Hubs 2026/27 · The official IGDA game jam

Bring the World Cup
of game creation
to your city.

GameJamPlus happens at the same time in more than 50 countries, and in every city there's one person who opened that door. This year, that person can be you. You run your hub your way, with a global team that's been doing this for 10 years right behind you.

Official IGDA jam 50+ countries 10 years of history
Tuco, the GameJamPlus toucan mascot
The movement

This is not an event.
It is a movement that believes anywhere in the world can create games.

Closed a deal with all 5 sharks on Shark Tank Brazil The official IGDA game jam worldwide 5 active continents

In 2017, GameJamPlus started with 80 people in a room in Rio de Janeiro. Today it is the "World Cup of game creation": thousands of developers, across more than 50 countries, building at the same time.

The difference? Here the jam doesn't end when the game is done. Those 48 hours are just the start of a 6-month journey with incubation, business acceleration and an in-person Global Final.

We believe talent lives far from the big hubs. What's usually missing is structure, and structure is exactly what GJ+ brings to each city.

And the one who opens that door is the hub.

50+
Participating countries
100+
Hubs since 2017
17,500+
Participants
2,500+
Games created
The 6-month journey

It is not 48 hours.
It is 6 months.

Your hub is stage 1, the front door of a journey that carries teams from prototype all the way to an investor pitch. Every global finalist started on a weekend just like the one you'll host.

Stage 1 · 48 hours · AT YOUR HUB
Game Jam

The marathon weekend. Teams build a game from scratch plus a business plan. Whoever delivers moves on. Nobody gets eliminated in the first stage.

Stage 2 · 3 months
Incubation

Technical content: game design, balancing, narrative, market research and polish.

Stage 3 · 4 regions
Continental Semifinals

Four regions run their own semifinal: Africa, Brazil/LATAM, Asia/Oceania and Europe/North America. The winner of each region earns travel and accommodation to the Global Final.

Stage 4 · 1 month
Acceleration

Business bootcamp: pitch, monetization, funding, distribution and marketing, with publishers and investors at the table.

Stage 5 · in person · international
Global Final

In-person final with 15+ prizes and international networking. Standout local organizers get to go too, with travel covered.

Capitch, the GJ+ capybara, in a gaming chair
Real stories

Every one of these stories
started at a hub.

Amazonas · Brazil

A game created without electricity

Marina Gatto built a physical game in the Inhã-Bã village, deep in the Amazon, with no power and no computer. She won the North region, and the next edition she took a sponsored category with a board game based on a classic Brazilian children's series.

From jam to market

3,000 copies in 3 weeks

Hellbrella, a roguelite about a kitten with an umbrella born at GJ+, was released commercially and sold 3,000 copies in under 3 weeks. The jam was only the first chapter.

Costa Rica · Edition 21/22

From the jam to a funding grant

Mix It!, a cooking game by Costa Rican studio T3ampo, was born at GJ+ and won Best Sound Design. In 2025 it was picked up by Fondo El Fauno for funding. Featured in Indie Hero Magazine.

The next one can start in your city.

Real autonomy

The hub is yours.
Truly yours.

Hosting a GJ+ hub isn't "lending your space to someone else's event". You're leading the local chapter of a global movement, and the rules are built to work in your favor.

100% of local revenue is yours

Registration fees and tickets from your hub stay entirely with you. Just let the global team know.

Local sponsorship, your deal

You prospect, negotiate and manage your hub's sponsors directly. No global approval needed to close a deal.

Right-sized commitment

Your one job is the jam weekend. Every other stage is optional, and each one earns you points in the ranking if you want to go further.

Your name on the global map

Your hub picks its own name, chooses its local jury and appears on the official platform alongside hubs from 50+ countries.

Global Fellows network

Every local organizer joins the Fellows program: a direct line to organizers worldwide and to the GJ+ global team.

Trip to the Global Final

The top-ranked organizers in the Fellows program win travel and accommodation to the international Global Final.

Global support

You do not organize
this alone.

The global organization hands you the structure so your hub launches ready, even if you've never run a game jam in your life.

SUPPORT 01

Official platform

Global system for registration and game submission. You do not have to build anything technical.

SUPPORT 02

Local organizer toolbox

Manuals, editable artwork, calendar and even a commercial deck template so you can land local sponsors.

