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Anyone can nominate games, developers, publishers, characters and other eligible subjects. Nominations form a longlist, Pocket Gamer creates a shortlist, fans vote, and winners are announced after voting closes.
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The Pocket Gamer Awards 2027 eligibility rule in one sentence
If you are nominating a new game, update or experience, the decisive test is usually its release date: it must have launched between 1 October 2025 and 30 September 2026. That is the eligibility period Pocket Gamer gives for most 2027 categories.
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For developer and publisher awards, do not treat the rules as a single-title competition. Pocket Gamer asks voters to consider a company’s catalogue while keeping recent releases in mind.
Which release dates qualify?
New games, updates and experiences
For most categories, a qualifying release must fall on or after 1 October 2025 and on or before 30 September 2026. This is a date window, not simply a “released this year” test. A game launched in September 2025 is outside the main window, while one launched on 30 September 2026 is inside it.
The same period is used for games, updates and experiences covered by the ordinary new-release categories. When checking a candidate, use the date of the relevant release or update rather than the date when a studio was founded, a trailer appeared or a nomination was submitted.
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Why the cutoff can feel different from a calendar year
The awards are labeled 2027, but the principal eligibility period begins in October 2025 and ends in September 2026. That means a release from late 2025 can compete with a release from most of 2026. A January 2027 launch is outside this stated period for the 2027 awards.
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Categories that can include older games
Pocket Gamer identifies six categories that do not have to follow the ordinary new-release window. Their subject matter is broader than a single launch date:
| Category | What can qualify | Date consideration |
|---|---|---|
| Best Game We’re Still Playing | An older game that remains relevant to players | Not restricted to the main launch window; continuing activity matters |
| Best Community | A game community with sustained player engagement | Older games can qualify when the community is still active |
| Best Webshop | A game’s webshop or comparable in-game commerce experience | Not required to follow the new-release window |
| Best Character | A notable character from a qualifying game universe | Back-catalogue characters can be considered |
| Best Game Update | A significant update to a game | The update should fall within the period where possible |
| Best In-Game Collab | An in-game collaboration between a game and another property or partner | Not required to match the original game’s launch date |
The practical distinction is between the age of the base game and the timing or relevance of the thing being judged. An old game with a major update in the eligibility period can be a stronger Best Game Update candidate than a new game with no comparable update. Likewise, an established title can be considered for Best Community if players are still active even though the game launched years earlier.
What “where possible” means for updates
Pocket Gamer says updates should be within the main period where possible. That wording gives update categories flexibility, but it is not a blanket exemption from timing. Identify the date of the update you are nominating and explain why it is the relevant update for the category. Do not assume that any historic patch qualifies simply because the underlying game remains popular.
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Catalogue-based judging
The Indie Developer, Publisher and Developer categories are framed around the nominee’s catalogue. The relevant question is not “Did this one game launch inside the window?” but “What has this developer or publisher delivered, and how does its recent work support the nomination?”
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Pocket Gamer specifically asks voters to keep recent releases in mind while considering the catalogue as a whole. A company can therefore be nominated for a body of work that includes older successful titles, provided the nomination reflects the catalogue rather than an unrelated corporate reputation.
How to choose between a title nomination and a company nomination
- Nominate a game when one title is the subject of the award.
- Nominate an update when a particular patch or content release is the achievement being recognized.
- Nominate a character, community, webshop or collaboration when that element is the category subject.
- Nominate an indie developer, developer or publisher when the case depends on a catalogue of work.
This distinction prevents a common mistake: using a company’s newest title as if it were proof that the company itself is subject to the new-release date rule.
Who can nominate?
The nomination invitation is open to everyone, including readers and their communities. You can nominate favourite games, developers, characters and other subjects, and the process allows multiple entries to be nominated.
That does not mean every nomination automatically becomes a finalist. Pocket Gamer totals the responses and uses them to create a shortlist. The shortlist then goes to a fan-voting stage. A nomination is therefore an opportunity to put a candidate into consideration, not a guarantee of placement on the ballot or of winning.
