GamesRadar+ and The MIX to Premiere Two New BitSummit Showcases

BitSummit Punch concludes with Award Winners announced, 2027 dates and exhibiting titles continuing festivities through the BitSummit Steam Event.

KYOTO, Japan — May 25th, 2026 — BitSummit, Japan's premier indie game festival, wrapped its 14th edition, “PUNCH,” with another record-breaking attendance of 68,000 visitors across three days at Kyoto Miyako Messe. The festival will return May 21–23, 2027, but in the meantime, GamesRadar, PC Gamer, and The MIX will broadcast two new showcases premiering May 26. The BitSummit PUNCH Steam event also remains live through May 28, with demos available to play now.

BitSummit PUNCH Mixtape, a ~60-minute showcase produced in partnership with GamesRadar+ and PC Gamer, will feature highlights from the festival alongside world premiere trailers, new announcements, and surprises from participating developers and partners. The broadcast airs across the GamesRadar+ and PC Gamer websites, as well as their Twitch and YouTube channels.

BitSummit PUNCH Mixtape will premiere on May 26 at 9AM PDT / 12PM EDT / 5PM BST / 6PM CEST / 1AM JST (May 27th) / 2AM AEST (May 27th)

The MIX @ BitSummit returns with a special digest program featuring developer interviews, and partner spotlights from the show floor. It broadcasts as part of a two-hour programming block on IGN and GameSpot, and simultaneously airs on The MIX's official Twitch channel. The MIX @ BitSummit kicks off immediately following the BitSummit PUNCH Mixtape.

The MIX @ BitSummit — May 26th:

  • 10AM PDT / 1PM EDT / 6PM BST / 7PM CEST / 2AM JST (May 27th) / 3AM AEST (May 27th)

Tune in for more announcements, trailers, and updates from BitSummit PUNCH 2026!

Demos Still Live on Steam Through May 28th

The BitSummit PUNCH Steam event continues through May 28th, giving players additional time to explore featured titles, download demos, and take advantage of special event sales. Head to the BitSummit PUNCH Steam page to see everything on offer.

BitSummit PUNCH Award Winners
BitSummit PUNCH presented a total of 19 awards across multiple categories including BitSummit official jury selected honors, media and partners favorites, and audience voted awards. 

VERMILION GATE AWARD — Grand Prize
Awarded to the most outstanding title exhibited at BitSummit PUNCH.
Winner: Artis Impact (Mas)

Also nominated:

INTERNATIONAL AWARD

Awarded to the most outstanding title from outside Japan.
Winner: Dungeon Clawler (Stray Fawn Studio)

Also nominated:


INNOVATIVE OUTLAW AWARD
Awarded to the most technically or conceptually innovative title.
Winner: YaoyoroZOO (AlSH)

Also nominated:EXCELLENCE IN GAME DESIGN AWARD
Awarded to the title demonstrating the most outstanding game design.
Winner: NIGHTMARE OPERATOR (DDDistortion)

Also nominated:VISUAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
Awarded to the title with the most outstanding visual design.
Winner: Finding Polka (lidlocks)

Also nominated:EXCELLENCE IN SOUND DESIGN AWARD
Awarded to the title with the most outstanding audio design.
Winner: Cento (Hoshimadara Lab.)

Also nominated:POPULAR SELECTION AWARD
Voted on by all attendees across the event.
Winner: 60 Seconds (60病) (Matrix, Inc. / HINATA, Inc.)

KIDS SELECTION AWARD
Voted on by young attendees at the event.
Winner: Finding Polka (lidlocks)

Sponsor & Media Highlight Awards


STUDENT GAME JAM AWARD
Winner: TORIMA HEADBANG (Birdbarian)

A Record-Breaking 14th Edition
BitSummit PUNCH welcomed attendees across three days: a Business Day on May 22nd, followed by two Public Days on May 23rd and 24th. Business Day alone drew nearly 14,000 visitors, more than the entire first public day of BitSummit Let's Go!! in 2023. The two public days brought in over 28,600 and 25,600 respectively, for a three-day cumulative total of more than 68,000. For context, the festival counted around 24,000 cumulative visitors in 2023, 38,000 in 2024, and 58,000 in 2025. The growth has been consistent enough that this year's Business Day figure alone would have been a record public day just two editions ago.

BitSummit PUNCH received 548 game submissions from developers around the world this year, from which 125 titles were selected by the BitSummit committee and invited to exhibit as Official Selections. Beyond the Official Selections, the event welcomed 78 indie support sponsors, 68 corporate partners, and a wide range of additional exhibitors across multiple participation categories, bringing the total number of companies represented at the venue to 496.

BitSummit Returns in 2027
At the BitSummit PUNCH closing ceremony on May 24th, we announced that the 15th edition of BitSummit will take place at Miyako Messe in Kyoto on May 21st-23rd, 2027. The application window for indie exhibitors is expected to open in F2026. Additional details on exhibitor applications, sponsorship opportunities, and programming will be shared via our official channels as they're confirmed.
If you are interested in more information and future announcements regarding BitSummit, please visit bitsummit.org and follow @BitSummit on X, and @BitSummit on instagram.  

About BitSummit 

BitSummit is an annual festival based in Kyoto, celebrating independent game developers and development in Japan. Founded in late 2012 to support, unify, and evangelize the vibrant and innovative Japanese independent game development scene to the world at large, BitSummit has established itself as Japan's premier independent gaming event, attracting thousands of visitors annually, as well as a notable, international media presence. BitSummit has been covered by every leading gaming website worldwide and featured in print publications such as Weekly Famitsu, Dengeki PlayStation, GamesTM, EDGE, and more. BitSummit has also been the focus of panel discussions at the Game Developers Conference, IndieCade, IndieCade East, and CEDEC. BitSummit continues to grow alongside the burgeoning Japanese independent development scene in its tenth year running.

BitSummit is organized by the Japan Independent Games Aggregate (JIGA): Q-Games Ltd, Skeleton Crew Studios, Pygmy Studio Co. Ltd., and BlackSheep.

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