SUPPORT 03

Marketing kit

Ready-made posts, banners, save the date and videos, all translated into your language.

SUPPORT 04

Global keynote

Official opening revealing themes and categories, broadcast to every hub in the world.

SUPPORT 05

Jury support

Guidance and criteria to assemble your local jury with professionals from your region.

SUPPORT 06

Local organizer community

Dedicated Discord plus a WhatsApp group with organizers worldwide and the global team.

SUPPORT 07

Brand and official seal

The weight of a 10-year-old brand, the anniversary seal and IGDA recognition.

SUPPORT 08

Direct support

An open line to the global team by email, Discord and WhatsApp, before, during and after the jam.

Global network

Meet the hubs
that have hosted GJ+.

Hubs on 5 continents have already run GJ+. See who brought the jam to their own city, and where someone like you is still missing.

São Paulo
Brazil · Spcine
Brasília
Brazil
Rio de Janeiro
Brazil
Manaus
Brazil
Recife
Brazil
Fortaleza
Brazil · UNIFOR
Jakarta
Indonesia
Madeira
Portugal · Startup Madeira
Figueira da Foz
Portugal · Code.UP
Bengaluru
India
Mexico City
Mexico
Buenos Aires
Argentina
Bogotá
Colombia
Quito
Ecuador
Cape Town
South Africa
Nairobi
Kenya
Casablanca
Morocco
Bratislava
Slovakia
Paris
France
Madrid
Spain

+ dozens of other cities across 5 continents.
Your city is not here? Then that spot is yours.  Open my city's hub →

Who can host

If you have a community,
you have a hub.

Universities and schools

Students walk away with a certificate, portfolio work and pitch practice. And the jam can run on its own date, fitted to your academic calendar.

Innovation hubs and coworkings

A weekend that fills your space with creators, draws local press and plugs your hub into a global circuit.

Studios and companies

Recruit talent by watching people actually work for 48 hours, and put your brand right inside your region's dev community.

NGOs, collectives and communities

You do not even need a physical space: fully online hubs run on a Discord server and can gather people from several cities.

In person 100% Online Hybrid Flexible date within the edition window
Step by step

From application to jam
in 4 steps.

1

Fill in the form

It takes under 5 minutes. Tell us who you are, where you are and which hub format makes sense.

2

Welcome call

A conversation with the global team to align expectations, answer your questions and make your hub official.

3

Get the kit and spread the word

Toolbox, artwork, manuals and platform ready to go. You open registrations and mobilize your community.

4

Live the weekend

48 hours of creation in your city, and you are already part of the GJ+ global Fellows network.

Hub application

Put your city
on the 11th edition map.

Fill this in and the global team gets back to you to set up the welcome call. Applications for the 2026/27 edition are open, and once the map closes, your region could sit out another whole year.

Goes straight to [email protected]. We reply within a few business days.
Frequently asked

What every future
local organizer asks.

My city is small. Is it still worth it?

There is no such thing as a hub that is too small. There is no minimum number of teams. Every hub counts, whatever its size. A regional champion once came out of a village with no electricity in the Amazon.

I have never organized a game jam. Can I do it?

You can. You get the complete local organizer manual, the toolbox with ready-made artwork and templates, the registration platform and a network of experienced organizers on Discord and WhatsApp backing you up. Most organizers started from exactly zero.

I cannot make the global date. Is there an alternative?

There is. Hubs can run the jam on their own date within the edition window, so you can fit it into your institution's academic calendar, for example.

Can I charge for registration or tickets?

You can, and 100% of that revenue stays with your hub. You can also close local sponsorships directly, with no global approval needed.

Do I have to provide food and prizes?

Not required. Food usually comes from local supporters, and local prizes are optional. Whoever delivers a build and a pitch moves on to global Incubation either way. Opening and closing ceremonies are optional too.

What does the global organization NOT do?

Full transparency: global does not send money. Each hub manages its own resources. In exchange, you get full autonomy over revenue, tickets and local sponsorship, plus the whole structure, brand and global network with no franchise fee.

Put your city
on the 11th edition map.

Hub applications for the 2026/27 edition are open. When the map closes, it closes, and your region could sit out another whole year.

I want to be a GJ+ hub →
Be our Plus One!