Submissions open from 2026-07-30 21:59:00 to 2026-10-05 21:59:00
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IMPORTANT NOTICE ON UPLOADING ENTRIES TO THE JAM

What is the Underwater Jam?
What is the Underwater Jam?

A two months long jam dedicated solely to all things underwater!

Be it deep sea horrors, fishes, or bacteria living in a puddle down the street. As long as it primarily concerns something existing below the water surface, it counts!

You also get a few buffer days on top of those two months, to account for those times where life inevitably happens.

Rules
Rules

  1. The work must be story focused1, and feature an underwater setting. See the FAQ for specifics.
  2. Your work should be free at least for a month after the jam ends so everyone who took part can play it2.
  3. You can start working before the jam starts, or finish older projects. The goal is to have something playable by the time the jam ends.
  4. Demos, fanworks, and AUs are fine.
  5. You're free to make the work 18+, but always add the appropriate warnings.
  6. Projects confirmed to be made using generative AI or stolen assets will be removed. CC assets with credits are fine.
  7. There are no prizes or rankings3. Everyone who finished their project is a winner.
  8. Have fun :D

1 Visual Novels, Interactive Fiction, comics, stories, etc. are all good.

2 You're free to make your game paid later on, but entries released as commercial from the very beginning will be removed.

3 Seriously, it's not ranked.

How much water is enough?
How much water is enough?

Generally the rules are pretty broad and as long as a typical player could, without a doubt, consider your work to either take place mostly underwater or deal with water creatures and so on, it's fine. Octopus tentacle monsters, mermaids, discovering Atlantis, or just chilling deep diving are only some of the examples.

If you have any doubts about your entry, please refer to the FAQ. Or feel free to hit me up [Awiola] on discord/tumblr/the jam forum.

Don't know how to start?
Don't know how to start?

With an idea, of course!

I recommend checking out the FAQ, which expands upon the information below, but in short:


If you're new to visual novel, or otherwise story game development, some of the most common engines would be Ren'Py (made purely for VNs); Unity (with its many templates, like Naninovel); or Twine (perfect for some interactive fiction).

And if you're looking for a team you can always check out the jam community, one of the linked servers/sites, or gather your friends to make something. Or solo dev. Any combination is fine :D

Additional info

DevTalk — while not directly related to the creation nor hosting of this jam, it's a helpful community (on Discord) for visual novel creators that also makes finding group members for future jams easier.

Lemmasoft forums — for your Ren'Py and dev needs if you're not a fan of Discord.

Page design by Niini.

Submitted so far(20)

All submissions
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Browser playable (12)
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Windows (8)
macOS (4)
Linux (4)
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Visual Novel
Adventure
Play as a single-celled organism in the primordial soup of early Earth
Deckbuilding narrative seafaring roguelike
Card Game
Play in browser
Nothing is left of them, that’s what happens in Lake Hope.
Visual Novel
Play in browser
1-BIT SUB EXPEDITION
Simulation
Play in browser
It is up to the hunters to find and kill the witches before they go harm the town of Endicott
Visual Novel
Play in browser
MILK MILK MILK FISH
Visual Novel
Play in browser
Alone with a princess deep underwater! What will she do?
Visual Novel
EXPLORE // FIGHT // SURVIVE
Action
Play in browser
you're a jellyfish idol with an illegal night job
Visual Novel
Play in browser
it's about the journey
Role Playing
Play in browser
💀 Dive. Die. Adapt. Repeat.
Card Game
Play in browser
Left, right, left, right. From high-school lanes to Olympic gold.
Play in browser
The Utopia of Life and Death
Visual Novel
Play in browser
Open your eyes and remember.
Visual Novel
Gifted an illicit font of immortality, sink into an entangled heart and fill your friends’ cups - before you run dry.
"Odio la lluvia, también me gusta, me hace sentirme bien, pero también me hace sufrir, sonreír y llorar."
Role Playing
No ounce of serenity left in the dead and dying.
Visual Novel
Play in browser
A short psychological horror game