Jam Jar - A 48 Hour Game Jam Challenge

A game jam for anyone, anywhere — part of Auckland Games Week 2026

📅 When

Saturday 26th September, 12pm — Monday 28th September, 12pm (48 hours)

🌍 Where

Fully online (Join the Discord) — open to everyone, wherever you are in the world.

👥 Teams

Teams of 2–6 people. Grab your friends, find teammates in our Discord, or team up with strangers who'll probably be friends by Monday.

What is Jam Jar?

Jam Jar is a 48-hour online game jam run as part of Auckland Games Week (AGW) 2026, in the lead-up to the New Zealand Game Developers Conference (NZGDC). Whether you're a first-time jammer or a seasoned dev, pull up a chair — there's a spot in the jar for you.

You'll have 48 hours to design, build, and submit a game around a surprise theme, working in a team of 2–6.

🎯 Theme

All good Game Jams start with a theme and Jam Jar is no different. Wither you stick to the theme like glue or try and shoe horn it in there as an after thought, however tenuous, the theme is there to guide your ideas and drive creativity.

🎳 Curve Balls

Just when you thought you had a plan — enter the Curve Balls.

Alongside the theme, we'll throw out a handful of Curve Balls: surprise game assets (a sound effect, a texture, a sprite, a music clip — could be anything) that every team must use somewhere in their game. How you use it is entirely up to you — bury it as an easter egg, or build your whole game around it.

Curve Balls will be announced, along with the theme, on the day.

🏆 Prizes & Judges

Jam Jar isn't about crowning a single winner. Instead, we're celebrating the flavour every team brings to the jar with superlative-style awards, such as:

•  Most Innovative use of Theme
•  Best use of Curveballs
•  Most egregious abandonment of Theme and/or Curve Balls
•  Strangest of the Jam
•  Game we most wish we could play a full version of

Every team has a real shot at taking home an award — it's not about the "best" game, it's about making something cool.

Games will be scored and prizes awarded by a panel of judges, to be announced closer to the jam.

✅ Who Can Enter

Anyone! Jam Jar is open to developers, artists, musicians, writers, designers, and first-timers of all skill levels, No experience necessary — just a team of 2 to 6 and 48 hours to spare.

🕹️ About Auckland Games Week

Jam Jar is proudly part of Auckland Games Week (AGW) 2026, a celebration of games and the people who make them, you can check out other AGW events here: https://aucklandmakes.games/week

 Jam Jar kicks things off online before the festivities continue in Auckland.

🗓️ Schedule

What
Sat 26 Sept, 12:00pm  - Theme announced — jam begins!
Sat 26 – Mon 28 Sept - Build your game (48 hours)
Mon 28 Sept, 12:00pm - Submissions close
Later in the week - Judging & superlative awards announced

📋 Rules

• Try to keep it to teams of 2–6 people.
• All work must be created during the 48-hour jam window (pre-existing assets/tools/engines are fine — just make sure any pre-made code or art is disclosed, and credited if its someone elses).
• Your game must incorporate the announced Curve Ball(s) somewhere — get creative with it!
• Submit your game, playable (maybe) and downloadable/playable in-browser, before the deadline.
• Be kind, be excellent to your teammates and fellow jammers.

❓ Questions?

Jump on our Discord here: https://discord.gg/ssr843MbWG