The event held at the Gandia Campus reaches 40 participants and raises the creative level with “Masks”.
The Gandia Game Jam 2026 has closed its last edition with record numbers and a notable leap in quality in the projects presented. This year, the event had almost 40 participants at the Gandia Campus, organized into six teams, and has established itself as an essential event for emerging talent in video game development.
The proposed theme, “Masks”, served as a starting point to explore innovative mechanics, powerful visuals, and creative narratives, resulting in original proposals with great personality, as highlighted by the organization.
Winning projects
- MASK 64 – Best Game
Developed by Mario Luis Mesa a 4th year student of the Interactive Technologies Degree (GTI), taught at the Gandia Campus of the UPV, this 3D platform game surprised by its ambition and execution. The main mechanic allows the player to activate the ability of a mask to enter another dimension where new platforms appear, completely altering the gameplay. The most striking thing is that Mario designed and developed the project alone in just 24 hours, demonstrating an outstanding technical and creative capacity.
- NETMASK – Best Graphics
Created by Claudia Francisco and Daniel KaussThis 2.5D wave combat game was especially notable for its powerful visuals. In it, the player uses the masks of defeated enemies to inherit their abilities and stop the corruption of the system. Its artistic proposal was one of the most applauded of the event.
- TIKITOKI – Best Sound
Devised by third year GTI students –Víctor Morant Faus, Manuel Pérez García, David Bayona Luján, Fedor Tikhomirov-, Fedor Tikhomirov- together with Adrian Sanchez Moll, 2nd grader, this casual mini-game combines puzzles and narrative. The goal is to solve an enigma to break the curse of the TikiToki mask, which has been passed down from generation to generation.
Higher level, more participation and better atmosphere
The 2026 edition not only surpassed the number of participants compared to previous years, but also showed a general improvement in the level of the projects. From the graphics to the themes addressed, the quality was notably higher than last year, according to the organizers.
In addition, it is worth mentioning the large participation of students from the Universitat Politècnica de València, especially the Degree in Interactive Technologies taught at the Gandia Campus with representation from second to fourth grade.
The organization also highlighted “the excellent atmosphere, the good coordination between teams and the collaborative strategies adopted during the intense days of work”.
The Gandia Game Jam 2026 confirms its growth as a space for creativity, learning and the showcasing of young talent in the field of video game development.
