Cute Girls Doing Cool Things VN Jam 2026
Summer’s here! You’ve got 2 months to create the ultimate summer blockbuster visual novel… starring cute girls?!
Banner art by Neo.
Permanent Theme:
Summer Blockbuster
ft. Cute Girls
Summer blockbusters are big-budget films known for fast action, famous stars, and breathtaking special effects. They're released during the summer, when families have more free time and cinemas can sell more seats.
Some prompts you could see in a summer blockbuster include, but are not limited to:
- Crime & Heists: secret agents or spies, bank or casino heists, cops and robbers, hackers, treasure hunting
- Worldwide Catastrophes: zombie apocalypse, alien invasion, saving the world
- Intense Action: car chases, martial arts or gunfights, big explosions
- and so much more...
Now, who better to star in these high-stakes scenarios than a cast of cute girls? The fun lies in the contrast between the danger and the adorable moe designs. They can be badass one moment and silly the next, highlighting both their cool and cute sides.
Rules
(click for more details)
Submissions must be visual novels.
VN hybrids are also allowed as long as the main game is identifiable as a visual novel. Please consider the narrative relevance before adding any minigames, and accessibility options to make them easier or skippable (e.g. Story Mode).
Submissions must be made in their entirety between the jam's running period of June 1st–August 3rd.
You are permitted to create concept art, written outlines, and build teams prior to the start date.
Tag your game with content warnings appropriately.
Spoilers aren't an excuse. Let players know what they're getting into, especially any sensitive content.
Include a thumbnail, and screenshots on your game page.
Show players a preview of what they're getting into, and confidence that what they're downloading is a visual novel and not a virus or spam.
No sexual content, gore or self-harm.
This type of content doesn't fit the mass-appeal energy of the theme. Keep it fun for the whole family! (But imagine your family was really cool.)
Death, blood, and violence are acceptable as long as it's not too graphic. If it can be shown in theatres or be livestreamed, then you're good.
Pre-existing resources are permitted as long as they are also available for usage/purchase by all other participants at the time the jam starts.
You are welcome to use pre-existing, pre-packaged assets to help supplement your development to ease the burdens of skill and time.
If these are resources you have personally made, they must be available at least 30 days prior to the start of the jam.
For example, if you make generic tools and assets for the community, of course you can use them in your own project. Just don't try to be cheeky and pre-release a mechanic or assets you fully intend to use specifically for your submission.
No generative AI usage in any aspect of your project.
Humans must illustrate, write, program, etc every part of your submission! Be mindful if you are using third party assets as per the previous rule, as this extends to 3rd party assets.
Your jam submissions must be made freely available during the month of August!
Let's keep the submissions available for everyone during the rating period! You're welcome to charge for your submissions later.
FAQ
Do all my characters have to be girls?
You can include non-girl characters, as long as the main cast consists of cute girls. There are no restrictions on who can identify as a girl or what that word means to you, as long as you're being sincere.
What does CGDCT stand for?
CGDCT is usually short for Cute Girls Doing Cute Things, but this jam follows the Rule of Cute. Anything is cute as long as cute girls are doing it (even if it involves loading heavy artillery), so we changed the second “Cute” to “Cool”.
Can I include dark, mature themes and settings?
Making your girls suffer in a cruel, brutal world is part of the fun, but it should have a relatively hopeful message in the end, even if sacrifices had to be made along the way. Cuteness must prevail.
Can I submit demos and WIPs?
You can, but aim to make something you can finish during the jam. Try not to crunch or overscope.
Can I make a fangame of an existing IP?
IP law is complicated, and we don't want you risking getting into legal trouble. You must follow the official IP Guidelines for fangames of your chosen IP. If you can't find them, then you cannot submit your fangame to this jam.
For example, Doki Doki Literature Club has official guidelines for fan content. You must follow them if you wish to submit a DDLC fangame.
