Frosty Games Fest returns in June to showcase the best new Aussie and NZ games

Frosty Games Fest officially returns in June as part of the Summer Game Fest showcase.
frosty games fest 2026 times dates

Frosty Games Fest, the now-annual showcase of games made in Australia and New Zealand, is officially returning on 6 June as part of Summer Game Fest 2026.

As with the inaugural edition last year, the 2026 show will feature an array of new and upcoming indie games from the ANZ region, with a self-proclaimed focus on ‘cool sh*t’.

Frosty Games Fest returns after successful first outing

This year’s Frosty Games Fest will feature more than 50 games, curated by the event’s team. Organisers report that around 200 game developers applied to be part of proceedings this year, likely inspired by a wildly successful showing in 2025.

‘We managed to land so many big swings that we weren’t expecting to in the first year, like the Summer Game Fest inclusion, but what we really needed to learn is if the global market would give a shit about the content,’ Potter-Jarman told ScreenHub following the success.

‘I think it’s true that average gamers don’t necessarily care where a game is made, but we also know … there are just too many games for people to wade through when browsing a platform like Steam, for example.

‘I think showcases play an incredibly important role in curating shortlists that are more digestible, even in the landscape we’re in now, where there are a growing number of showcase events. They continue to prove to be an effective vehicle to funnel consumer interest.’

What to expect from the 2026 showcase

The upcoming Frosty Games Fest aims to continue elevating locally-made games and their talented developers, presenting news, trailers and updates.

As the team says, this year’s show will be ‘chocka-block’ with reveals, including for new demos, release dates, and more. Developers will also pop in to share news themselves, and there will be appearances from an array of Australian and New Zealand content creators and personalities, some of whom may be familiar to ScreenHub readers.

With new support from CODE and Strange Scaffold, we expect this year’s Frosty Games Fest will be bigger and bolder than in prior outings. In any case, it should be well worth watching.

How to watch Frosty Games Fest 2026

Frosty Games Fest 2026 will air on the Frosty Games YouTube and Twitch channels, as well as the official Game Awards YouTube channel.

You’ll be able to tune in at the following times around the world:

  • Australia – 8am AEST 7 June | 7:30pm ACDT 7 June | 6am AWST 7 June
  • New Zealand – 10am NZST 7 June
  • United States – 3pm PT | 6pm ET 6 June
  • United Kingdom – 11pm BST 6 June

You can also catch up with all the latest news from Frosty Games Fest 2026 on ScreenHub following its airing.

Also on ScreenHub: The first annual Frosty Games Fest was a major success

The first annual Frosty Games Fest, which aimed to showcase new and upcoming games from Australian and New Zealand-based developers, was a major success by all metrics. Taking to social media, organiser Amy Potter-Jarman noted significant reach for the showcase by numbers, and also by less tangible metrics.

Per Potter-Jarman, the show reached a whopping 270,000 people in 24 hours, many of whom tuned into the show via The Game Awards, IGN, and GameSpot social channels. The Frosty Games Fest Steam event page reportedly had more than 1 million unique impressions in 48 hours, with many viewers wishlisting games in response to their appearance during the show.

Read more …

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Leah J. Williams is an award-winning entertainment and technology journalist who spends her time falling in love with media of all qualities. One of her favourite films is The Mummy (2017), and one of her favourite games is The Urbz for Nintendo DS. Take this information as you will.