Italian Video Game Awards 2026: the finalists of the XIV edition have been announced

The Italian video game industry is preparing to celebrate its finest achievements. IIDEA has officially revealed the nominations for the Italian Video Game Awards 2026, the country’s leading recognition dedicated to video games developed in Italy.

The awards ceremony will take place on June 11, 2026, in Florence at Cinema La Compagnia, during First Playable 2026, a key event for developers, publishers, and industry professionals.

The Finalists of the Italian Video Game Awards 2026

Best Italian Game

The nominees competing for the most prestigious award of the 2026 edition are:

Bye Sweet Carole – Little Sewing Machine
Dino Path Trail – Void Pointer
HORSES – Andrea Lucco Borlera / Santa Ragione
Simon the Sorcerer Origins – Smallthing Studios
The Lonesome Guild – Tiny Bull Studios

Among the most nominated titles are The Lonesome Guild and Bye Sweet Carole, two productions that highlight the maturity achieved by several Italian studios within the international indie scene.

Nominations for Best Debut Game

The “Best Italian Debut Game” category rewards the most promising first projects:

Bye Sweet Carole
Dino Path Trail
Loan Shark
Necrologium
The Crazy Hyper-Dungeon Chronicles

The selection showcases the creative diversity of Italy’s emerging game development scene, ranging from narrative-driven experiences to stylistic experimentation and strongly auteur-driven projects.

Art, Audio, and Gameplay Experience: The Technical Categories

The categories dedicated to artistic and technical achievements once again feature some of the year’s most anticipated titles.

Outstanding Art

Bye Sweet Carole
Steel Seed
The Lonesome Guild

Outstanding Experience

HORSES
The Bench
The Lonesome Guild

Outstanding Audio

Bye Sweet Carole
Steel Seed
The Lonesome Guild

Community Spotlight Award: Chosen by the Community

The “Community Spotlight Award” is one of the most interesting categories, as it reflects the votes of the developer community associated with IIDEA.

The nominees are:

Bye Sweet Carole
HORSES
Simon the Sorcerer Origins
Star Overdrive
The Lonesome Guild

A Snapshot of the Italian Gaming Industry

The Italian Video Game Awards 2026 nominations portray an increasingly diverse and mature industry. Alongside artistically driven indie productions, more structured projects are emerging, capable of competing internationally both technically and creatively.

In recent years, Italian game development has shown significant growth in production quality, artistic identity, and presence at global industry events. Events such as First Playable 2026 continue to play a strategic role in connecting development studios, publishers, and investors.

For more information about the event and ticket availability, visit the official First Playable website here.

Below you can find all the Steam pages and official websites of the titles mentioned above: