Shift Game Jam · Abu Dhabi Gaming × Unity
Build a game.
Test your skills.
Learn by doing.
Shift Game Jam is a hands-on game development challenge for university students and recent graduates in the UAE.
Across two days, you'll work with a team to develop an original, fully playable game based on a surprise theme, with guidance from Unity experts and mentors throughout the experience.
Whether you already have experience with game development or are still building your skills, Shift Game Jam gives you the opportunity to create, collaborate and experience what it takes to take a game from idea to playable prototype.
- Dates
- –
- Kickoff
- Location
- Abu Dhabi University
- Entry
- Free to participate
Join the next
Shift Game Jam
Free to enter, solo or in a team. Register on your own and we will match you into one on the day.
- Dates
- –
- Day 1
- Day 2
- Venue
- Abu Dhabi University
- Places
- Limited to 50 participants
- Format
- Two-day sprint · Teams up to 8
- Theme
- Revealed at the Day 1 opening session
- Who can enter
- University students and recent graduates
- Prizes
- To be announced
Registration
Places are limited to 50 participants. One registration covers both days. Bring a laptop and your chargers; the venue provides internet and power.
Register for Shift Game JamFree · Solo or teams welcome
New to Unity?
Get ready for the weekend with a free Unity crash course ahead of the Game Jam.
The introductory course will help you understand the platform, familiarise yourself with the basic development process and arrive better prepared to start building.
Places are limited and advance registration is required. Dates, location and how to sign up will all be published here.
Can't make this one?
Shift Game Jam returns in November 2026.
Register your interest and we'll let you know when the next event opens for registration.
- November
- Dates to be announced
- December
- Dates to be announced
Two days. One theme.
Build a playable game.
A game jam is a short, intensive game development challenge. Participants work in teams to create an original game within a fixed timeframe, responding to a theme revealed when the event begins.
Shift Game Jam is designed specifically for university students and recent graduates, giving emerging talent the opportunity to experience the game development process first-hand.
Day 1 Discover, team up & start building
Meet your fellow participants, discover the Game Jam theme and understand the challenge ahead.
You'll form your team, develop your initial idea and start turning it into a playable prototype. Unity experts and mentors will be available throughout the day to provide technical guidance, answer questions and help you work through challenges as your game develops.
- Doors open · check-inArrive, set up, meet the other jammers.
- Opening & welcomeAbu Dhabi Gaming and Unity kick things off at 9:00 AM GST.
- Theme reveal & rulesThe theme is announced here, plus what the judges are looking for. Everyone hears it at the same moment.
- Team formationSolo registrants are matched into teams.
- Development beginsThe clock is running.
- Mentor floor & Unity expert sessionsTechnical help on tap throughout the day.
- Evening build timeKeep going, or go home and come back fresh.
Day 2 Develop, refine & compete
Continue developing and testing your game before your final mentor check-in. You'll refine your prototype, make the final decisions that bring your idea together and submit your completed game before the deadline.
Teams will then present their games before the judging panel, with submissions evaluated against the Game Jam criteria before the winners are announced.
- Development continuesSecond and final build stretch.
- Mentor check-insLast chance to unblock a technical problem.
- Polish & buildGet it running, get it shipped.
- Submission deadlineUpload to the official itch.io page before the cut-off.
- Final presentationsTeams show what they built.
- Judging & evaluationThe panel plays and scores every submission.
- Awards ceremony & closeWinners announced on the day.
Build experience
you can use
Shift Game Jam gives you practical experience of creating a game from start to finish, alongside other students and emerging developers.
Develop your skills
Apply what you've learned by taking an idea through design, development, testing and final submission.
Learn from experts
Get practical guidance from Unity experts and mentors as you build, troubleshoot and refine your game.
Work as a team
Collaborate with people bringing different skills across development, design, programming and art.
Build your portfolio
Finish the weekend with an original playable game published on itch.io, giving you something tangible to showcase to future employers or universities.
Test yourself
Work against a real brief and deadline, make decisions quickly and see what you can create in just two days.
Shift Game Jam 2025
See what
students created
Shift Game Jam 2025, delivered in collaboration with the Heritage Authority, brought emerging game developers together to transform ideas into playable games.
Participants worked in teams, responding to a shared challenge and developing their concepts with expert support throughout the event.
- Registered
- 209
- Teams
- 31
- Games shipped
- 29
- Days
- 3
Frequently asked
questions
Everything you need to know about taking part, from who can enter to how games are judged.
Where you submit
You build in the Unity engine, on your own laptop, using whichever development tools you prefer. Every game is submitted through the official Shift Game Jam itch.io page, which is open now, and your build must be uploaded there before the deadline announced during the weekend.