Checkpoint Game Jam registration has opened to indie developers across the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, with winning teams earning a funded trip to Tokyo to pitch their games in person. The jam is organized in coordination with Global Game Jam, and registration has soft-opened to regional developer communities ahead of an official kickoff on October 1.
Teams that make it through the full run of the jam get more than bragging rights. The top teams earn a trip to Tokyo the week of February 15, 2027, to pitch their game in person at the jam finals, with travel and accommodation covered for one representative per selected country team. Funding support and award opportunities are on the table for teams that reach that stage.
How Checkpoint Game Jam Registration Works
Getting to Tokyo means clearing three phases. An optional training phase runs from October 1 to 14, offering educational resources and expert sessions for teams still working out their concept. The jam itself opens October 15 and runs through October 31, open to all eligible participants and held entirely online. From that pool, the top 20 teams, five per country, advance into an iteration phase running November 15, 2026 through January 10, 2027, where they get time to refine their prototype before the Tokyo pitch round.
Who Can Join
Team composition has one requirement worth planning around early: at least half of each team needs to be citizens or residents of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, or Singapore, though the rest can join from anywhere. All jammers must be 18 or older.
The jam’s theme centers on pro-social game design, the kind of games that encourage healthy communities and digital resilience among players. Developers don’t need a background in that space to enter. Narrative adventures, puzzle games, cozy sims, and anything else in a team’s usual wheelhouse are fair game, and the organizers are providing webinars and design resources to help teams connect their genre to the theme. The jam is implemented by the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) and the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI), with funding from the Government of Japan.
Developers interested in joining can register through the official Checkpoint Game Jam site.
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