Orlando Game Jam 2026: Celebrating Creativity in Orlando’s Game Dev Community
Julia Galimidi, Software Engineer at Enludio
This blog post marks the start of a new initiative where we’ll be sharing stories from our team, covering community events, technical insights, and updates on what we have going on behind the scenes! As a company rooted in real-time 3D and interactive technology, we’re always on the lookout to support the local developer ecosystem and stay connected with our industry peers who are shaping the future of real-time 3D.
Last weekend, I had the opportunity to serve as a judge at the third annual Orlando Game Jam 2026, held at the Downtown Orlando Library’s Melrose Center. Events like these are a great reminder of the creativity in our local developer community.
What is the Orlando Game Jam?
The Orlando Game Jam challenges developers, artists, musicians, and designers to create a complete game in less than 48 hours, based on a surprise theme revealed at the start of the event. This year’s theme was “collections.”
11 teams showcased original games at the Expo, each with unique mechanics and creative interpretations of the theme. Game jams are incredibly valuable for several reasons:
They provide hands-on learning and rapid skill development
They help participants build portfolio projects
They create networking opportunities for both participants and studios
They foster collaboration and experimentation
At Enludio, we believe in this format so strongly that we host our own internal game jams/hackathons each year for our team!
Every game jam, I am amazed at the creativity and the fun games developed in such a short amount of time, and this one was no different! I hope all the teams are proud of what they were able to accomplish.
The Winning Games and Highlights!
🥇Shine Bright Little Star
Inspired by Katamari Damacy, this game puts you in control of a growing star. Pull asteroids and space debris into your orbit to increase your brightness!
Developer: Nick Drobes (solo developer)
Award: 1st Place
🥈Cat Collector
Drive a van and collect as many cats as possible while avoiding obstacles and keeping your vehicle intact.
Developer: Jesse Springer (solo developer)
Award: 2nd Place
🥉Acrylic Ballistics
Play as an art collector forced to destroy your collection of possessed paintings.
Developer: Rongjia Li, Stanley Freihofer, Christian Laverda, Brendan St. Esprit, Juan Caffoll, Galo Domaica
Award: 3rd Place
Other Standout Games
Several other projects explored unique ideas:
Backdoor
Play as a hacker who is collecting files and information.Silent Protocol
Sneak around a facility looking for money developed in Roblox Studio.I Need Batteries
Play in VR and fly around using a jetpack to collect batteries to escape.Shadow Walker
A Zelda-inspired game where you collect treasures in a variety of dungeons.Grim Reap-o
Play as a grim reaper searching a park for souls to collect.Screw Loose
A VR game where you play as a thief collecting screws.Fling-a-ling
Fling humans to break free other humans. Bounce off walls and furniture to reach your goal.Overflow
Play as a dead billionaire who has been condemned to purgatory.
You can learn more about the games and play some of them yourself here.
Fun Insights!
Some interesting trends emerged from this year’s jam:
Which game engines were used?
Most teams chose to develop their games using Unity, but one team chose to use Unreal and another team chose to use Roblox Studio. Unity was the most utilized engine, but it was exciting to see experimentation across multiple platforms.
What roles did people take?
During a game jam, team members have to wear many hats but this is a rough breakdown of the roles people took during the jam.
4 solo developers
8 artists
5 audio designers
13 programmers
2 UI/UX designers
5 level designers
2D vs 3D
The majority of the teams chose to develop 3D games, but 2D games were also pretty prevalent!
7 games were 3D, 2 of which were VR experiences.
4 games were 2D
Community Showcases!
Beyond the jam entries, other members in our community came out to show what they have been working on.
I was proud to represent Enludio at our booth, sharing some of the work we’ve been developing!
Other community contributions included:
Orlando Unity Developers
Full Sail University
HiveLabs Makerspace
Independent artists and studios
How to Participate in Future Game Jams
If you’re interested in joining future events:
Indienomicom hosts multiple jams per year.
The Downtown Orlando Public Library hosts the annual Orlando Game Jam and a variety of game development classes.
Final Thoughts
Events like these highlight the incredible creativity and talent in our local community. The organizers and participants all contribute to making Orlando a strong technology hub. Shoutout to Juan Rivera, Ava Adams, and the Orlando Public Library for organizing this event!
Enludio is proud to support and participate in this ecosystem. We look forward to continuing to participate in community events and sharing experiences that shape our team!
Hope to see you at the next game jam!
– Julia