TGS2026 A launchpad for indie game developers
SENSE OF WONDER NIGHT 2026 Grand Prix awarded to Face UFO!
Pocky Awards go to Stuck Together, Teach My Little Sister How to Drive, and Become!
The Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association (CESA; Chairman: Haruhiro Tsujimoto) announced the winners of SENSE OF WONDER NIGHT 2026, a pitch competition for indie game developers held at TOKYO GAME SHOW 2026 (TGS2026), following presentations by eight finalists and judging. The top honor, the Audience Award Grand Prix, went to Face UFO (developer: Takahiro Miyazawa) from Japan. The Audience Award Semi-Grand Prix went to Unknot! (developer: P.F.J.) from China. SOWN2026 also presented the Best Technological Game Award, Best Arts Award, Best Experimental Game Award, Best Game Design Award, and Best Presentation Award. Grand Prix winner Takahiro Miyazawa received US$3,000 in prize money, while the winners of the other awards each received US$500.
SENSE OF WONDER NIGHT 2026 Award Winners
|
Award |
Finalist |
Title |
Country/region |
Introductory video |
|
Audience Award Grand Prix |
Takahiro Miyazawa |
Face UFO |
Japan |
https://youtu.be/TNVPm9MuDgk |
|
Audience Award Semi-Grand Prix |
P.F.J. |
Unknot! |
China |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IwbvwNT-pI |
|
Best Technological Game Award |
Room 127 |
Legacy Code |
Japan |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbxDfSlZt1w |
|
Best Arts Award |
Room 127 |
Legacy Code |
Japan |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbxDfSlZt1w |
|
Best Experimental Game Award |
Takahiro Miyazawa |
Face UFO |
Japan |
https://youtu.be/TNVPm9MuDgk |
|
Best Game Design Award |
Takahiro Miyazawa |
Face UFO |
Japan |
https://youtu.be/TNVPm9MuDgk |
|
Best Presentation Award |
Takahiro Miyazawa |
Face UFO |
Japan |
https://youtu.be/TNVPm9MuDgk |
Pocky Awards: Stuck Together, Teach My Little Sister How to Drive, and Become
The Pocky Awards recognize titles selected by content creator Pocky, the TGS2026 Official Indie Game Ambassador, from the 151 entries submitted for SELECTED INDIE 80 and SENSE OF WONDER NIGHT. Pocky chooses games he would like to play from the perspective of a gameplay video creator. This year’s three winners are Stuck Together (Hugecalf Studios, United Kingdom), Teach My Little Sister How to Drive (Easy Fox, Republic of Korea), and Become (Valentin Wirth, Czech Republic). Gameplay videos featuring the three winning titles will be released on Pocky’s YouTube channel at a later date.
https://www.youtube.com/@pockysweets
About SENSE OF WONDER NIGHT 2026 (SOWN2026)
Now in its 19th year, SENSE OF WONDER NIGHT (SOWN) is a pitch competition for outstanding game ideas that spark a “sense of wonder”—a moment of surprise that changes the way we see the world. Entries were open to exhibitors in the Indie Game Area and SELECTED INDIE 80, a program that offers selected developers free exhibition space. A panel of judges selected eight finalists from 151 entries, giving them an opportunity to present their games.
SOWN2026 Judges (in no particular order)
|
Name |
Affiliation / title |
|
Kiyoshi Shin |
Chair, SENSE OF WONDER NIGHT Judging Committee / Professor, Graduate School of Digital Hollywood University |
|
Juan Gril |
Game creator |
|
Ramon Nafria |
Videogame Ninja: Trusiga |
|
Takeshi Takahashi |
NPO OcuFes |
|
Kenji Ono |
Lecturer, International Professional University of Technology in Tokyo / NPO IGDA Japan |
|
Kazunori Komagata |
Director, AURYN |
|
Shuhei Yoshida |
CEO, yosp Inc. |
|
Yuki Katayama |
KODANSHA GAME LAB. |
|
Jh Shin |
Game developer |
|
Masafumi Onuki |
CEO, Calappa Games |
|
Pocky |
Content creator |
The SOWN2026 presentations, winner announcements, and award ceremony will be available to watch as part of the TGS2026 Official Program from 7:00 p.m. (JST) on Friday, September 18.
https://tgs.cesa.or.jp/2026/en
SENSE OF WONDER NIGHT 2026 Overview
|
Date and time |
Thursday, September 17, 3:50–5:50 p.m. |
|
Venue |
International Conference Hall, Makuhari Messe |
|
Presenters |
Eight finalists |
|
Overview |
SENSE OF WONDER NIGHT is a competition that discovers indie game developers whose ideas spark a “sense of wonder”—a moment of surprise that changes the way we see the world as soon as we see a game or hear its concept. Now in its 19th year, the competition selected eight titles from 151 entries. The eight finalists presented their games from 3:50 p.m. on Thursday, September 17, the first Business Day. |
TOKYO GAME SHOW 2026 Overview
|
Event Name |
TOKYO GAME SHOW 2026 |
|
Organizer |
Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association (CESA) |
|
Co-Organizers |
Nikkei Business Publications, Inc., Sony Music Solutions Inc. |
|
Dates & Times |
September 17 (Thu), 2026 | Business Day | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PMSeptember 18 (Fri), 2026 | Business Day | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PMSeptember 19 (Sat), 2026 | Public Day | 9:30 AM – 5:00 PMSeptember 20 (Sun), 2026 | Public Day | 9:30 AM – 5:00 PMSeptember 21 (Mon/Holiday), 2026 | Public Day | 9:30 AM – 4:00 PMPlease note that opening hours differ between Business Days and Public Days. |
|
Location |
Makuhari Messe (Exhibition Halls 1–11, International Conference Hall), TKP Tokyo Bay Makuhari Hall |
|
Expected Attendance |
300,000 visitors |
|
Official Website |
https://events.nikkeibp.co.jp/tgs/2026/en/exhibitor/ |
Official Channels
Official X: https://x.com/tokyo_game_show
Official Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tokyo_game_show/
Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tokyogameshow/?locale=ja_JP
Official TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tokyogameshow.official
Official YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tokyogameshow
Official Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/tokyogameshow1
Official LINE: https://page.line.me/tokyo_game_show
东京电玩展2026SOWN独立游戏奖公开
