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South of Midnight wins Game and Experience of the Year at Games for Change Awards 2026
Games for Change has named Compulsion Games' South of Midnight as both Game and Experience of the Year at its 2026 awards, a notable win for a high-profile commercial release in an impact-oriented awards program.
Hexecutable's Consume Me was the other big standout, taking Best Narrative, Best Gameplay, and the Indie Breakout Award. Paintbucket Games' The Darkest Files won Best in Learning, while Thatgamecompany received the Industry Leader Award and Jenn Panattoni earned the Vanguard Award for her work in social impact initiatives.
The awards drew submissions from 42 countries and were announced during the annual Games for Change Festival in New York. For developers, the list is a useful snapshot of where the sector is putting attention right now: games that combine craft, message, accessibility, education, and community outcomes.
The broader takeaway is that impact work is no longer a niche lane. The winners span learning, health, environmental themes, XR, tabletop, Roblox, and accessibility, which suggests teams building for purpose now have multiple viable formats and funding/partnership paths to consider.
“It has been a remarkable year for games made with purpose.”
- what
- Games for Change named South of Midnight Game and Experience of the Year at its 2026 awards.
- who
- Compulsion Games, Hexecutable, Paintbucket Games, Thatgamecompany, and Jenn Panattoni were among the winners.
- when
- Winners were announced at the 2026 G4C Awards during the annual Games for Change Festival in New York.
- impact
- The awards highlight growing recognition for games built around narrative, learning, accessibility, and social impact.
Celebrates impact-driven games and industry recognition
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