The Queensland Games Festival will officially return 26 to 27 June, as a warm celebration of Queensland-made games and the local game-making community. While exact plans are yet to be announced, we can make some assumptions of what to expect, given the success of 2025’s showcase.
Queensland Games Festival returns – quick links
What to know about the Queensland Games Festival
The Queensland Games Festival is an annual celebration of game-making that aims to elevate local developers by providing them with a public platform to share stories and connect with peers. In 2025, the festival – hosted at the Brisbane Powerhouse – saw thousands gather to play games, meet developers, and learn more about game development processes.
Like Adelaide’s SAGE and events within Melbourne International Games Week, the Queensland Games Festival fulfils an important role in educating and platforming the local Australian games industry.
What to expect of the Queensland Games Festival 2026
Heading into the next iteration of the Queensland Games Festival, we expect to see a new host of games spotlighted, particularly given recent movements within the state.
Screen Queensland remains an active, enthusiastic supporter of the local game development industry, providing various funds and support to emerging and established developers. Rolling funds including the Screen Queensland Games Grants have supported an array of new and upcoming games, including Macabre, Isopod: A Webbed Spin-Off and Catto’s Post Office.
In its September 2025 round of funding, the organisation provided $1.25 million to new projects such as Key Fairy, Schrodinger’s Cat Burglar, Hordes of Fate: A Hand of Fate Adventure, Gigi’s Flower, Luke Muscat’s Ultimate Golf Challenge and more.
We expect many of these games will make an appearance during Queensland Games Festival, alongside an array of other, more experimental titles.
Beyond these inclusion, we expect the event will be a great opportunity to experience new, innovative, and compelling Queensland-made games, and to get to know a supportive and tight-knit local game-making community. Stay tuned for more details as we get closer to the upcoming festival.
Also on ScreenHub: Screen Queensland spotlights recipients of $1.25 million games fund
Screen Queensland has confirmed support for nine local Queensland game development studios, with AU$1.25 million recently provided as part of the rolling Digital Games Incentive, and the latest February Game Grants round.
As noted, Queensland is currently home to 25% of Australia’s video game studios, and it employs 27% of the sector’s game developers. With various funds available, there is ample encouragement for local developers to establish a base, and Screen Queensland has committed to support in the long-term, with a view to create a thriving local industry in future.
The nine games recently funded by Screen Queensland include: Macabre (Weforge Studio), Key Fairy (Owl Machine), Schrodinger’s Cat Burglar (Abandoned Sheep), Luke Muscat’s Ultimate Golf Challenge (Luke Muscat), and more.
‘We’re supercharging our local industry and setting our state up to become a games mecca,’ John-Paul Langbroek, Minister for the Arts said in a press release. ‘The Crisafulli Government is committed to bolstering opportunities for local studios and the talented developers building sustainable careers here. This is putting Queensland on the map as a serious contender for games development, helping to lure international investment and ensuring Queensland-owned IP can be enjoyed by games enthusiasts worldwide.’
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