Why We Rescheduled the Imaginary Game Jam 2026

Hey everyone - quick update on the jam schedule.

Imaginary Game Jam 2026 is moving to a new date:

New jam dates: September 11-27, 2026

This was not the original plan. The jam was originally scheduled to begin in June, but shortly before launch, the page appeared to stop showing up in itch.io search and the main game jam hub. Since discovery is a huge part of how new people find and join a jam, launching a community prize event while the page may not be visible felt like the wrong move.

Rather than push forward with a much smaller event than intended, we’re giving the jam a cleaner launch window and more time to grow.

There is one more practical reason for the move: the summer jam calendar is extremely crowded. Kenney Jam, GMTK Jam, and Brackeys are all clustered close together, and we don’t want the Imaginary Game Jam to be wedged between some of the biggest jams on itch. This event is built for solo developers, asset contributors, and people who want a little more room to make something fun. Moving to September gives the jam a better chance to feel like its own event.

The good news: the jam does not go quiet until September.

One of the unique parts of the Imaginary Game Jam is the shared community asset pack. Developers are allowed to use the pack during the jam, and asset contributors can also compete for awards. Because of that, asset submissions are open now.

That means you can spend the lead-up creating things like:

• music loops
• sound effects
• UI sprites
• icons
• backgrounds
• textures
• models
• dialogue snippets
• reusable scripts
• anything else that could help solo devs build a game

When the jam begins, everyone will be able to build games using the asset pack we created together.

Fairness note: this does not mean you can secretly build your whole game before the jam starts. But you can create assets ahead of time as long as they are submitted to the community asset pack for everyone to use.

So instead of treating the delay as dead time, we’re turning the next couple months into a community build phase.

Thank you to everyone who joined early, shared the jam, contributed ideas, or helped us get this far. I know a reschedule is not ideal, especially for the people who were excited to start soon, but I think this gives the jam a much better chance to become the event it was meant to be.

See you in September - and hopefully in the asset pack before then! 🙂

Hi itch.io community,

I’m looking for guidance on a discoverability issue with an upcoming game jam I’m hosting.

Jam page: https://itch.io/jam/imaginary-game-jam-2026

The jam page is public and accessible by direct URL, and participants have already joined. However, it appears to no longer show up in itch.io search or the game jam hub / calendar. It did appear earlier, then disappeared over last weekend.

I originally planned to start the jam on June 26, but because of the discoverability issue and the short remaining promotion window, I am rescheduling the jam rather than launching while it may be hidden from discovery.

I’ve already contacted itch.io support from the account-owner email address and received support receipts / ticket IDs, but I have not received a staff response yet. I understand that jams may need staff approval before appearing in the calendar / hub, and that not all jams are approved, but I’m trying to determine whether this page is:

• Awaiting review / approval
• Flagged by an automated system
• Accidentally unlisted or ineligible for discovery
• Missing a setting or page requirement
• Not eligible for the jam calendar / search for some other reason

For context, this is the Third Annual Imaginary Game Jam. It is a free-to-enter solo developer jam with a shared asset pack, contributor awards, theme / twist mechanics, and a $600 prize pool. I’m happy to change anything on the page if something is causing a review or indexing issue.

Is there anything else I should check on the jam settings / page, or any best practice for getting clarification when a jam is public by URL but absent from search and the jam hub?

Thanks.

Thanks for joining us, glad to have you! Reminder that for participants that if you're unable to join the Discord for any reason, please post a reply in the following thread and we'll make sure you're included in the theme announcement video, to receive your own personal theme twist. 🙂

https://itch.io/jam/imaginary-game-jam-2026/topic/6474402/twist-roll-call

The hints appear when you type in the incorrect login information.

The first bubble shows the username, the second shows the password, and the final one shows a flower that's usually depicted being a certain color. "Roses are ___, violets are blue..."

No worries! You can see the distribution of prizes as follows:

Winners have the option to receive their prize either via Wise or via Steam Gift Card, whichever is more convenient for them.

