Special Report
Nominees for the 2026 Independent Games Festival Award
With the Game Developers Conference a few months away, organizers have revealed the finalists for the 2026 Independent Games Festival Awards.
With the Game Developers Conference a few months away, organizers have revealed the finalists for the 2026 Independent Games Festival Awards. These are the nominees selected for each respective category that stood out among the many titles that launched in 2025. The winners will be announced during the award ceremony on March 11th at 6:30 pm PT.
This year, Baby Steps by Gabe Cuzzillo, Maxi Boch, and Bennett Foddy leads with five nominations. Meanwhile, Blippo+ and Titanium Court are each nominated for four awards. Blippo+ is a live-action channel surfing TV simulator developed by YACHT, Telefantasy Studios, and Noble Robot. Titanium Court is a surreal strategy game for clowns and criminals that was developed by AP Thomson and published by Fellow Traveller.
The Nominees
The following are the nominees for the 2026 Independent Games Festival Awards, organized based on their respective categories:
Best Student Game
- BubbleBeast DigiDungeon (EchoLane)
- Kiloton (Jack Morehart)
- Poco (Whalefall, Micah Boursier)
- Pršà (Herdek)
- Sip Fisher (Syphon Software)
- SPRKLS.exe (PesiiDom)
Excellence in Audio
- Baby Steps (Gabe Cuzzillo, Maxi Boch, Bennett Foddy, Devolver Digital)
- BALL x PIT (Kenny Sun & Friends, Devolver Digital)
- Blippo+ (YACHT, Telefantasy Studios, Noble Robot, Panic)
- Eclipsium (Housefire, CRITICAL REFLEX)
- Morsels (Furcula, Annapurna Interactive)
- Wheel World (Messhof, Annapurna Interactive)
Excellence in Design
- Angeline Era (Analgesic Productions)
- Baby Steps (Gabe Cuzzillo, Maxi Boch, Bennett Foddy, Devolver Digital)
- Öoo (NamaTakahashi, tiny cactus studio, Tsuyomi)
- Skin Deep (Blendo Games, Annapurna Interactive)
- Titanium Court (AP Thomson, Fellow Traveller)
- Time Flies (Playables, Panic)
Excellence in Narrative
- Baby Steps (Gabe Cuzzillo, Maxi Boch, Bennett Foddy, Devolver Digital)
- Perfect Tides: Station to Station (Three Bees)
- Promise Mascot Agency (Kaizen Game Works)
- Titanium Court (AP Thomson, Fellow Traveller)
- Type Help (William Rous)
- Wednesdays (The Pixel Hunt, ARTE France)
Excellence in Visual Arts
- Blippo+ (YACHT, Telefantasy Studios, Noble Robot, Panic)
- CARIMARA: Beneath the forlorn limbs (Bastinus Rex, CRITICAL REFLEX)
- Eclipsium (Housefire, CRITICAL REFLEX)
- Loco Motive (Robust Games, Chucklefish)
- Morsels (Furcula, Annapurna Interactive)
- Skate Story (Sam Eng, Devolver Digital)
Nuovo Award
- Baby Steps (Gabe Cuzzillo, Maxi Boch, Bennett Foddy, Devolver Digital)
- Blippo+ (YACHT, Telefantasy Studios, Noble Robot, Panic)
- HORSES (Andrea Lucco Borlera, Santa Ragione)
- Mini Mini Golf Golf (Three More Years)
- Plum Road Tea Dream (Reveal Game Studio)
- Titanium Court (AP Thomson, Fellow Traveller)
- kevin’s PLAYING in berlin (Kevin Du)
- Wednesdays (The Pixel Hunt, ARTE France)
Seumas McNally Grand Prize
- Baby Steps (Gabe Cuzzillo, Maxi Boch, Bennett Foddy, Devolver Digital)
- Angeline Era (Analgesic Productions)
- Blippo+ (YACHT, Telefantasy Studios, Noble Robot, Panic)
- HORSES (Andrea Lucco Borlera, Santa Ragione)
- Titanium Court (AP Thomson, Fellow Traveller)
- Perfect Tides: Station to Station (Three Bees)
More to Come
The 2026 Independent Games Festival Awards will take place alongside the Game Developers Choice Awards on March 11th at the Moscone Convention Center during the Game Developers Conference. The award is open to anyone who has a GDC pass.
8Bit/Digi is an independent media outlet that provides insight into the video game community and industry of the San Francisco Bay Area.
Daniel Roden Clark
Daniel Roden Clark is a Vancouver-based audio designer who loves playing RPGs and tweaking modular synthesizers.
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