Square Enix plans to select all 15 winning titles for the "SQUARE ENIX GAME CONTEST 2026," with no awards left vacant. Submissions will open on December 15, 2026, with a total prize pool of 1 billion yen.
The awards include one Grand Prize winner receiving 300 million yen, four Masterpiece Award winners each receiving 100 million yen, and ten Excellence Award winners each receiving 30 million yen. Yosuke Saito of Square Enix stated that the company hopes to connect with external creators through the contest, discover new game ideas, and create opportunities for commercialization and expansion into overseas markets.
Yosuke Saito and Takashi Tokita noted that entries do not need to be fully complete, but must allow judges to practically evaluate their novelty, originality, and entertainment value. If a title's core appeal relies on numerous levels or an extensive narrative, the playable content should be sufficient to demonstrate this.
Individuals, small teams, and active developers are all eligible to participate. The initial screening will involve ordinary gamers watching video submissions, while subsequent evaluations will combine hands-on gameplay, review of project proposals, and interviews to assess the works and potential for collaboration.