Got a browser game idea you've been putting off? Now's your moment. The Gamedev.js Jam 2026 runs from April 13th to 26th, giving you 13 days to design, build, and ship an HTML5 game right in the browser. It's free, it's global, and it's hosted on itch.io.
How it works
A secret theme drops at the start of the jam on April 13th at 5 PM CET. From there, you've got two weeks to create something original around it. Solo entries and teams are both welcome, and you can even submit more than one game. The only rules: it runs in the browser, no plugins, and it's made fresh for the jam.
Phaser is a natural fit for this kind of jam: fast to prototype, zero-dependency browser delivery, and powerful enough to handle whatever the theme throws at you.
After submissions close, a community voting period opens (April 26 – May 9), judging entries on Innovation, Theme, Gameplay, Graphics, and Audio. Winners are announced on May 10th.
Phaser challenge
Phaser is officially running its own challenge inside the jam. Build your entry using any version of the Phaser game framework and you're automatically in.
The prize pool includes 10 Phaser Editor Pro annual subscriptions and 5 Vampire Survivors bundles (the game and 5 DLCs each), judged by Rich Davey and the Phaser Studio team. All prizes valued at $5,500.
Visit the docs, resources, and guides to help you build your entry.
Prizes and other challenges
Backed by names like YouTube Playables, GitHub, Poki, and Wavedash, this jam carries real weight in the web games scene. There's a solid range of prizes for web game developers, including IDE licenses, art tools, asset packs, and game engine subscriptions.
Beyond the main ranking, there are optional side challenges with separate prize pools: an Open Source challenge backed by GitHub, a YouTube Playables challenge, a Wavedash deployment challenge with a $2,500 prize pool, and an Ethereum integration challenge.
Whether it's your first game jam or your tenth, the Gamedev.js community is a welcoming one. Follow along with #gamedevjs on X/Twitter or jump into their Discord to share progress and get feedback.
Ready to join? Register on itch.io and get all the details before April 13th kicks things off.