With Melbourne International Games Week (MIGW) in full swing and PAX Aus 2026 just around the corner, this year’s Australian Game Developer Awards (AGDAs) has once again celebrated the creativity, spirit and ingenuity of games developers and industry figures here in Australia.
The 2026 iteration took place at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre on October 7, 2026, and saw winners take home awards in categories such as Excellence in Music, Excellence in Impact, Studio of the Year and of course the coveted Game of the Year. That honour, perhaps unsurprisingly to those who’ve played it, went to Beethoven & Dinosaur‘s excellent Mixtape.
We called Mixtape a “healthy “generational banger” in our review, ultimately scoring it a 4.5/5 stars with praise for its accomplished art and sound design – so it’s no small wonder that it also swept the accolades in both of those categories. Tempo Lab Games‘ Bits & Bops was another multi-award winner for this year, taking home Excellence in Gameplay and Excellence in Accessibility.
A special shout-out goes to Amy Potter-Jarman, one of two recipients of the Rising Star award that recognises significant individual contribution to the local industry and communities. Amy is also the founder and fearless leader of the Frosty Games Fest team, of which I’m a humble contributor. Go Amy!
Take a look at the full list of winners below:
Every Australian Game Developer Awards (AGDAs) winner for 2026:
- Game of the Year: Mixtape by Beethoven & Dinosaur (VIC)
- Excellence in Art: Mixtape by Beethoven & Dinosaur (VIC)
- Excellence in Gameplay: Bits & Bops by Tempo Lab Games (NSW)
- Excellence in Narrative: Schrodinger’s Cat Burglar by Abandoned Sheep with SuperTonic, Actuator Digital & Translationz (QLD)
- Excellence in Sound Design: Mixtape by Beethoven & Dinosaur (VIC)
- Excellence in Music: Malys by Summerfall Studios with Belinda Coomes and Montaigne (VIC)
- Excellence in Accessibility: Bits & Bops by Tempo Lab Games (NSW)
- Excellence in Extended Reality: Hyper Bullet by Protostar (QLD)
- Excellence in Impact: Bluey’s Happy Snaps by Gameloft Brisbane with BBC Studios, Ludo Studio & Bandai Namco (QLD)
- Excellence in Debut: Key Fairy by Owl Machine (QLD)
- Excellence in Ongoing: Static Shift Racing by Timbo Jimbo (VIC)
- The Rising Star: Amy Potter-Jarman (NSW) and Tyson Butler-Boschma (QLD)
- The Adam Lancman: Paris Buttfield-Addison (TAS)
- The GCAP Legacy Award: Tony Albrecht (SA)
- Studio of the Year: Uppercut Games (ACT)
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Born into the world of video games through SEGA, and in particular Sonic the Hedgehog, Kieron’s gaming tastes now consist of the latest, shiny AAA thing, an indie darling or two, and an embarrassing number of hours of Balatro.