The full-scale GBA game jam is back again for 2026 - just in time for the console's 25th anniversary!
You have 3 months to make something cool that runs on the Game Boy Advance.
Powerful enough to bring your visions to life, yet portable enough for emulation on any modern device, the Game Boy Advance is a perfect retro handheld system for creating homebrew games, no matter the scope. And with tons of freely available community-maintained documentation and development libraries and tools written in C, C++, Rust, Zig and other popular languages, learning to program for the GBA has never been more accessible!
Come join us on Discord or IRC for help getting started, chat with other participants and head over to gbadev.net for useful links & resources!
Join us as a sponsor, showcase your product/services and help the scene!
The current prize pool is and will be split among the top ranked entries (details). Anyone can contribute by donating.
The top winners will also receive their choice of physical prize from the pool of three GBxCart RW dumper/flasher devices courtesy of insideGadgets, a GB Operator courtesy of Epilogue, and one of 2 copies each of Discrete Orange and Kien courtesy of incube8 Games.
In submitting your entry to this jam you agree to the following:
The binary of your game (the submitted jam version) will be archived and will be kept available outside of itch.io for at least 2 years (on Homebrew Hub and on the game jam website). You may request its removal after this time period.
We claim no ownership over your game, you are free to continue developing the game after the jam deadline and do whatever you want with it (including commercializing it).
I never made a GBA game before, where do I start? There are many libraries available for many different programming languages! Check out our Getting Started guide for more info.
Can I use GB Studio? No, In previous years we allowed games made with an outdated version of GBStudio converted using GBsenpai. But for this jam we want to make games intended first and foremost for the GBA and will not be permitting GameBoy games made in GB Studio.
Can I make something that's not a game? Yes, you can make anything (demo, toy, tool, port, music cart, etc.) as long as it runs on the GBA! (i.e. the submission should include a .gba file, as this is what the judges will be testing)
Can I make a romhack? No, as it would not be possible for you to legally distribute the resulting .gba file.
Can I work in a team? Sure, if you're willing to share the prize >:) If you're looking for a partner, check out the #matchmaking channel on our Discord (or the Community tab above!)
Can I enter with something I was already working on before the start of the jam?
Generally no, but we may allow it as long as the majority of work is done during the jam.
If in doubt, please ask us before proceeding!
Examples of things that are allowed:
• A brand new game using your own existing game engine.
• A remake of your (or someone else's) game from a different platform, rewritten from scratch.
• A brand new game you barely started (e.g. you only made a title screen or a mockup of the gameplay).
Examples of things that are not allowed:
• A GBA project you've been working on for months.
• An update/patch for a game you already released publicly.
Can I submit more than one entry? Sure! The entries will be rated separately, but each person or team may only accept prizes on behalf of a single entry. (i.e. you can't win both the 1st and 2nd place prize)
If I'm a judge, can I submit an entry for fun? Yes, you and your team just won't be eligible for prizes. The prizes go to the highest-ranked entries that are not from a judge.
Can I submit a game in a language other than English? Only if the text is not important. If your entry requires players to understand text, it must be possible to play in English, as this is the only spoken language that all judges have in common.
Can I use additional/custom hardware? Technically, yes... However, as it will be unlikely the judges will have the hardware too, it means you will not be able to be judged, and thus will not eligible for prizes.
Do I have to publish my source code?
No, but doing so might earn you additional prizes!
Upon submission, you can link to a public git repo in the "Open Source Repository" field. To be eligible, we must be able to read and compile the code, and it must be licensed under an open source license (any of the "Free" licenses listed here are accepted), and assets must be licensed under a Creative Commons license.
You can find submitted entries in the GBAJam21, GBAJam22 and the GBAJam24 pages.
Judges may run entries using mGBA or NanoboyAdvance, or on GBA/NDS hardware using a recent flashcart such as the EZFlash Omega or EverDrive GBA X5, or on 3DS hardware using VC injects or open_agb_firm.
After the jam ends, each entry will be rated on the following criteria:
The winner will be determined by the entry with the highest average score in the "Overall" category.
Judges are volunteers. Details may change without prior notice.
Thanks to organizers, the gbadev community, the sponsors and everyone who donated to the prize pool!
The event is being hosted by the gbadev.net community.
