It’s been an absolute bumper year for Australian Games with some massive hits like Mixtape and Hollow Knight: Silksong both reaching the world stage. With MIGW closing in, the 2026 AGDA’s will of course, be returning only this year, IGEA has adjusted the format. Opting instead for an earlier presentation, which will take place as a closing ceremony for the GCAP conference. RIP AGDA’s dancefloor – you will be missed.
Hosts Jordan Raskopoulos and Lee Naimo will also be returning, and they’ve even promised to make the ceremony even more efficient after speed-running last year’s ceremony.
After several rounds of judging by their peers, the nominations for the 2026 AGDA’s have been revealed. Notably, Hollow Knight: Silksong is absent from the list. Mixtape from the team behind The Artful Escape, is sharing the lead with rhythm hit Bit’s & Bops. All round, it’s another incredibly strong year of Australian-made games.
So without further ado, the 2026 AGDAs nominees are…
Game Of The Year
- Aether & Iron – Chaos Theory Games with Seismic Squirrel
- Go-Go Town! – Prideful Sloth
- Mixtape – Beethoven & Dinosaur
- Momento – Fat Alien Cat & Nomo Studio with Screen Queensland & Silver Lining Interactive
Excellence in Visual Art
- Bits & Bops – Tempo Lab Games
- Key Fairy – Owl Machine
- Mixtape – Beethoven & Dinosaur
Excellence in Gameplay presented by Hipster Whale
- Bits & Bops – Tempo Lab Games
- Isopod: A Webbed Spin-off – Sbug Games with Supertonic
- Schrodinger’s Cat Burglar – Abandoned Sheep with SuperTonic, Actuator Digital & Translationz
Excellence in Narrative
- Crabmeat – Nicholas McDonnell with Mitchell Pasmans
- Mixtape – Beethoven & Dinosaur
- Schrodinger’s Cat Burglar – Abandoned Sheep with SuperTonic, Actuator Digital & Translationz
Excellence in Sound Design
- Bits & Bops – Tempo Lab Games
- Crabmeat – Nicholas McDonnell with Mitchell Pasmans
- Mixtape – Beethoven & Dinosaur
Excellence in Music presented by APRA AMCOS
- Don’t Stop, Girlypop! – Funny Fintan Softworks with Intr Studio, Subzero Sound & Kwalee
- Malys – Summerfall Studios
- Mixtape – Beethoven & Dinosaur
Excellence in Accessibility presented by VicScreen
- Bits & Bops – Tempo Lab Games
- Key Fairy – Owl Machine
- Schrodinger’s Cat Burglar – Abandoned Sheep with SuperTonic, Actuator Digital & Translationz
Excellence in Extended Reality
- Espire: MR Missions – Digital Lode Immersive Media
- Hyper Bullet – Protostar
- On Point – Actuator Games
Excellence in Impact
- Bluey’s Happy Snaps – Gameloft Brisbane with BBC Studios, Ludo Studio & Bandai Namco
- The Last Werewolf – Unnatural Freaks
- The Walks We Used to Take – Junebug
Excellence in Debut presented by Screen Queensland
- Bits & Bops – Tempo Lab Games
- Key Fairy – Owl Machine
- Momento – Fat Alien Cat & Nomo Studio with Screen Queensland & Silver Lining Interactive
Excellence in Ongoing presented by Sledgehammer Games
- Crossy Road Castle – Hipster Whale
- Forts – EarthWork Games
- Static Shift Racing – Timbo Jimbo
As always, the AGDA’s takes place on October 7, right in the centre of MIGW. Tickets are available now and can be purchased here.
