York and North Yorkshire Game Jam

Join XR Stories and York Game Makers’ Guild for the next York and North Yorkshire Game Jam, an in-person 48-hour competition where local game enthusiasts, game industry professionals and university students gather to rapidly design and create brand new digital games.

The game jam will take place at Up A Level Gaming Lounge in central York from 10:00am to 6:00pm on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 November 2026.

This is a free event for people aged 18 and above who live in York and North Yorkshire.

Who should attend

• Local game enthusiasts.
• People already working in the games industry or with complementary creative/technical skills.
• University of York and York St. John University student digital gaming community.

The Game Jam is open to anyone with skills in programming, design, 2D and 3D art, animation, music composition, audio design, narrative writing, plus any other relevant areas.

What to expect

Form teams and get the theme

On Saturday morning, come together and form teams of three to four members, with support from the event organisers to match individuals, teams and skills, at which point a secret theme will be revealed for your game creation challenge.

Rapid development

Work together to concept, code, and design your game within the 48-hour timeframe. Share your skills, build new knowledge and contacts, and take part in friendly competition.

Judging and prizes

Submit your final game by 4:00pm on Sunday afternoon. A panel of industry experts will judge the games across a series of criteria, with a prize awarded to the winning team. Participants will also have an opportunity to play each other’s games.

Travel Expenses

Eligible participants (i.e. those who live in York and North Yorkshire) can claim back the cost of their travel to and from the game jam. Please read the Extending XR travel expenses policy for more information about how to make a claim.

Booking info

Cost: Free

Book