Jabali Announces the Jabali AI Game Jam at GDC 2026 on March 7th and 8th

A 24-Hour Challenge to Build Playable AI-First Games

Business Wire India

Jabali AI today announced the Jabali AI Game Jam at GDC 2026, a global 24-hour competition running March 7–8 that challenges creators to build and publish a playable 2D or 3D game in a single day using Jabali Studio. The event is designed to showcase the shift to AI-first games—games where AI is a functional part of gameplay, not only a content generator. 

The “AI-First Games” Challenge

designed to keep core mechanics coherent as the game evolves.

“We’re looking for playable AI-first games—games that work on day one, and that creators can keep improving after the jam. The 24-hour format is a stress test for what can be achieved in a compressed timeline,” said Vatsal Bhardwaj, founder of Jabali AI. 

From “Crunch” to Creative Throughput

The 24-hour limit is intentional: in traditional development, a one-day deadline often means brute-force implementation and late-night debugging. In an AI-first workflow, the goal is to spend the time directing the game—while the Bali, AI Producer, accelerates iteration across code, assets, and systems integration.

Event Details & Prizes 

The jam is open to creators worldwide—from professional developers to first-time builders working with AI. Winners will receive cash prizes and have their games featured as flagship examples of Playable Media on the Jabali platform.

For details on registration, judging, prizes, and the full ruleset, visit:

https://www.jabali.ai/announcement/jabali-gdc-gamejam-2026/

Winners will not only receive cash prizes but will have their games featured as examples of Playable Media on the Jabali platform.

About Jabali

Jabali is an AI-native games platform company headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area. Jabali Studio lets creators build complex 2D and 3D games using natural language, with a stateful runtime designed for reliable iteration and AI-native gameplay. Jabali AI is backed by BITKRAFT Ventures and the Sony Innovation Fund.