The theme voting will occur on Discord, but the theme will be announced both in Discord as well as here on the jam page.

If you're a Developer and you'd like to receive a personal twist on the theme, make sure to join the Discord! Accept the rules, and grab the Game Jammer role, and you'll be notified as soon as the theme vote and roll call post go live 🙂

https://discord.gg/YyDD7ECtdJ

If for any reason you're unable to join the Discord, but you'd still like to be included in the theme announcement video and receive a personal theme twist, please comment on this post!

Hi PAX! You can see the full list of prizes under the Prize Pool + Judging header on the main Overview jam page. (https://itch.io/jam/imaginary-game-jam-2026)

We'll be distributing prizes via Wise or Steam Gift Cards. For full details on receiving cash prizes, please see Rules Reference > Compensation.

To ensure everyone is included in the theme announcement, please follow these simple instructions!

https://discord.gg/YyDD7ECtdJ

1) Make sure to accept the #rules in the #rules channel 

2) and grab the @GameJammer role in the #roles channel 

 3) And then vote on the theme in the #game-jam channel!

If you are unable to join the server for any reason (or you really just don't want to, respond to this topic with your favorite emoji! Or catchphrase! Or your favorite movie! (It doesn't matter, I just want to make sure you're included!)

Hey there! That would be the #collab-tavern channel in the Imaginary Game Studios Discord! 

https://discord.gg/YyDD7ECtdJ

Make sure to accept the #rules, and grab the @GameJammer role from #roles to get full access to the server as a jammer!

Рады видеть тебя здесь! Я лично не говорю по-русски, но с нетерпением буду ждать твою игру!

We're handling the theme a little different this month, and it's strongly recommended that you join the Imaginary Game Studios Discord! It's as easy as 1-2-3!
https://discord.gg/YyDD7ECtdJ

1) Make sure to accept the #rules in the #rules channel
2)and grab the @GameJammer role in the #roles channel
3) And then vote on the theme in the #game-jam channel!

If you are unable to join the server for any reason (or you really just don't want to, respond to this topic with your favorite emoji! Or catchphrase! Or your favorite movie! (It doesn't matter, I just want to make sure you're included!)

Thanks for sharing some SFX, Gaby! 💖

Hey there Alfredo! Always great to have new collaborators in the community! We do have a channel in the Discord server for finding people to make games with, too.

Make sure you accept the rules in the #rules channel to get access to the server. People are free to post their portfolios of stuff they've made in the #collab-tavern. 🙂

https://discord.gg/YyDD7ECtdJ

Thanks TAT! Much appreciated!! 😁😁 Glad we're able to make a positive jamming experience for you....!

Theme has been updated on the home page for reference! The theme was announced on the YouTube Premiere at the start of the jam. Apologies for it not being clearly marked as such - will update for next time!

A tragic story about a child with the theme "The Last Day"... I can feel the feels already T.T

Thank you for bringing this to my attention!

We don't abide by scams here at Imaginary Game Studios, and we do our best to ensure our prizes go to indie game developers who deserve them. 

It's sad to see indie game development being used as a popular path for scams, but it just means we need to be extra vigilant. 

Thanks again for sharing this!

Yes, you're welcome to use any game engine you like! 

Hey there! The theme for the Imaginary Game Jam 2025 is "Fantasy Fleshpit". I'll give the most straightforward interpretation of these terms first.

"Fantasy" typically means, a world with mythical creatures and monsters, swords and sorcery, and limited technology. Adventurers of different races, like elves, orcs, and dwarves, use different class-based skillsets like warriors, rogues, and wizards to join guilds, go on quests, and vanquish evil. Some examples include Dungeons and Dragons, World of Warcraft, Skyrim, and The Witcher.

"Fleshpit" is a much more unusual theme, and it literally means "a pit of flesh". This theme asks the question, "what if the walls and floors were alive?" Some examples include, Doom Eternal, Jabu Jabu's Belly from Zelda: Ocarina of Time, the Mystery Fleshpit National Park creepypasta, or the animated kids movie Osmosis Jones. 

