Everything you need to know to master your Global Game Jam 2023 submission

Every year, Global Game Jam is a great opportunity for developers to experiment, network, and create something new.

In this blog, we’re highlighting some key resources to assist you during this year’s event, Global Game Jam 2023. You can find even more resources that our team has curated, from community links to tutorials to new tech suggestions, in this forum thread.

We’ve also curated this YouTube playlist that combines our videos with content from Unity Insiders and other creators. In it, you’ll find tips on how to approach game jams as well as tutorials to get you started with visual scripting, 2D tools, and more.

Unity has one of the largest communities in game development, with over 63% of Global Game Jam 2022 games built using the Unity game engine. That makes our community channels a great place to connect and network with other Unity developers to form teams, get help, or learn something new. Unity team members will be on location at several Global Game Jam 2023 sites, including Helsinki, Montreal (hosted in our office!), Memphis, Toronto, Seattle, Austin, St. Louis, Edinburgh, Vancouver, and more.

Get tips on preparing to participate in Global Game Jam and what you can expect directly from the Global Game Jam team alongside Unity’s Esteban Maldonado, Emily Ryan, and Russel Sng. Check out the second of the daily streams below, and visit Global Game Jam on Twitch for each installment.

Yesterday, Kal O’Brien sat down to chat with a group of Unity Insiders – Samyam, Andy Touch, and Code Monkey – to kick off Global Game Jam 2023 on our Twitch channel. Press play below for tips from this group, including insights on where to start, how to approach jams and showcases of previous jam projects for inspiration.

And don’t forget, we’ll also host a post-Jam “Let’s Play” session where we’ll share some of your submissions, so be sure to give us a follow.

Game jams are a great way to try out new ideas and prototypes or explore tech in Unity that you might not have an opportunity to use on other projects. Since Global Game Jam allows everyone from seasoned developers to up-and-comers to learn valuable Unity skills, one great resource to try is our new UI Toolkit. Bonus: The toolkit includes a free sample project that is available in the Unity Asset Store.

Start prototyping faster with resources that require minimal coding. The Quick Start Asset Pack bundle, available starting Monday, January 30, includes assets and tools that cover key aspects of game building, such as 3D models, audio, textures, effects, and more.

The greyboxed Runner game template provides a performant starting point that you can customize to your own needs. This is a first-of-its-kind template designed by Unity devs specifically for creating fast prototypes that can eventually be turned into shippable mobile games. With the popular “runner” genre as a base, new feature sets built into the template – such as the level editor, camera presets, and more – let you focus your time on creating differentiated visuals and game designs rather than base, monotonous systems.

Many notable Unity games on the market today started out as Global Game Jam submissions. If you create something you’re proud of, or if inspiration strikes during the event, Unity can help you get your game across the finish line with expedited Unity Pro support and insights and workflow improvements from Unity Gaming Services.

Find an expansive list of resources to assist you during Global Game Jam 2023 on the Unity forum.