South of Midnight wins Game and Experience of the Year at Games for Change Awards 2026

Games for Change has revealed the winners of its 2026 awards, naming Compulsion Games’ South of Midnight as Game and Experience of the Year.

Hexecutable’s Consume Me received Best Narrative, Best Gameplay, and the Indie Breakout Award. Paintbucket Games’ The Darkest Files won Best in Learning.

Thatgamecompany received the Industry Leader Award. Jenn Panattoni, founder and CEO of Aizle Impact, earned the Vanguard Award for her contributions to the industry.

Panattoni established the Xbox Social Impact team in 2018, which has raised over $250 million for global campaigns.

Winners were selected from submissions representing 42 countries and announced at the G4C Awards ceremony during the annual Games for Change Festival in New York.

“It has been a remarkable year for games made with purpose, and these winners show the breadth of it,” said Games for Change President Susanna Pollack.

“They come from studios and institutions across five continents, each one turning to a game or interactive experience to say something that mattered to them. That is what we’re celebrating – how global this work has become.”

The Games for Change Award Winners are listed below:

• Game/Experience of the Year: South of Midnight (Compulsion Games)
• Best Narrative, Best Gameplay, Indie Breakout Award: Consume Me (Hexecutable)
• Best in Impact: And Roger (TearyHand Studio)
• Best in Learning: The Darkest Files (Paintbucket Games)
• Best in Community Empowerment: Relooted (Nyamakop)
• Best in Environmental Impact: Faceminer (Wristwork)
• Best in Health & Wellness: ARWell Pro (Augment Therapy)
• Best in XR & Emerging Media: A Long Goodbye (Timescapes & Polygoat)
• Best Platform-based Project: Planet Planners on Roblox (Playerthree & BBC Bitesize)
• Best Board Or Tabletop Game For Impact: Ciclo do Poder / Cycle of Power (Fiocruz)
• Vanguard Award: Jenn Panattoni
• Industry Leader Award: Thatgamecompany
• Giving Award: Special Effect
• Accessibility Award: EA Sports FC 26 (EA Sports)