The Norwich Games Festival is back! Between 23 - 30 May 2026, the Festival promises eight days of fantastic events, workshops, talks, and free interactive activities for everybody to enjoy.
Norwich Games Festival is presented by The Forum, Norwich with Lead Partner Norwich University of the Arts, and Partner Connected Innovation. Norwich Games Festival features lots of hands-on game play, including retro arcades and VR experiences, as well as industry events.
The game jam will happen over two full weeks and two weekends. Everyone can work on and finish a game, no matter if you're a weekend warrior, participating in the evenings after university or college, or you are jamming every day.
Create and finish a game your way, while taking regular breaks and working at a sustainable pace. This no-crunch game jam aims to support physical and emotional wellbeing and encourages rest and having fun. You have two weeks, so pace yourself and keep healthy.
Theme announcement, finding team members, and regular check-ins will be happening on Game Anglia's Discord.
The theme will be announced on the 11th of May at 9:00AM, when the game jam starts.
The Game Anglia team at NGF Jam 2025
🎨 Address the theme announced on the morning of the game jam
🖱⌨ Be playable with a mouse and keyboard as no controllers will be present for the showcase
🧒 Be suitable for players aged 7 years old and above (rating PEGI 7)
📒 Have detailed instructions on how to play game present on the game's page or present in the game. They should be targeted at the public (i.e. folks who may have never played a game before)
🌍 Be playable on itch.io. We will not showcase games that are not playable in-browser, on itch, even if submitted as web pages.
This is to ensure that everyone visiting the Norwich Games Festival can play the games.
👯 Your team should be no more than 5 people, and you can participate as a solo developer
🛠️ The development of your game must not start before the game jam start date
🔡 You can use Asset Store assets and pre-made frameworks (e.g. a start menu framework), but not continue work on games you were already developing
🤖 Do not use any AI-generated assets
🌅 Your game must address the theme in some way. If the judges do not believe your game addresses the theme at all, we may choose not to showcase your game.
All eligible games will be showcased at the Norwich Games Festival, between 26 - 30 May.
At least 1 member can be present at Norwich Games Festival for the awards ceremony on the 30 May 2026. If no team member can be present for the awards ceremony, we reserve the right to not showcase your game and not consider it for an award.
A selected group of professionals from the video games industry will judge the games, and winners will be announced at a live award ceremony during the Festival on Saturday 30 May 2026.
Judges' Choice – The best game voted for by a panel of games industry experts.
Game of the Show - The best game voted for by attendees of Norwich Games Festival.
Best Use of Theme- The game which most matches the game jam's theme, voted for by a panel of games industry experts.
Folklore
Game Anglia supports young people and independent game developers in the East of England get the connections, skills and experience needed to succeed in the UK-wide and international game development industry. Since our first conference in 2017, we have helped over 2,000 young people, assisted in the creation of 5 studios, and showcased 56 games.
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