That said, you're free to interpret these themes however you choose. Maybe Fantasy is an acronym, F.A.N.T.A.S.Y. and each letter stands for something else? Maybe Fantasy means, a person fantasizing and daydreaming while they're supposed to be working or at school? It's up to you! 

If you do choose an interpretation of the themes that are not obvious, please make it clear somewhere on your game's page or within the game, exactly how you've chosen to interpret the themes.

For anything relating to the game jam, you're free to use the #game-jam channel. For anything not game jam related, feel free to use #imaginary-tavern.

To everyone new to the server, double check you've accepted the #rules channel and that you have the Game Jammer role from #roles!

Sorry to hear you're having trouble with the links! I've confirmed that the links on the Game Jam page are valid. If anyone else is having trouble, here's the link to the Imaginary Game Studios Discord server:

https://discord.gg/YyDD7ECtdJ

Hi Nachroandom! Thanks for your interest in the Imaginary Game Jam! Really excited to hear that someone with music experience is looking to contribute to the game jam!

Please be aware that the Imaginary Game Jam is solo-focused, but external contributors like yourself can totally collaborate by sharing what you make in our community Discord. This way, you can help multiple developers bring their projects to life! 

Feel free to drop some samples of your work in the #content-share or #asset-share channels - it’s a great way to showcase your talent and connect with devs who might need music or graphic design support. Looking forward to seeing what you make!

I remember this came up last year, and one participant did come up with a solution:

"For some reason on Mac it will detect Godot FBX2GLTf2 as malicious lol. I approved it and works fine."

And they shared this video to help with the process of importing FBX files into Godot:

I would love to be able to make the asset pack as easy to use by as many engines as possible, but I can't commit to providing glTF format files for all the assets in the asset pack at this time.  I'll look into this again when we get closer to the start of the jam.

No hablo español, así que traduciré esto usando el internet. No estoy seguro de entender, pero eres bienvenido a usar cualquier herramienta que desees para participar en el Imaginary Game Jam. ¡Espero verte ahí!

Thanks so much for participating in last year's jam! Even if the project wasn't finished, I still like to think any time spent being creative is time well spent 🙂

The 3D models will be provided as FBX files, and for the models that have associated animations, they are contained within the FBX. 

The texture maps are provided in three layers: albedo (the basic color), metallic (how shiny certain faces are), and normal maps (how bumpy certain faces are). You can use these textures to create a PBR material in your game engine of choice. 

As for how to use the animations, that depends on which game engine you're using. Here's an example of how to work with FBX animations in Unity: 

Thank you! I know narrative stuff isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I'm always happy when people are willing to give new things a chance 🙂

A little camera work goes a long way 😄 Thank you!

Oh nice! And then you can just set one index of the 2d array to be the "target" of your roasting, and spread out the effect of roasting vertically from there... that's cool, very clever! 

Thank you! I get worried about tenses and conjugations and all that with mad libs, but I'm glad it worked out 😄

I've been working on Rogue Climber, which is 99% gameplay and 1% narrative, so I thought it would be a nice way to creatively refresh myself by making something a little more cute. Thanks for playing! 

Thank you very much, glad you enjoyed it! ✨

Thank you so much! 💖

Really pretty visual style! Difficulty is really difficult (ha) to balance for game jam games, and that's doubly true for bullet hells. I died a lot, repeatedly. Lol. 

I only found the one log, but it was genuinely a little bit tense there when I didn't see where The Thing was or where he would come from.

Great work on the retro aesthetic, you really nailed it! Also really clever to use the scrolling texture to show the rotating marshmallow roasting, genuinely cool mechanic!

I'm realizing how under-utilized marshmallow roasting is as a game mechanic. Cute idea, good work!

I like mechanics where you have to plan ahead, and trying to gauge where and when and how long to draw your sword path is fun! 

I'm a sucker for trying to solve a mystery. You've got a really good foundation here built in a really short time. Great work!