Spooky Game Jam 2026 is presented by Gamedev GBG & SKIP!
In this game jam, you get to make a game based on a certain theme in just a few days! After submitting your game, there will be a panel of judges who will vote on the games.
Game jams are a fun way to challenge yourself and meet like-minded individuals interested in game development. It is a safe space for creating and discussing games. The best part is that, in the end, you will have created and finished a game that you can share with friends, family, and your fellow developers. Are you new to game development and don't think you can finish a game in such a short amount of time? Well, give it a shot anyway, it's worth a try, and you'll probably learn a lot!
Please note there are no limits to the type of game you can create for the jam, as long as it fits the theme! Some examples include computer games, VR games, AR games, board games, card games, interactive experiences, and interactive stories.
Register by pressing the Join Jam button above, then join us in person at Alfons, Forskningsgången 6, 417 56 Göteborg, 2nd Floor. We look forward to your participation and to having fun at the Spooky Game Jam!
Note: To join, make sure to create or log in to an account here on itch.io.
Join our Discord server for any notifications about the jam, meet other participants and hype yourself up before the event!
Recommended group size is 5 people.
We are also hybrid-friendly; after the opening ceremony, those who wish to participate online can do so. However, please note that most awards are only given in person.
Costume Contest on Sunday!
To join and submit to the jam, please follow this quick Itch.io Guideline!
Due to the Let's Play nature of the judging, we can only really afford to spend 3-5 minutes playing each game. We recommend having a version of the game that can be played within that time limit, with an additional option for the full game experience.
So what is the Let's Play?
After the deadline, we download all the games from itch.io onto a computer and play each one for the judges and participants on a big screen and/or stream it online. Sometimes a judge will play the game.
It's the spooky jam, and so we expect some spooky cosplay!
On Sunday the 8th, we'll have a costume contest! So bring your A-game and your Spookiest selves!
CET Tmezone, UTC+01:00
17:15: Network and mingle
17:30: Welcome! Opening ceremony and theme reveal for the jam!
Happy Jamming
Team up and create games!
Costume Voting - Instructions TBC
18:00: Deadline for uploading games to the Itch.io Jam page.
~19.00: Let's Play
~21.30: Closing & Award Ceremony
Closing words and awards for each category, the overall winner and the costume contest winner!
Revealed at Opening!
The games will be rated into 5 categories: To be revealed at the Award Ceremony.
This is a short variety of game dev aspects and some fun ones! Try to be creative and stick to the theme, though!
After the submission period is over, the panel of judges will complete a Let's Play. Afterwards, the judges vote and then reveal the prize winners at the closing ceremony!
As always, we wish you all the best of luck with your games and, most importantly, make sure to have fun! :D
Please note for submissions: if you've submitted your game, do not delete it. If you delete your game, you will be unable to recover it. Making changes after submission is possible, but let us know if a bug was fixed and we have the wrong version downloaded!
Ensure your game is uploaded to itch.io if you wish to participate. For physical-based games, pictures of the board game (or other relevant materials) with the rules uploaded to an itch.io page will be sufficient. Please let us know you have a physical game so we can play it first in the Let's Play.
Please remember to upload your submission to Itch before the deadline. Otherwise, you cannot get any votes for your game!
Winners of each category will receive a special note at the top of this game jam page and be given special tags in our Discord server! However, that will not be all; we have special awards for the category winners, the overall winner, and the costume contest winner!
