Thatgamecompany, the studio behind Sky: Children of Light (2019), Journey (2012), and Flower (2009), has officially announced their second game jam. Titled thatgamejam 2, a play on the studio’s name and a callback to the first iteration hosted in 2025, this jam serves as an open invitation to the global gaming community to “challenge themselves, follow their curiosity, and explore the boundless possibilities of play.” Thatgamecompany calls for games of any genre, stating the following:
We invite creators to build from the heart – crafting experiences that speak to genuine emotion, that can be enjoyed by players of all ages, and that carry a timeless spark capable of inspiring human connection across the world.
Thatgamejam 2’s page is currently up on itch.io, although the jam itself does not begin until October 24, 2026, when the theme, a piece of music, is revealed. Development and creation teams have from then until November 7, 2026, at 11:59 PM Pacific Time to upload their games for voting and judgement. Jam teams can have up to five members, and solo devs are welcome to participate, though thatgamecompany does recommend that teams have “at least one programmer and one artist to help [things] run smoothly.” If interested creators are struggling to recruit a team, they are encouraged to join thatgamecompany’s official discord server, which will act as the “central hub for announcements, team-forming, and project feedback.” during the jam. Teams are allowed to submit multiple games, though they cannot submit the same game twice.
Awards for this jam consist of $3000 USD for the “Best Overall” winner, $2000 USD each for “Best Gameplay” and “Best Visual Design,” and $1000 USD each for “Community’s Voice” and “TapTap’s Choice.” Best Overall will be awarded to “the game that stands out for its overall quality, creativity, playability, and memorable player journey,” as judged by thatgamecompany. Best Gameplay is for “the game that demonstrates unique and outstanding design and implementation of gameplay mechanics,” also decided by the thatgamecompany team. Best Visual Design is the last award decided on by thatgamecompany, and is awarded to “the game that excels in art style, visual impact, and cohesive artistic experience.” The Community Voice Award is decided by community voting on itch.io, with some additional rules and requests: “Voting takes place on itch.io from Nov 8 to Dec 11 (PT). Anyone with an itch.io account can rate the games submitted on itch.io, and the game with the highest community rating wins. Games submitted on TapTap are not part of this vote. Please keep things fair, any form of cheating or vote manipulation will lead to disqualification.” Finally, TapTap, itch.io’s counterpart for developers located in China, will decide on the final choice award.
