Welcome to Climate Jam 2026!
A six week game jam with sprints and deliverables where we’ll make games about the challenges of our changing climate!
We once again invite game creators from around the world to make games that explore solutions to address a rapidly changing planet. Together we can make a difference!
When? July 1st through August 10th, 2026
Climate Jam 2026 runs from 10am PDT on July 1st to 10pm PDT on August 10th. Schedule times and dates may be adjusted before the beginning of the jam. Convert to your local time zone here: https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html
Where? Online
Climate Jam is an online, international game jam. Scheduled sessions with speakers will be hosted on Zoom. We will us Discord as our jam community hub. Discord instructions will be posted here when we are closer to the jam dates.
Theme? To be announced!
Climate Jam is a yearly game jam devoted to making games that raise awareness and explore solutions to address our rapidly changing planet. Any game about climate change and related issues fits the spirit of this jam, but we strongly encourage games that explore this year's main theme. Stay tuned for the this year's theme announcement.
Format? Six Weeks, Four Sprints
Climate Jam 2026 will be presented in the Greenlight Jam format; join us and work step-by-step towards a polished, releasable project!
The sprints ahead are Ideation, Prototype, Production, and Release and Marketing. To follow the spirit of the jam, we ask that you submit materials for all of the 4 sprints. Instructions will be posted when we are closer to the jam dates.
Jam Schedule
Schedule times and dates may be adjusted before the beginning of the jam.
Before the Jam:
- June 24th - June 30th: Jam Prep and Forming Teams
Run of the Jam:
- July 1st - July 7th: Sprint 1 (Ideation)
- Brainstorm and work out what you will make for Climate Jam 2026. Do not start creating your game, but work out your ideas with brainstorming, some research, and early prototyping. What are you going to make? What is the gameplay? How will the player engage? What is the fun-factor? What will it look like? Consider concept art, storyboards, mood boards, show us your aesthetic plan. Ideas about game mechanics. Provide a rough plan on how you'll create it in the time provided. Determine how your game will engage with the themes of the jam.
- Brainstorm and work out what you will make for Climate Jam 2026. Do not start creating your game, but work out your ideas with brainstorming, some research, and early prototyping. What are you going to make? What is the gameplay? How will the player engage? What is the fun-factor? What will it look like? Consider concept art, storyboards, mood boards, show us your aesthetic plan. Ideas about game mechanics. Provide a rough plan on how you'll create it in the time provided. Determine how your game will engage with the themes of the jam.
- July 8th - July 14th: Sprint 2 (Prototyping)
- Create a prototype for your game. It can be buggy, messy, and have all sorts of placeholders, but you should have the beginnings of a playable experience by the end of this sprint! This is a time where you test out the simplest versions of your core mechanics, experiment, throw stuff out. Your original concept might radically change during this sprint, and that’s okay.
- Create a prototype for your game. It can be buggy, messy, and have all sorts of placeholders, but you should have the beginnings of a playable experience by the end of this sprint! This is a time where you test out the simplest versions of your core mechanics, experiment, throw stuff out. Your original concept might radically change during this sprint, and that’s okay.
- July 15th - July 28th: Sprint 3 (Production)
- Implement what you’ve learned from Ideation and Prototyping, solidify mechanics, and flesh out your projects into fully playable games. As you build out your projects, keep in mind how each individual choice you make in game mechanics, aesthetics, and writing might further complement and engage with the themes of the jam.
- Implement what you’ve learned from Ideation and Prototyping, solidify mechanics, and flesh out your projects into fully playable games. As you build out your projects, keep in mind how each individual choice you make in game mechanics, aesthetics, and writing might further complement and engage with the themes of the jam.
- July 29th - August 10th: Sprint 4 (Polish, Promotion, and Marketing)
- Debug and polish your project for release. Make promotional materials, upgrade your project page and create a marketing plan. Prepare additional submission materials and statements for the reviewers and for internal Climate Jam use.
After the Jam:
- August 11th - August 18th: Submitter, Contributor, and Judge Voting
- August 24th - Jam Results Announced
Schedule times and dates are listed in Pacific Daylight Time. Convert to your local time zone here: https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html
Core Rules
Participants will be tasked with creating a game between 7/1/2026 and 8/10/2026, in whatever format they choose, while using the themes as guidance.
To follow the spirit of the jam, we ask that you submit something for each of the 4 sprints. Sprints 1-3 will have their own itch.io jam pages for submitting your work. Your final project will be submitted here at the end of Sprint 4.
You may also share Climate Solutions games that were made previous to the jam. These games will not be eligible for the ranking categories. Please only submit these games during the final sprint of the jam.
Climate Solutions Rubric
Our rubric for successful Climate Solutions games. Judges will rank the final end-of-jam submissions using these metrics, in addition to overall game quality releasability:
- What real scientific evidence is it based on?
- What positive climate action strategies are included?
- How engaging, experiential, and immersive is it? How does it use the capabilities of games media technology and design to its advantage?
- Does it have a realistic and accessible target audience?
- What is the solution-based call to action? And is this clear?
- How does the game inspire social connections and collaboration? In what ways does it listen to and involve the community?
Climate Solutions Compilation
Our judges will select a number of games for inclusion in the Climate Solutions Compilation, a project into which multiple jam submissions will be imported and ultimately released on Steam as a single product. Additional details and paperwork will be provided for the invited teams.
These are the new criteria for consideration:
- Must be in English
- Must own rights to all materials used
- Cannot contain inappropriate content
Eligibility does not automatically mean your project will be invited for inclusion. The final projects will be reviewed by our judges for quality, innovation, and adherence to the climate solutions rubric.
Jam Community
This year's jam will be hosted on the IndieCade Discord server. There will be mentors there to help with your creations and resources available for you to use during the jam and beyond. It is also a great place to ask questions, chat and meet other jammers. Discord instructions will be posted here when we are closer to the jam dates.
IndieCade will provide opportunities to meet other jammers and form teams closer to the jam dates.
Jam Resources
Jam resources will be provided closer to the jam dates. We’re also going to have mentors and other contributors relating to game development, climate change, and this year’s theme during the run of the jam!
Interested in being a mentor, judge, or other contributor this year? Contact us at jams@indiecade.com
Looking for inspiration? Check out last year's Climate Jam games: https://itch.io/jam/climate-jam-2025/entries
Sponsors and Partners
IndieCade Horizons
Seattle Indies
EarthGames
Interested in partnering with Climate Jam? Contact us at jams@indiecade.com
