Video 3 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWMxVSJqDuA)

Theme: AGENT

The video provides context, design guidance, inspo etc. Watch the around 23:30 for theme announcement.

The Inaugural Game Gauntlet Jam backs indie game developers with the resources they need to build and succeed.

Game Gauntlet provides indie game developers with early funding, industry mentorship, community, and publishing support.

Join the online game jam, build a prototype, and compete for funding and publishing support.

4 Weeks Online

Game Gauntlet Jam Online

Join the jam as a solo dev or team of up to 5 members.

Participants will rate the top prototype submissions to have a say in the best submissions.

Professional Judging & MentorshipGuidance, expertise and hard-won lessons.

Judge & Mentor

Indie games veteran Jason Della Rocca, former Executive Director of International Game Developers Association(IGDA). Jason was honored for his industry building efforts with the inaugural Ambassador Award at the Game Developers Conference.In 2009, Jason was named to Game Developer Magazine’s “Power50,” a list which profiles 50 of the most important contributors to the state of the game industry.

Final award of prizes will be decided by the tally of votes and confirmation by the hosts, Game Gauntlet.

Winner will receive cash prize and automatically be invited to pitch at the Game Gauntlet Indie Accelerator opening for submissions this fall.

Fall 2026****An open call for indie game developers to submit games at first playable stage or in Steam Early Access for a shot at up to $350K in funding and publishing support.

**Game Gauntlet Jam Starts -**May 18, 20206

Submissions Due - June 12th, 2026 (~4 Weeks)

Playtesting & Ratings - June 13 to June 18 (~1 Week Online and In-Person)

Judging - Livestream Finalist Demos- June 19th On-line &On-Site at Vanessie Hotel, Santa Fe

Finalists will livestream their demos to Judge Jason Della Rocca.

Awards - Saturday, June 20th

Judge Jason Della Rocca will make comments to the 5 finalists for mentorship. Following that he will announce his vote for First Place, Second Place, and Honorable Mention.

Prizes for the 5 finalists (Top 5 rated by jam participants)1-yearCraftPix memberships for the Top 5 teams (up to 5 people per team).

CraftPix.net (https://craftpix.net/?utm_source=itch.io&utm_medium=gamejam&utm_campaign=gamelike-jam-009) is an online store and resource specializing in high-quality premium and free 2D game assets for game developers, indie studios, and hobbyists.

First Place -Top Prize**$1000

Automatic entry to pitch at the Game Gauntlet Accelerator

1-year CraftPix memberships

Promoted on social media channels****Second Place Prize

$500

1-year CraftPix memberships

Promoted on social media channels**

**Honorable Mention

1-year CraftPix memberships

Promoted on social media channels**

Finalists

1-year****CraftPix memberships

Top finalist team using Unity will receive mentorship directly from Unity

Plans to follow up with the team will be announced so the Game Gauntlet community so we can follow along the progress of the winning team as they move from prototype to first-playable stage.

Visit Game Gauntlet to Learn More (https://www.gamegauntlet.gg/)

**Many Thanks to our Sponsors and Partners!

Visit Links to Learn More

https://www.cosmicforces.com https://unity.com/ (https://www.cosmicforces.com/)https://www.stagecoachfdn.org (https://www.stagecoachfdn.org/)https://santafenm.gov/economic-development https://www.playerfound.live/ https://www.suprasonicstudios.com/ https://ideum.com/ (https://santafenm.gov/economic-development)https://www.sorceryandmight.com (https://www.sorceryandmight.com/)https://vanessiesantafe.com/ https://esports.nmsu.edu/ https://www.sfcc.edu/ https://craftpix.net/ (https://www.sorceryandmight.com/)https://www.riograndegames.com/ https://sfreporter.com/ (https://www.riograndegames.com/)https://www.bcdtravel.com/**

Please use thisCONTACT FORM (https://www.gamegauntlet.gg/contact) it you're interested to become a sponsor.

JUDGING & CRITERIA

Publishing Potential

Could become a full Steam game with publishing support.

Completion Potential

Could reach Steam Early Access within ~6 months.

Fun & Gameplay

Is it engaging, playable, and fun?

Creativity & Innovation

Does it stand out in visuals, gameplay, or story?

Theme Execution

How well does the game interpret the jam theme?

Technical

Scope, polish, and execution

Visual / Audio Presentation

Art style, sound design, and overall feel

RULES & DETAILS

Online only participation is perfectly acceptable. Attending the finale in Santa Fe, NM is optional.

GENERAL

Must be in compliance with the Code of Conduct

Follow on Social Media

Post on the community page if you are looking for team members

Games and the underlying IP are fully owned by the participants who submitted them.

Finalists may be invited to Game Gauntlet's Indie Game Accelerator for additional funding and publishing support.

Jam is competitive, rated and judged to potentially win prizes.

Late submissions will not be accepted.

Playing and rating a certain number of submissions is required.

Theme is a point of inspiration. Try to stick with the theme but if you drift that's okay.

Submissions may be removed by the Admin

Social Media:Consent to be recorded, video audio for social media other promotion

Event In-Person:Consent to be recorded, video audio

PRE-SCREENING & JUDGING

Remove rulebreakers

Handle ties

Ensure finalists meet submission requirements

Tally ratings and cast votes

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS– Submit your game on the itch before the deadline.Late entries will not be accepted

Each submission must include:

1. A Windows .EXE playable build or browser link.No Mac builds accepted.
2. Game title, description describing the game and its relation to the theme
3. Controls and instructions
4. Credits for any third-party assets used
5. Disclosure of AI art assets used

**Original Work:**You may use pre-made assets, but your game’s core design, code, and content must be your own. AI generative art assets and code are permitted.

AI usage aligned with Steam TOSDisclose AI use

• Whether your game uses AI-generated content
• What type: * art * code * music * text/dialogue

Developer must have rights to all content in the game, including AI-generated content - means you created it yourself or licensed it for use personally or commercially.

• Original art, code, music, writing
• AI outputs you generated and are allowed to use personally or commercially

Licensed to use personally or commercially

• third-party tools
• stock music / SFX
• Asset store purchases

**Theme Integration:**Your game should reflect the chosen theme as much as possible, however if you drift it's not unheard of.

**Team Size:**Join the jam as a solo dev or team of up to 5 members. Team members can be added after the start, however all team members must be listed when submitting your final build.

Ratings Period June 13-18

All participants are required to rate at least 5 game prototypes. Make sure that each member on your team has an Itch.io account and is included in the team submission. In the submission include your Discord username.

Only USA Participants Accepted

FAQ: Can I join if I'm not located in the USA?

If one of your team members is based in the USA and can serve as the point of contact we can accommodate your team. International compliance is more complicated than our team can handle.

FYI we will be live-streaming the judging and awards June 19 & 20th.If your team makes it into the finals, be prepared to work with us on the MTN time zone (UTC-6).

**Acceptable Content :**Entries should target ESRB T "Teen" or less.Ratings of M "Mature 17+" will not be accepted.No NSFW content.No explicit sexual content, extreme violence, or hate speech.

Do not solicit ratings or coordinate vote-trading; entries doing so may be disqualified.

FinalsIf your team makes into the finals, top 5 rated game prototypes, prepare a short video for the awards event introducing your team members, description of your game, and gameplay video. Keep the video 1 -2 minutes long.

CODE OF CONDUCT (https://www.gamegauntlet.gg/code-of-conduct)

Be respectful. No harassment or discrimination. Report concerns to organizers. Violations may result in disqualification or removal from the event/community.