Global Game Jam and Lagos Games Week are bringing together game developers from across Africa to collaborate, create, and showcase their work under the theme:

Play Without Borders

The jam aims to nurture creativity, encourage cross-border collaboration, and highlight Africa’s growing presence in game development, while also building community and visibility for Lagos Games Week.

The game jam will run from April 24 to 11 May, 2026, with winners announced on 25 May, 2026 following a two-week judging period.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Jammers may submit to the jam as long as the submission portal is open.  As stated on the page and across all other jam related promotion, the jam officially closes of May 11 (11:59 p.m. UTC-12). As we know that sometimes jammers encounter last-minute submission or upload issues, the itch.io page has a buffer built in to provide a grace period. However, because this buffer has already been built in, late submissions/requests to submit after the portal has closed (including due to issues uploading to the itch.io site) will not be accepted.

Games will be spotlighted at Lagos Games Week, 18-19 June. 

The virtual event is open to participants from any country in Africa. 

Teams can be comprised of international team members, but 75% of participants must reside on the African continent. Teams of developers from multiple countries are allowed. 

Solo devs are allowed. 

The jam is open to developers ages 18+.  [Participants under the age of 18 can take part in the jam; however, the designated prize recipient must be 18 years of age or older. If a winning solo dev or member(s) of a team is under 18, the prize must be claimed by a parent, legal guardian, or an adult teammate (18+).]

Previous participation in the Global Game Jam is not required. Participants do not need to be attending Lagos Games Week to take part. 

The jam will have a $2,500 USD cash prize pool plus in-kind prizes (including membership in Global Games Jam's Indie Studio Supporter program).  The top tabletop game will receive a $1,000 in-kind manufacturing credit from Panda Games. 

• Best Game 
• Best UEFN Game 
• Best Tabletop Game  (Supported by Panda Game Manufacturing)
• Best Mobile Game 

The jam will also recognize a top game from each participating jam country and a top Inter-African team for cross-border collaboration.

For the submission criteria and scoring rubric, go here. 

The jam will open April 24 with a special kickoff livestream on 27 April with the Lagos Games Week and GGJ teams. 

Watch the stream recording here: 

The jam will be 100% virtual. Jam communications will come through the itch.io jam page and Global Game Jam’s Discord. (Once you're in the server, check out this thread for any time sensitive updates and any questions you might have)

Join us for "Feedback Friday" on 1 May and 8 May. Post your game (or elements of your game) to the jam Discord channel and get expert feedback to help you improve your final submission.

Additional virtual jam-specific programming will be announced in April. 

Participants can use any game development they choose. 

The Pan-African Jam forms part of the broader Lagos Games Week 2026 programme, which will take place on 18-19 June, 2026 at the National Theatre in Lagos, Nigeria.

Now in its third year, Lagos Games Week is an annual trade fair for video games. Held in Lagos, Nigeria, the event continues its focus on supporting the growth of the African games ecosystem through talent development, local market activation, external development capacity, and the creation of original intellectual property. The 2026 edition will also feature participation from international publishers and studios including Focus Entertainment, Oceanview Group, and Ubisoft, alongside initiatives such as the Next Gen Summit led by Games for Change. https://lagosgamesweek.com/

The winning teams will also be highlighted at Lagos Games Week and have an opportunity to showcase their games if attending the event. 

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