Submissions open from 2027-08-11 17:00:00 to 2027-08-15 17:00:00
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GMTK Game Jam 2027

GMTK Game Jam is an annual game making marathon, where individuals and teams try to make a game that fits a theme, in a super short time period.

Each year thousands of games are submitted as designers improve their skills, flex their creative muscles, and try to get their game featured on Game Maker’s Toolkit. You can see (and play!) the past winners here. 

Some games even go on to be full games, released on Steam or console. You can see the full list on Backloggd.

Quick Links


Discord Bluesky YouTube


Voting categories

This jam has five voting criteria:

  • Creativity
  • Enjoyment
  • Narrative
  • Artwork
  • Audio

There is no "overall" ranking that combines all of these scores. So please don't feel like your game needs to be perfect in all of these categories!

After the jam is over, GMTK host Mark Brown will play some of the entries and make a video about his favourites in a video on Game Maker's Toolkit.

Rules

GMTK Game Jam has 6 rules that must be followed to make sure the jam is fair, fun, and accessible to as many people as possible.

🕒
Your game must be made during the jam
The joy of a jam is that everyone starts making their game at the same time! So only start making your game when the countdown is over and the theme is revealed.
That being said: you may use any pre-existing code, art and audio assets you have the legal right to use. But you shouldn't make stuff ahead of time that is specifically for this jam.
💰
Your game must be free
Voters must be able to try your game without paying money.
💾
Your game must run on Windows, with keyboard and mouse
You should have a version that works on Windows (either in browser or as a download). And you shouldn't require the player to download any additional software, or own any additional hardware beyond a keyboard and mouse. 
If you want to also provide a Mac build and controller support... that's fine! But only if you've got a Windows build that works with a keyboard and/or mouse.
🔗
Your game must be uploaded to itch.io
You shouldn't upload it somewhere else and then link to it from your game's page. 
This is because new uploads to itch are locked during the voting period to ensure that you can't change or improve your game after the jam ends. We cannot guarantee this if your game is hosted anywhere else!
☠️
Your game must be safe for work (SFW)
Please avoid strong language, excessive gore, and suggestive content. And definitely don't include any nudity, or hateful language or visuals.
Think PEGI 16 or T for Teen and you'll be good.
🤖
Your game must not use AI generated art or audio assets
Do not use generative AI tools to make the art or audio for your game, or your itch.io thumbnail. If you're not much for an artist or musician please find some pre-existing assets (see "tools and assets" below), or work with another user (see our team finder website).

Useful stuff

Other details

The GMTK Game Jam is an online game jam, so it's open to anyone, from anywhere, of any age.

If you're under the age of 13, a parent or guardian should upload the game.

There is no limit on the number of people per team, and people can be in multiple teams. You can submit more than one game.

Only one person needs to join itch.io and submit the game. However, if others on the team also join itch.io, they can be tagged as contributors. (On your game's itch page, pick "Edit", "More", "Admins", and follow the instructions). 

You can use any game engine you like. Godot, Unity, and Game Maker are popular choices.

The itch upload limit is 1GB. You can compress your game as a ZIP, RAR, or 7Zip file (ZIP is preferred). You can also upload larger files via Butler if you really need to.

You can have online features like multiplayer servers and leaderboards - but files hosted outside of itch.io must not be modified or updated during the voting period - with the only exception being to ensure compliance with itch.io rules (i.e. removing a rule-breaking leaderboard name).

Tools and assets

Here are some places where you can find art, fonts, music, and sound effects for your games.

Many of the assets are eligible for use in the jam but check the license before using and provide credit in your game’s description!

Art

Fonts

Audio

Tools

Academic certificate

Some academic institutions require students to perform extracurricular work. You may be able to use your time in the GMTK Game Jam for this. If so, you can request an official certificate from the jam's organiser, after the jam is finished. Click here to request one.

The legal bit

- Anything you make during the GMTK Game Jam is your property. GMTK claims no rights or ownership of your game. 

- Any game submitted to the GMTK Game Jam may show up in a GMTK YouTube video without your express permission.

Game Maker's Toolkit