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2027 nomination and voting dates
| Stage | Date or timing | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Nominations open | 15 October 2026 | Readers can submit eligible candidates |
| Nominations close | 15 November 2026 | The nomination window ends |
| Shortlist and fan voting | After nominations close, through 20 December 2026 | Pocket Gamer compiles the shortlist and fans vote |
| Winners announced | Early 2027 | Winners are revealed after the voting period, at the awards ceremony |
The announcement gives 22 categories for the 2027 program. Because the nomination window closes on 15 November 2026, a game released after that date can still fall inside the main release window if its release is no later than 30 September 2026 only in the abstract; in practice, it cannot be newly released after the end of the stated eligibility period and still be a 2027 new-release candidate.
A practical eligibility check
Use this sequence before submitting a nomination. It separates the date test from the subject test, which is important for older games and catalogue awards.
- Identify the exact subject. Write down whether you are nominating a game, update, experience, character, community, webshop, collaboration, developer, indie developer or publisher.
- Record the relevant date. For a new game, use its release date. For an update, use the update’s delivery date. For a collaboration, identify when the in-game event or content was available.
- Apply the main window. If the subject is a normal new release, check that the relevant date is from 1 October 2025 through 30 September 2026, inclusive.
- Check for an exempt category. If the base game is older, see whether the nomination is for Best Game We’re Still Playing, Best Community, Best Webshop, Best Character, Best Game Update or Best In-Game Collab.
- Test continuing relevance. For an older game or community category, show that players are still active or that the nominated feature remains meaningful now.
- Use catalogue reasoning for companies. For a developer, indie developer or publisher, describe the catalogue and give appropriate weight to recent releases.
- Submit during the stated window. Nominations are scheduled for 15 October to 15 November 2026. Multiple entries may be nominated.
Examples of likely qualifying and non-qualifying cases
New game released inside the window
A game released on 12 November 2025 is inside the main period and can be considered for ordinary new-release categories, subject to the category’s subject matter.
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New game released before the window
A game released on 30 September 2025 is one day too early for the ordinary new-release categories. Its age does not disqualify it from every possible category, however: a current community, character, webshop, update or collaboration could fit one of the expressly exempt categories.
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Older live game with active players
A game launched several years ago can still be a candidate for Best Game We’re Still Playing or Best Community if it retains active players or a current community. The evidence should support the continuing-relevance argument, not merely repeat the original launch date.
Older game with a 2026 expansion or patch
The base game does not need to have launched in the main period for Best Game Update. The update itself should be tied to the eligibility period where possible, with the update—not the original release—presented as the achievement.
Developer with several releases
A developer can be nominated on the strength of its catalogue. Include recent work because Pocket Gamer asks voters to keep recent releases in mind, but do not reduce the nomination to a single title when the category is judging the developer.
What the published eligibility information does not specify
The available Pocket Gamer announcement does not set out a separate technical checklist for platform availability, geographic eligibility, company size, entry fees or proof-of-release documents. Do not assume that a particular platform, country, studio size or document is required unless Pocket Gamer publishes an edition-specific rule page saying so.
This limitation matters for borderline nominations. The release-window rule and named category exceptions are established; additional requirements should not be inferred from them. If a nomination form later asks for extra information, follow the instructions shown in that form.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Using the award year as the release window. “2027” does not mean January through December 2027; the stated main period is 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026.
- Rejecting every old game. The six named categories deliberately leave room for back-catalogue subjects.
- Treating a company award as a single-game award. Developer, indie-developer and publisher nominations concern a catalogue, with recent releases considered.
- Confusing a nomination with a shortlist place. Pocket Gamer uses nominations to build a longlist and shortlist before fan voting.
- Ignoring the relevant date. For an update or collaboration, the timing of that content matters more than the original game’s launch date.
- Adding unsupported requirements. The published information does not establish platform, geography, fee or proof-of-release rules.
How the selection process works after you nominate
- Nominations are collected. Readers and communities submit candidates across the awards’ categories.
- Pocket Gamer builds a longlist. The nomination responses are gathered for consideration.
- Responses are totaled into a shortlist. Pocket Gamer uses the nomination results to determine the candidates that proceed.
- Fans vote. The voting period is scheduled to run through 20 December 2026.
- Winners are revealed. The announcement says winners will be revealed after voting, at the awards ceremony, early in 2027.
Eligibility and popularity are separate questions. A candidate can satisfy the date or category rule and still fail to reach the shortlist; conversely, a famous older game may remain eligible only through a category that recognizes continuing relevance rather than a new launch.
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