Step on up! It's time to unveil the 2026 Independent Games Festival Awards—with a quirky walking simulator sauntering to the front of the line.
Organizers of the 2026 GDC Festival of Gaming have announced this year's finalists and honorable mentions for the 28th annual IGF Awards, part of the longest-running festival, summit, and showcase celebrating independent games their creators. This year's ceremony takes place at the GDC Festival of Gaming on Wednesday, March 11 at 6:30pm PT.
Baby Steps has a leg up on the competition with five nominations in the Excellence in Audio, Excellence in Design, and Excellence in Narrative categories, as well as the Nuovo Award and Seumas McNally Grand Prize. Baby Steps is a quirky puzzle game about a hero who discovers the ultimate power... putting one foot in front of the other. It was developed by QWOP creator Bennett Foddy alongside Gabe Cuzzillo and Maxi Boch, and published by Devolver Digital.
Blippo+, a live-action channel surfing TV simulator developed by YACHT, Telefantasy Studios, and Noble Robot, is up for Excellence in Audio and Excellence in Visual Arts. Titanium Court, developed by AP Thomson and published by Fellow Traveller, is a surreal strategy game for clowns and criminals that’s a contender for Excellence in Design and Excellence in Narrative.
Both games join Baby Steps as finalists for the Nuovo Award, which honors experiences that make the awards jurors think differently about games as a medium, and the Seumas McNally Grand Prize. Angeline Era, HORSES, and Perfect Tides: Station to Station are also nominated for the coveted top prize.
This year's nominees were selected from a list of almost 800 entries, thanks to the hard work of our expert juries in each individual category, who chose the finalists after playing, discussing, and meticulously evaluating each of the games in consideration. Be sure to submit your vote for the IGF Audience Award! Voting takes place between Monday, January 12 and Sunday, January 25.
Additionally, in partnership with the IGF Awards, WINGS Interactive is excited to announce the nominees for the WINGS Award. This prestigious award highlights outstanding games where women and other gender-marginalized developers hold key positions and will be presented during the IGF ceremony.
Here is the full list of finalists for each category of the 2026 IGF Awards, along with the honorable mentions:
Best Student Game
● BubbleBeast DigiDungeon (EchoLane)
● Kiloton (Jack Morehart)
● Poco (Whalefall, Micah Boursier)
● Prší (Herdek)
● Sip Fisher (Syphon Software)
● SPRKLS.exe (PesiiDom)
Honorable Mentions: Myth of Lumi (Luminara Games, USC Games), Candellum (ISART DIGITAL), Summit Drive (Luke Kim), Grindset T.V. (Michael Overton Brown)
Excellence in Audio
● Baby Steps (Gabe Cuzzillo, Maxi Boch, Bennett Foddy, Devolver Digital)
● BALL x PIT (Kenny Sun & Friends, Devolver Digital)
● Blippo+ (YACHT, Telefantasy Studios, Noble Robot, Panic)
● Eclipsium (Housefire, CRITICAL REFLEX)
● Morsels (Furcula, Annapurna Interactive)
● Wheel World (Messhof, Annapurna Interactive)
Honorable Mentions: The Drifter (Powerhoof), Angeline Era (Analgesic Productions), Skate Story (Sam Eng, Devolver Digital), Demonschool (Necrosoft Games, Ysbryd Games), Skin Deep (Blendo Games, Annapurna Interactive)
Excellence in Design
● Angeline Era (Analgesic Productions)
● Baby Steps (Gabe Cuzzillo, Maxi Boch, Bennett Foddy, Devolver Digital)
● Öoo (NamaTakahashi, tiny cactus studio, Tsuyomi)
