GDS Game Jam 2026

About GDS Prague Game Jam 2026

GDS Prague Game Jam 2026 is a 48 hours game development hackathon, which will happen on 4th December - 6th December, organized by Gamedev at Charles University in cooperation with the GDS team. Anybody can sign up and compete for a prize and for fun. The GDS GAME JAM is a great place for you to meet new friends, acquire new skills, try out new ideas, be creative and have a good time in a fantastic atmosphere. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned game developer, you are welcome at GDS GAME JAM.

This year's main partner and sponsor is Charles Games, who will have members present at the jam, so you can stop by and chat with them!

Anybody can sign up and compete for honor and fun. Game jams are here to bring people of various skills keen on game development together; an opportunity to meet new friends, acquire new skills, try out new ideas, and be creative. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned game developer, GDS Prague Game Jam 2026 is for you. Top three teams will get free access to the Game Developer's Session, where the final winner will be announced!

Our game jams are open to anyone willing to create a video game. We are glad that the atmosphere at our site is friendly and all participants share their experience and help each other to develop a game. Furthermore, game development lecturers and industry professionals will be available on-site to help you solve your issues during development.

At the end of the jam, all participants will be able to vote for their favourite game from the jam receiving a PEOPLE’S AWARD of GDS Prague Game Jam 2026!

When, where, for whom?

  • 4th December - 6th December 2026 (Friday – Sunday)
  • Itch.io as the main gamejam platform and detailed info
  • GDS Prague Discord Channel as a main communication platform (pick the Game Jammer 2026 role)
  • The game jam is opened for everybody and is completely free!

The game jam will be hosted by Gamedev at Charles University at the Malá Strana building on Malostranské náměstí 25, Prague. We will provide each participant with a comfortable seat for work, internet access, basic kitchen appliances, and some refreshments to enjoy the jam and really focus on the game and collaboration with your friends and colleagues.

How to register

The jam capacity is limited to 150 participants and the on-site capacity is limited to 100 participants. To register and claim an on-site spot, you need to complete BOTH steps:

  1. Join the jam on Itch.io
  2. Fill out the registration form

Completing only one step does NOT secure your on-site spot! Make sure ALL your team members complete both steps. This table has an overview of the registrations and on-site spots.

Join the Jam on Itch.io Registration Form

GDS Prague Game Jam 2026, 4. 12. - 6. 12. 2026, co-hosted by Charles Games

Facilities provided

  • Toasters, kettles and elementary dishes
  • 20 comfortable floating beds (if you take a sleeping bag, it is easy to get some sleep in one of the empty rooms)
  • Showers
  • Working space

Prizes

Nothing can replace the feeling of creating and experimenting with something new. However, we will still like to give some form of feedback and appreciation for your creations. All participants will receive a discount code for the GDS Prague 2026 festival. Beyond that, there are several prizes available for participants in two categories:

  • GDS Prague Game Jam 2026 Best Game Award (as voted by the panel of judges) - top three teams in this category will receive the certificate signed by our jury and tickets to GDS Prague 2026. The top team will be announced at the GDS Prague 2026 festival. What will be the main prize will be announced at the opening speech of the jam.
  • The People’s Award of GDS Prague Game Jam 2026 (as voted by participants) - will be announced and receive a signed certificate from organisers and more. What will be the prize will be announced at the opening speech of the jam.

Voting

All participants who will submit a game or who will be contributors to some submission may vote on the games. Note that you will NOT be able to update your submissions during the voting period to ensure fairness! Although, you can still modify your webpage however you want.

There will be 7 categories for ranking the games:

  • Overall impression (PRIMARY CATEGORY)
  • Theme (is the game related to the theme?)
  • Innovation (gameplay is innovative?)
  • Fun (game is fun to play?)
  • Controls (game controls are snappy, easy to play with?)
  • Visuals (nice looking game?)
  • Music & Sounds (nice audio in the game?)

Rules

Max team size - 4 jammers; join the jam; submit your game on time to itch.io! The build must run either on Windows 11 based computer and/or Android 14+ mobile device; if you're targeting WebGL, make sure to make it compatible with at least one of the mentioned devices.

Especially note that as a part of submission, you're required to add a 1-2 min gameplay video to your itch.io submission page and fill out this form before Monday 7th December 2026 (23:59 CET) to be eligible to compete for the prizes.

Festival is organized by Eventia s.r.o. and Active Radio a.s. The official ticket seller is Eventia s.r.o. Terms & Conditions (CZ)
Project is executed with the financial support of the City of Prague
Financed by EU Národní plán obnovy Ministerstvo kultury Financed by European Union – Next Generation EU