GitHub Game Off 2025 theme announcement

Get ready for the annual Game Off, our month-long game jam that has inspired thousands of developers to make, share, and play games since 2012. Whether you’re a first-time jammer or a returning champion, this November is your chance to make something unforgettable.

The theme for this year? WAVES!

You have until December 1, 2025, at 13:37 PST to build a game loosely based on the theme. How you interpret it is entirely up to you. Don’t overthink it. Just ride the creative wave and see where it takes you. 🏄🏻

Need inspiration? Here are a few concept ideas

• A space shooter where you fly through gravitational waves and wormholes.
• A survival game where you build a coastal base and brace for tsunami waves.
• A tower defense game where you battle waves of increasingly powerful baddies.
• A skateboard game where you ride a sine wave, shredding through peaks and troughs. 
• A rhythm game where you catch the beat and ride the wave.
• A racing game where you drift through vaporwave skylines and a totally tubular synthwave soundtrack.
• A physics puzzler where you bounce, reflect, and refract energy waves.
• A remake of a class you enjoyed when you were younger resulting in endless waves of nostalgia.

Whatever form your game takes, whether it crashes, ripples, or totally wipes out… we can’t wait to see it.

Pro tip: Stuck for ideas? GitHub Copilot might be able to help. Try asking, “What are some fun games I could create with the game jam theme, WAVES?”

How to participate

Work alone or on a team. Use whatever programming languages, game engines, or libraries you like.

1. Sign up. Create a free GitHub account if you don’t have one.
2. Join the jam. Hop onto the itch.io Game Off 2025 page. If you don’t already have an itch.io account, you can sign in with your GitHub account.
3. Create a public repository. Store your source code on GitHub. Push your game before December 1 at 13:37 PST.
4. Submit your game on itch.io. Once submitted, you’ll be able to play other entries and cast your votes.

Voting

After the submission period ends, participants will vote on each other’s games. Entries will be evaluated in the following categories:

• Overall
• Gameplay
• Graphics
• Audio
• Innovation
• Theme interpretation

Voting will end on January 8, 2026, at 13:37 PST. Winners will be announced on the GitHub Blog and social channels on January 10, 2026, at 13:37 PST.

Light rules

Game Off is intentionally relaxed, but here are a few simple guidelines to keep things fair and fun:

• Your game must live in a GitHub repository. You should start from scratch, but you can use templates. The vast majority of the work should be done in the game jam period.
• License it however you like. Open source is encouraged, but not required.
• Fly solo or join a team. Work however you’re most comfortable.
• Use any tools or assets you prefer. Open source, commercial, or your own creations are all welcome.
• AI-assisted development is allowed. 

That’s it. Keep it creative, respectful, and fun, and remember to push your code before the deadline.

New to game development?

You don’t need to be an expert. Many participants build their first game during Game Off. Some use popular engines, others build their own, and a few even create games for classic hardware like the NES, Game Boy, or ZX Spectrum. However you make it, there’s no wrong way to play.

Here are a few engines you might want to explore:

• Godot (GDScript, C#, C++): Great for 2D and 3D games. Open source, lightweight, and beginner-friendly.
• Unity (C#): Ideal for 3D or mobile games with plenty of tutorials and asset packs available.
• Unreal Engine (C++, Blueprints): Best for cinematic visuals, complex 3D games, and high-end experiences.
• Phaser (JavaScript): Good choice for browser-based 2D arcade or platformer games.
• Pygame (Python): A solid option for learning game development basics or prototyping ideas quickly.
• Bevy (Rust): Modern, data-driven engine for developers who like performance and clean ECS design.
• LÖVE (Lua): Lightweight and fast, good for 2D games and creative coding projects.
• Flame (Dart / Flutter): Works well for mobile-first 2D games if you already use Flutter.
• Ebitengine (Go): Simple and powerful engine for 2D games written in Go.
• Defold (Lua): Cross-platform 2D engine with built-in tools and an active indie community.
• libGDX (Java): A familiar choice for developers coming from Java or Android backgrounds.
• HaxeFlixel (Haxe): Great for retro-style 2D games, platformers, and jam projects.

The Game Off 2025 Community is a great place to ask questions or look for teammates. There’s also a friendly community-run Discord server.

New to Git or GitHub?

Game Off is the perfect opportunity to check it out (version control pun intended).

• Git Documentation: Learn everything about version control and how to get started.
• GitHub Help: Explore tutorials and FAQs about GitHub.
• GitHub Community Forum: Ask questions, share ideas, and connect with others.

Whether your build floats or sinks, you’re part of something swell. Join thousands of developers around the world for a month of creativity, learning, and code-powered fun. Let’s hang ten on your keyboard  🌊 🤙 and make some WAVES together.

Good luck, and have fun!

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