Welcome to the Unreal Boss Encounter Jam!
This is a relaxed Unreal Engine game jam about creating a small playable game built around a memorable boss-style challenge.
You do not need to wait for an official start date to begin. You can join the Discord, find a team, plan your game, write your GDD, prototype ideas, and start building right away.
The official timeline is mainly for submissions, voting, showcase, and results.
[Engine]
Unreal Engine only.
[Team Size]
Minimum 2 people. Solo submissions are not allowed.
[Genre]
Any genre is allowed. Third-person action is encouraged, but not required.
[Official Jam Period]
2026-07-15 18:31:31 to 2026-08-17 18:33:01
July 15, 2026, 18:31:31 to August 17, 2026, 18:33:01
[Gameplay Video]
Required. Recommended length is 5 to 20 minutes.
[GDD]
Required. Any kind of GDD is allowed, but it must exist.
[Downloadable Build]
Optional.
[Prizes]
No prizes. This jam is for collaboration, feedback, showcase, voting, and recognition.
Create a small playable Unreal Engine project built around four soft pillars:
Each submitted project should include all four pillars, but they do not need equal polish.
Do not worry about making every pillar equally big.
A team can make a game where the boss fight is the main focus and the other pillars are smaller. Another team can focus on traversal, puzzles, obstacles, progression, arena hazards, or balance all four pillars evenly.
As long as all four pillars are present in some form, your project fits the jam.
[Pillar 1: Boss Encounter]
There must be a boss encounter.
The main encounter does not have to be traditional combat. It can be a duel, chase, puzzle, survival challenge, timed arena, obstacle-course set-piece, traversal challenge, platforming trial, or something more experimental.
The important thing is that there is a clear main challenge that feels memorable, readable, and central to the game.
[Pillar 2: Smaller Enemies / Lesser Threats]
There should be smaller threats that support the gameplay.
These do not have to be traditional enemies. They can be weak monsters, minions, turrets, waves of enemies, traps, puzzles, hazards, arena dangers, obstacle mechanics, or anything else that adds pressure, variety, or interesting decisions.
You can bend this pillar however you like.
[Pillar 3: Obstacle Course / Traversal Challenge]
There should be movement, positioning, or level-flow gameplay.
This can include platforming, dodging hazards, parkour, climbing, traps, moving platforms, arena navigation, boss arena positioning, or any other gameplay where space and movement matter.
The player should have to move, dodge, navigate, or position themselves in an interesting way.
[Pillar 4: Character Progression]
There must be some form of player progression.
The player should feel that they grow, unlock, improve, adapt, or gain mastery through the game.
Progression can come from abilities, upgrades, weapons, checkpoints, temporary buffs, skill choices, better movement options, or learning-based progression through gameplay mechanics.
Progression does not need to be complex. It just needs to make the player feel some kind of growth or improvement.
[Engine]
Projects must be made in Unreal Engine.
[Team Size]
Teams must have at least 2 people.
Solo submissions are not allowed.
You can use the Discord server to find teammates.
[Genre]
Any genre is allowed.
Third-person action games are encouraged, but not required.
[Assets]
Marketplace, Fab, and other asset packs are allowed.
Reused assets from old projects are also allowed.
This includes art, animations, audio, VFX, UI assets, Blueprint systems, code, plugins, and modules from previous projects.
[Plugins]
Plugins are allowed.
[Large Templates and Frameworks]
Large templates and frameworks are discouraged, but allowed.
If your team uses a large template or framework, it must be disclosed in the submission.
[Gameplay Ability System]
The Gameplay Ability System is encouraged, but not required.
[AI Use]
AI tools are allowed, but the project should be primarily human-made.
AI may be used for support tasks such as idea generation, concept art, placeholder art, animation assistance, voice, code assistance, and writing.
Teams may optionally describe how AI was used in their submission.
The core idea, design, and creative direction should come from the team.
[Project Originality]
The submitted project should be made for this jam.
It cannot be an old project that you simply continue and submit as-is.
However, you may reuse code, assets, Blueprint systems, plugins, modules, tools, and other work from previous projects.
[Start Right Away]
You can join and start preparing right away.
Before the official jam start date, teams may find teammates, plan their game, write a GDD, prototype ideas, and start building the Unreal project.
[What Counts as Building]
Planning does not count as building.
Writing ideas, making a GDD, forming a team, collecting references, and discussing the project do not count as build time.
Build time starts when the team begins working on the Unreal Engine project itself.
[Why This Rule Exists]
This rule is meant to keep things transparent, not to punish teams for starting early.
You can begin forming teams, planning, and building right away.
[Official Jam Start]
2026-07-15 18:31:31
July 15, 2026, 18:31:31
[Submission Deadline]
2026-08-17 18:33:01
August 17, 2026, 18:33:01
[Voting Period]
2026-08-17 18:33:01 to 2026-08-24 18:34:07
August 17, 2026, 18:33:01 to August 24, 2026, 18:34:07
[Results and Showcase]
2026-08-24 18:34:07
August 24, 2026, 18:34:07
After submissions close, there will be a project showcase on Discord and itch.io, one week of submitter-only voting, and a category-based results reveal.
[Required Submission Info]
Each submission must include:
[Project Build Duration]
Project build duration means the amount of time your team spent building the Unreal Engine project.
Planning, team formation, GDD writing, references, and discussion do not count as building.
Build time starts when work begins inside the Unreal Engine project.
[YouTube Gameplay Video]
A YouTube gameplay video is required.
Recommended length: 5 to 20 minutes.
The video should show the actual gameplay clearly.
[GDD]
A GDD is required.
Any kind of GDD is allowed, but it must exist.
It can be short, long, simple, detailed, text-based, visual, or one-page.
It should explain the basic idea of the game, the main mechanics, and how the four jam pillars are used.
[Downloadable Build]
A downloadable build is optional.
If you provide a build, you can use an external file-sharing link such as WeTransfer, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, or a similar file-sharing service.
[Discord Submission]
In the Discord submission channel, post:
[Itch.io Submission]
On itch.io, submit:
[Voting Access]
Voting will be submitter-only.
Only people who submitted a project to the jam will be able to vote.
[Official Voting]
Official voting happens on itch.io during the voting period.
To vote, open the jam page on itch.io, browse the submitted projects, watch the gameplay videos, optionally download builds, and submit your ratings through the itch.io voting system.
[Discord Showcase and Reactions]
Discord will be used for showcase, discussion, reactions, and feedback.
Teams can post their showcase videos in Discord, and participants can react, comment, and discuss the projects there.
Discord reactions are for community feedback and showcase activity. Official voting results will come from itch.io voting.
[Voting Duration]
Voting will last one week after submissions close.
[Voting Goal]
Projects will be rated by category.
The goal is not to punish unfinished parts, but to recognize what each project does well.
[Voting Categories]
Boss Encounter:
How fun, readable, creative, and memorable is the main challenge?
Smaller Enemies / Lesser Threats:
How well do smaller enemies, minions, traps, hazards, turrets, puzzles, obstacles, or other lesser threats support the gameplay?
Obstacle Course / Traversal Challenge:
How interesting is the movement, positioning, arena flow, platforming, dodging, navigation, or obstacle design?
Character Progression:
How meaningful is the player’s growth, upgrades, abilities, weapons, choices, adaptation, or mastery?
[Results Format]
This jam will not have just one winner.
Instead, projects will be celebrated by what they do best.
Some teams might create an amazing boss fight. Others might shine through traversal, enemy design, puzzle design, obstacle design, character progression, or overall presentation.
At the end of the voting period, we will reveal category-based results inspired by the four main jam pillars.
[Spotlight Categories]
Boss Encounter Spotlight:
For the project with the most memorable, creative, readable, or exciting main encounter.
Smaller Enemies / Lesser Threats Spotlight:
For the project where smaller enemies, minions, traps, hazards, puzzles, obstacles, or lesser threats support the gameplay in the most interesting way.
Obstacle Course / Traversal Spotlight:
For the project with the strongest movement, arena flow, platforming, dodging, navigation, or traversal challenge.
Character Progression Spotlight:
For the project where the player’s growth, upgrades, abilities, choices, or mastery feel the most meaningful.
[Prizes]
There are no prizes.
This jam is for making cool Unreal Engine games, meeting other developers, building portfolio pieces, getting feedback, showcasing projects, and helping teams continue their games beyond the jam.
[Join]
Join the Discord, find a team, start planning, and begin building when your team is ready.
