India Game Awards 2026: Winners, Categories, and All Details

The India Game Awards 2026 honored Indian game developers across 14 categories, spanning games, studios, and industry talent. Presented by the Game Developer Association of India (GDAI), the awards were announced during the India Game Developer Conference (IGDC) 2026 at the Chennai Trade Centre on Oct 28, 2026.

India Game Awards 2026 Winners and Runners-Up

The 2026 edition introduced four new categories: Web Game of the Year, Serious/Applied Game of the Year, Best Upcoming Gaming Streamer/Influencer, and Board Game of the Year.

1. PC/Console Game of the Year

This category highlights excellence in game design, execution, and impact across PC and console platforms.

• Winner: Winds of Arcana: Ruination
• Runner-up: Dodo Duckie

2. Mobile Game of the Year

This award honors mobile games for their gameplay, polish, and overall player experience.

• Winner: Bible Merge: Holy Puzzle Game
• Runner-up: Terror Call

3. Indie Game of the Year

This category honors the outstanding games developed by independent creators or studios.

• Winner: Dodo Duckie
• Runner-up: Palm Sugar: A Village Story

4. Rahul Sehgal Award for Student Game of the Year

This award recognizes an outstanding game developed by a student or student team.

• Winner: HellGear
• Runner-up: Fallen Calf

5. Web Game of the Year

This category acknowledges browser-based and HTML5 games for their accessibility, mechanics, and player engagement.

• Winner: Constella
• Runner-up: Blast Box

6. Board Game of the Year

This award recognizes creativity, player engagement, and design in tabletop gaming.

• Winner: Kantara: Spirits of the Forest
• Runner-up: Jatra

7. Best Art Direction

This category honors games with a distinctive and cohesive visual style.

• Winner: Fishbowl
• Runner-up: Mandir Gods Untouched

8. Best Game Direction

This award highlights creative leadership across game design, narrative, and innovation.

• Winner: Dodo Duckie
• Runner-up: Lenrual

9. Serious/Applied Game of the Year

This category acknowledges games designed for purposes beyond entertainment, including education, healthcare, training, and social impact.

• Winner: Jatra
• Runner-up: TurboKids Learning Redefined

10. Popular Choice Award

This award recognizes the game selected by attendees and viewers at the expo.

• Winner: Jolly Friends
• Runner-up: Hoppity-Hop

11. Upcoming PC/Console Game of the Year

This category identifies unreleased or in-development PC and console games that demonstrate promise.

• Winner: Rotted: A Brain Rot Simulator
• Runner-up: Bao Bao's Cozy Cleaning Services

12. Upcoming Mobile Game of the Year

This award recognizes unreleased or in-development mobile games showing promise.

• Winner: Ludaro
• Runner-up: Category Pack

13. Outstanding Women in Games

This jury-selected honor recognizes a woman making a contribution to the gaming industry.

Recipient: Manisha Mohan

Mohan serves as Dean of the School of Design at Bennett University and has contributed to the India Game Developer Council and IGDC. She has also chaired or curated industry tracks, including the Applied/Serious Games Special Interest Group associated with NASSCOM and IGDC.

Reflecting on her association with the conference, Mohan said, “I always thought that IGDC is my home, and I am also grateful for the last 15 years.”

14. Hall of Fame

This honor recognizes veterans for their lasting contributions to India's gaming industry.

Inductee: Manvendra Shukul

Shukul is an Indian gaming industry entrepreneur and the founder of Lakshya Digital. He recalled beginning his career in New Delhi in September 1997, and has since spent nearly three decades in the gaming industry.

Shukul also acknowledged Rajesh Rao, who collaborated with him and NASSCOM to establish the NASSCOM Game Developers Conference (NGDC).

Eligibility Criteria and Rules

Released games had to be publicly available between Sep 1, 2025, and Aug 30, 2026. Entries had to be original, developed in India, and owned by an Indian entity.

Upcoming PC/console and mobile titles had to be scheduled for release by September 2027. Esports teams, media, and influencers had to be Indian citizens or legally based in India. Entries could not infringe intellectual property (IP) or privacy rights, violate Indian law, or contain prohibited offensive or hateful content.

Each game or nominee could be entered only once across the awards' lifetime, in up to three categories in one edition. Previously nominated upcoming games can enter a released-game category after launch.

Organizers reviewed entries for compliance, and their decisions on eligibility and award results were final.

Finalists receive two complimentary IGDC passes and qualify for scrutiny for Investor-Publisher Connect. Winners and shortlisted games may seek exhibition space, subject to availability and fees.

From indie creators breaking through to veterans being honored, the IGA reflects a gaming industry that is growing beyond its biggest names and most familiar titles.