Everything is ready for Global Game Jam 2026. From Friday 30 January, ITS Academy Roberto Rossellini’s premises in Rome will become a creative hub operating 24 hours a day. Organised in partnership with the Roma Game Dev community and Unreal Chapter Rome, the event brings the world’s largest game-development gathering back to the capital. For an entire weekend, programmers, artists, sound designers and storytellers will work side by side with one goal: to create a complete video game from scratch in just 48 hours.
The ‘secret theme’ for the 2026 edition has been revealed: ‘Mask’. Teams will have until Sunday afternoon to devise mechanics, write code, design assets and submit a working prototype. This is not a competition for prizes, but a collaborative challenge. Sharing defines the atmosphere of the Jam: industry professionals and students taking their first steps meet as equals, exchanging skills and working together to solve the technical problems that inevitably arise during a development marathon.
For ITS Academy Rossellini, hosting the Rome leg of the event is more than providing a venue: it reflects an educational direction. For Digital Game Specialist and VFX students, the Jam marks a move from theory to hands-on practice. Stepping out of the classroom and into the fast-paced production environment of a hackathon tests resilience under pressure and teamwork, two of the soft skills most sought after by production studios today.
The event is open to everyone. The inclusive nature of Global Game Jam brings independent developers, former students and curious newcomers into the Institute, creating a diverse mix that encourages networking and new ideas.