The 2026 Green Games Jam Awards, an event organized by the environmental initiative Playing for the Planet, took place last week at the iconic BFI Southbank venue. The ceremony celebrated game developers who have pushed the boundaries of sustainable game design and integrated ecological narratives into their projects. A total of eleven distinct awards were handed out, with two studios—Northern Forge Studios and Runaway Play—each walking away with a pair of honors, underscoring their commitment to both creative storytelling and environmentally conscious development practices.
Northern Forge Studios earned the Best Small Studio accolade, a recognition of the studio’s ability to deliver high‑quality experiences despite limited resources. In addition, the studio’s title *Orna: The GPS RPG* was selected by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as the UNEP Choice award winner, highlighting the game’s innovative use of location‑based mechanics to promote environmental awareness. *Orna* blends role‑playing elements with real‑world GPS data, encouraging players to explore natural spaces while learning about local ecosystems and the impact of human activity on those habitats.
Runaway Play also shone brightly at the event. Their game *Flutter: Butterfly Sanctuary* captured the Best Storytelling award, praised for its lyrical narrative that follows the life cycle of butterflies and the delicate balance of their habitats. The same studio’s *Splash – Fish Aquarium* was chosen as Google’s Choice, reflecting the tech giant’s endorsement of games that combine engaging gameplay with educational content about marine conservation. Both titles exemplify Runaway Play’s strategy of weaving compelling narratives with actionable environmental messages.
Beyond the studio awards, several individual and corporate honors were presented. CD Projekt Red received the Changemaker award, recognizing the Polish developer’s leadership in championing sustainability across its production pipelines and community initiatives.
Meanwhile, Maria Sayans, the chief executive officer of ustwo games, was named the Champion of the ceremony, a tribute to her personal advocacy for greener gaming practices and her role in steering ustwo toward carbon‑neutral development goals. Rovio Entertainment, the creator of the globally beloved Angry Birds franchise, was celebrated with the Best Fundraising award for the charitable success of *Angry Birds Friends* and *Angry Birds Dream Blast*. The games have generated significant revenue for environmental causes, illustrating how popular IP can be leveraged to support real‑world impact projects. Lisa Pak, head of operations at Playing for the Planet, reflected on the broader significance of the awards: "Every year, the Green Game Jam demonstrates how interactive media can bring environmental stories to life and inspire players to protect and restore our planet." She added that the response from the gaming community to this year’s reef and rainforest themes had been overwhelmingly positive.
Pak announced that the upcoming eighth edition of the Green Game Jam, scheduled for 2027, will continue the dialogue on ecological resilience, aiming to engage millions of players worldwide. The awards ceremony concluded the annual Green Games Summit, a gathering that featured a series of talks and panel discussions with industry leaders from Hasbro, Supercell, ustwo games, Playstack, and many others.
These sessions explored topics ranging from carbon accounting in game production to the potential of procedural generation for creating realistic, biodiversity‑rich virtual worlds. Below is a comprehensive list of nominees and winners from the 2026 ceremony, illustrating the diversity of titles and studios that were recognized: - *Cards, the Universe and Everything* (Avid Games) – nominee - *Lords Mobile* (IGG) – nominee - *Seekers Notes* (Mytona) – **Winner** - *Cards, the Universe and Everything* (Avid Games) – nominee - *Flutter: Butterfly Sanctuary* (Runaway Play) – nominee - *Orna: The GPS RPG* (Northern Forge Studios) – **Winner** - *Hope's Adventure* (Green Leap Games) – nominee - *Sunshine Island* (New Moon Studios) – nominee - *Splash – Fish Aquarium* – nominee - *Lords Mobile* (IGG) – **Winner** - *Call of Dragons* (Lilith Games) – nominee - *June's Journey* (Wooga) – nominee - *Flutter: Butterfly Sanctuary* (Runaway Play) – **Winner** - *Hope's Adventure* (Green Leap Games) – nominee - *June's Journey* (Wooga) – nominee - *June's Journey* (Wooga) – nominee - *Canasta Fun & Friends, Rummy Fun, Skat Treff & Tarot Classique* (GameDuell) – nominee - *Angry Birds Friends* & *Angry Birds Dream Blast* (Rovio Entertainment) – **Winner** - Jonas Goodwin (Runaway Play) – nominee - Sophie Barteau (Ubisoft Montreal) – nominee - María Sayans (ustwo games) – **Winner** - CD Projekt Red – **Winner** - Massive Entertainment – nominee - Megapop – nominee - *Lords Mobile* (IGG) – nominee - *Orna: The GPS RPG* (Northern Forge Studios) – nominee - *Splash – Fish Aquarium* (Runaway Play) – **Winner** - *Match Masters* (Candivore) – nominee - *Hay Day* (Supercell) – **Winner** - *June's Journey* (Wooga) – nominee - *Orna: The GPS RPG* (Northern Forge Studios) – **Winner** - *June's Journey* (Wooga) – nominee - *Lords Mobile* (IGG) – nominee The event not only highlighted individual achievements but also reinforced a growing industry consensus: games can serve as powerful platforms for environmental education, activism, and fundraising. By rewarding titles that embed sustainability into their core design, the Green Games Jam encourages developers to think beyond entertainment and consider the ecological footprint of their creative processes.
As the community looks ahead to the 2027 edition, the hope is that even more studios will adopt green practices, ensuring that the next generation of games contributes positively to the planet while delivering unforgettable player experiences.