants across time-zones. Times are given in CAT/CEST
Jam Start & Theme Announcement: 15th August 2026
Jam Ends & Submissions Close: 24th August 2026
Voting Closes: 1st September 2026
Your submission MUST...
👍 ...use ink. 👍 ...be created during inkJam. 👍 ...have a reachable End State. No soft-locks. No game-breaking bugs. Test your game! 👍 ...credit all contributors. 👍 ...declare any assets used.
Your submission must NOT...
👎...express hateful or bigoted ideologies. 👎...violate the creative rights of anyone else. 👎...contain NSFW This is a more nuanced point than can easily be summed up in four letters. Nudity, profanity, sex, violence etc. have a place in art and entertainment. So instead of a blanket ban, any NSFW material MUST be marked as such so that participants can choose to engage with it or not. 👎 ... use Generative AI or LLMs to write or edit the game's content.
Your submission SHOULD...
🙏 ...be playable without additional downloads. 🙏 ...include all the information required to understand and play it. 🙏 ...be in English to be accessible to the most voters.
inkJam is an event where everybody should feel welcome and safe, no matter who they are. No hateful comments, language or visuals will be tolerated. Both in the games submitted, and the communication platforms used during the event. All submissions should have Content Warnings where appropriate
INK must be used to make the submission. It does NOT have to be the only tool used. (We mean ink the narrative scripting language, not the runny black stuff - which you can use if you want.)
The submission must be created during the period of the jam.
Pre-made assets including code, art, plug-ins, music etc. may be used but MUST be declared in the game description. Credit where credit is due folks.
On Generative AI: While we understand that, practically, it can be difficult to ensure your games are entirely AI free, we ask you that, to the best of you knowledge, you've avoided using it for the jam.
Also, look, a list of resources you can use to make stuff faster!
ink resources on the Inkle Homepage: https://www.inklestudios.com/ink/
Join the community on inkle's Discord server, where a dedicated channel has been created: the Inkle discord
Atrament: https://atrament.ink/
Visual Ink: https://visualink.mavnn.eu/
Poink & Clink: https://github.com/averyhiebert/poink-and-clink
Visual Novel Ink Template: https://joshgrams.itch.io/ink-vn-lite
Calico Web Engine: https://elliotherriman.itch.io/calico
A Bitsy-like tool for ink https://smwhr.github.io/binksi/
Collection of Ink Resources on Itch: /c/3743463/ink
A tester for ink: https://github.com/wildwinter/Ink-Tester
Web template for Ink: https://remy-vim.itch.io/ink-template
🔹What is the theme?
🔸The theme is Let That Sink in
🔹When does it begin?
🔸The jam began on Saturday 15th August 2026.
🔹Who can enter?
🔸Anyone, anywhere. Alone or as part of a team.
🔹Must I ONLY use ink?
🔸NO! As long as you are using ink in a way or another, you can use absolutely anything!
🔹Should I write my game in English?
🔸You can write in any language you like. Though, keep in mind that fewer people will probably be able to try a game only available in French or Czech than one available in English.
🔹Do I have to write everything during the Jam?
🔸Entries for the ranked competition MUST be written during the Jam. Though we also invite showcase entries. Anything written using ink in the last 12 months can be submitted as a showcase entry for others to play and enjoy.
🔹Where can I find help?
🔸You can join the community on inkle's Discord server, where a dedicated channel has been created.
The inkJam is not associated with inkle.
Anything produced during inkJam is the property of the creators. (Of the thing, not of inkJam or ink.)
Any violation of copyright or terms of service by a team is the responsibility of that team alone.
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