● Skin Deep (Blendo Games, Annapurna Interactive)
● Titanium Court (AP Thomson, Fellow Traveller)
● Time Flies (Playables, Panic)
Honorable Mentions: Strange Jigsaws (FLEB), Below The Crown (Misfits Attic, Shochiku), Is This Seat Taken? (Poti Poti Studio, Wholesome Games Presents), Henry Halfhead (Lululu Entertainment, popagenda), Type Help (William Rous)
Excellence in Narrative
● Baby Steps (Gabe Cuzzillo, Maxi Boch, Bennett Foddy, Devolver Digital)
● Perfect Tides: Station to Station (Three Bees)
● Promise Mascot Agency (Kaizen Game Works)
● Titanium Court (AP Thomson, Fellow Traveller)
● Type Help (William Rous)
● Wednesdays (The Pixel Hunt, ARTE France)
Honorable Mentions: Blippo+ (YACHT, Telefantasy Studios, Noble Robot, Panic), HORSES (Andrea Lucco Borlera, Santa Ragione), The Roottrees Are Dead (Evil Trout Inc.), Sorry We’re Closed (à la mode games, Akupara Games)
Excellence in Visual Arts
● Blippo+ (YACHT, Telefantasy Studios, Noble Robot, Panic)
● CARIMARA: Beneath the forlorn limbs (Bastinus Rex, CRITICAL REFLEX)
● Eclipsium (Housefire, CRITICAL REFLEX)
● Loco Motive (Robust Games, Chucklefish)
● Morsels (Furcula, Annapurna Interactive)
● Skate Story (Sam Eng, Devolver Digital)
Honorable Mentions: Sol Cesto (Antoine Druaux, Géraud Zucchini, Chariospirale, Goblinz Publishing), Is This Seat Taken? (Poti Poti Studio, Wholesome Games Presents), The Drifter (Powerhoof), Demonschool (Necrosoft Games, Ysbryd Games), Henry Halfhead (Lululu Entertainment, popagenda), PBJ - The Musical (kamibox)
Nuovo Award
● Baby Steps (Gabe Cuzzillo, Maxi Boch, Bennett Foddy, Devolver Digital)
● Blippo+ (YACHT, Telefantasy Studios, Noble Robot, Panic)
● HORSES (Andrea Lucco Borlera, Santa Ragione)
● Mini Mini Golf Golf (Three More Years)
● Plum Road Tea Dream (Reveal Game Studio)
● Titanium Court (AP Thomson, Fellow Traveller))
● kevin’s PLAYING in berlin (Kevin Du)
● Wednesdays (The Pixel Hunt, ARTE France)
Honorable Mentions: The End of Gameplay (droqen), No Players Online (Beeswax Games, Black Lantern Collective), The House Dreams Along With Them (Jeffrey Nordin), Type Help (William Rous), _ΩMEGA_POINT (cathroon), Dreamcore (Montraluz, Tlön Industries), Threshold (Julien Eveillé, CRITICAL REFLEX)
WINGS Award
● Ambrosia Sky (Soft Rains)
● Backpack Battles (PlayWithFurcifer, IndieArk)
● The Wandering Village (Stray Fawn Studio, Stray Fawn Publishing, Whisper Games)
● Yes, Your Grace 2: Snowfall (Brave at Night)
● 13Z: The Zodiac Trials (Mixed Realms Pte Ltd)
Seumas McNally Grand Prize
● Baby Steps (Gabe Cuzzillo, Maxi Boch, Bennett Foddy, Devolver Digital)
● Angeline Era (Analgesic Productions)
● Blippo+ (YACHT, Telefantasy Studios, Noble Robot, Panic)
● HORSES (Andrea Lucco Borlera, Santa Ragione)
● Titanium Court (AP Thomson, Fellow Traveller)
● Perfect Tides: Station to Station (Three Bees)
Honorable Mentions: Eclipsium (Housefire, CRITICAL REFLEX), Time Flies (Playables, Panic), Skate Story (Sam Eng, Devolver Digital), Skin Deep (Blendo Games, Annapurna Interactive), BALL X PIT (Kenny Sun & Friends, Devolver Digital), Demonschool (Necrosoft Games, Ysbryd Games), The Drifter (Powerhoof)
The Independent Games Festival Awards takes place Wednesday, March 11 at the 2026 GDC Festival of Gaming, and will be available to watch live for free via the GDC Twitch channel. For those eager to see the awards for themselves, make sure to buy a pass! The 2026 GDC Festival of Gaming is happening March 9-13, 2026.