Pocket Gamer opened nominations for its 13th annual awards on 15 October 2026. Readers can nominate mobile games, developers and other eligible entries until 15 November, after which Pocket Gamer will publish a shortlist for fan voting. Voting is scheduled to run through 20 December 2026, with winners expected in January 2027.
Key Pocket Gamer Awards 2027 dates
| Stage | Date or timing | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Nominations | 15 October–15 November 2026 | Readers submit their preferred games and other award entries through Pocket Gamer’s official awards page. |
| Shortlist | After nominations close | Pocket Gamer totals nominations and publishes the finalists for each category. |
| Public voting | After the shortlist is published, through 20 December 2026 | Fans vote on the shortlisted entries. |
| Winners | Expected early 2027 | Pocket Gamer announces the results during the January winners stage described in its awards overview. |
How to nominate a game
- Open Pocket Gamer’s official Pocket Gamer Awards 2027 nomination page.
- Choose the category that best fits the game, person, team or service you want to recognize.
- Submit your nomination before 15 November 2026. The nomination phase is the reader-input stage; it is separate from the later final vote.
No physical product or purchase is required to nominate or vote. Pocket Gamer says the awards are organized by industry experts but decided by fans through the nomination and voting stages.
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Which games are eligible?
For most game categories, the relevant launch window is 1 October 2025 through 30 September 2026. A game released outside that period generally does not qualify for those new-release categories. The date rule concerns the game’s launch, not simply a later update or a period in which someone happened to play it.
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Categories with launch-date flexibility
Six categories do not require a launch in the main window:
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- Best Character
- Best Game We’re Still Playing
- Best Community
- Best Webshop
- Best Game Update
- Best In-Game Collab
Updates should fall within the eligibility period where possible, even though Best Mobile Game Update is not subject to the same strict launch requirement. Developer, indie-developer and publisher awards assess the nominee’s broader catalogue while still taking recent releases into account.
What changed in the 2027 awards?
The 2027 edition has 22 categories. Pocket Gamer has reshaped the lineup rather than simply carrying forward every category from the previous edition.
| Change | 2027 treatment |
|---|---|
| New categories | Best Mobile Indie Developer; Best Mobile Game Character; Best In-Game Collab; Best Webshop |
| Renamed category | Best Update/Updated Game becomes Best Mobile Game Update |
| Removed category | Mobile Innovation |
| Replaced category | Best Family Game is replaced by Best Webshop |
What Best Webshop recognizes
Best Webshop is aimed at official game websites where players buy in-game currency. It is distinct from an award for a game itself, a retailer or a general e-commerce service, so nominations should focus on the official web shop experience connected to a game.
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How the categories differ
The 22-category field covers several kinds of nominees: individual games, developers and publishers, characters, communities, updates, collaborations and web shops. Before submitting a nomination, identify whether the category is judging a launch during the main window, an ongoing service, a catalogue, or a specific feature or partnership.
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What happens after nominations close?
Pocket Gamer’s process has three stages. First, readers nominate entries. Second, Pocket Gamer aggregates those nominations and publishes a shortlist. Third, fans vote on the shortlist, and the winners are revealed in the final stage. A large number of nominations helps an entry reach the shortlist, but nomination volume is not the final award result: the public vote determines the winner from the shortlisted field.
Nomination versus final vote
Submitting an entry during the October–November window does not itself cast the later award vote. Once the shortlist is live, fans will need to return to the official voting page and choose among the finalists before voting closes on 20 December 2026.
Quick Recap
Quick answers for nominees and voters
- Can I nominate a game now? Yes. Nominations opened on 15 October 2026 and remain open through 15 November 2026.
- When do nominations close? The nomination deadline is 15 November 2026.
- Is every game released in 2026 eligible? Only games launched from 1 October 2025 through 30 September 2026 meet the normal release-window rule. The six exempt categories and catalogue-based awards use different criteria.
- When can I vote? Public voting follows the nomination and shortlist stages and runs through 20 December 2026.
- When will winners be announced? Pocket Gamer says winners will be announced early in 2027, with its overview identifying January as the winners stage.
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