It’s about that time of year again when the Canadian Game Awards are upon us, and the organizers have announced the big nominees for each category in 2026.
The information fans have received regarding the 2026 Canadian Game Awards is that the celebration will be returning to Toronto, Canada, for 2026. Though it was previously rumoured to return to the TIFF Lightbox following a successful show there last year, now, we have official confirmation on venue for the entire show, and it’s not the TIFF Lightbox. The show will take place on May 21 at Toronto’s John W.H. Bassett Theatre at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, coinciding with the XP Game Summit conference that’s also taking place in the city.
The 2026 Canadian Game Awards are a celebration of Canada’s gaming industry, and shine a light on Canadian-based developers and releases for the 2025 year. The Canadian Game Awards were created in 2020 by Carl-Edwin Michel and were initially an industry-focused event, but they were then opened up to the public as a celebration for both fans and developers. The CGAs take a “by the industry, for the industry” approach, and this will be the show’s sixth instalment.
In addition to the nominees reveal, the Canadian Game Awards has announced Victor Lucas as the recipient of this year’s Game Changer Award. As a pioneer of Canadian gaming journalism and creator of The Electric Playground, Victor has spent decades championing the industry and has earned the reward as a force of good in the industry. Along with that announcement, the Canadian Game Awards have revealed this year’s nominees, which are as follows:
Game of the Year
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows (Ubisoft Quebec — Quebec City, Que.)
- Hell is Us (Rogue Factor — Montreal, Que.)
- Lost Records: Bloom & Rage (Don’t Nod Montreal — Montreal, Que.)
- South of Midnight (Compulsion Games — Montreal, Que.)
- Wanderstop (Ivy Road — Vancouver, B.C.)
Studio of the Year
- Compulsion Games (Montreal, Que.)
- Digital Extremes (London, Ont.)
- Rogue Factor (Montreal, Que.)
- Tribute Games (Montreal, Que.)
- Yellow Brick Games (Quebec City, Que.)
Best Indie Game
- Ambrosia Sky: Act One (Soft Rains — Toronto, Ont.)
- Ctrl Alt Deal (Only By Midnight — Edmonton, Alta.)
- Fresh Tracks (Buffalo Buffalo — Vancouver, B.C.)
- Marvel Cosmic Invasion (Tribute Games — Montreal, Que.)
- Wanderstop (Ivy Road — Vancouver, B.C.)
Best Game Design
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows (Ubisoft Quebec — Quebec City, Que.)
- Battlefield 6 (Battlefield Studios, includes Montreal’s Motive)
- Hell is Us (Rogue Factor — Montreal, Que.)
- Eternal Strands (Yellow Brick Games — Quebec City, Que.)
- South of Midnight (Compulsion Games — Montreal, Que.)
Best Narrative
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows (Ubisoft Quebec — Quebec City, Que.)
- Hell is Us (Rogue Factor — Montreal, Que.)
- Lost Records: Bloom & Rage (Don’t Nod Montreal — Montreal, Que.)
- South of Midnight (Compulsion Games — Montreal, Que.)
- Wanderstop (Ivy Road — Vancouver, B.C.)
Best Art Direction
- Eternal Strands (Yellow Brick Games — Quebec City, Que.)
- Lost Records: Bloom & Rage (Don’t Nod Montreal — Montreal, Que.)
- Marvel Cosmic Invasion (Tribute Games — Montreal, Que.)
- 33 Immortals (Thunder Lotus Games — Montreal, Que.)
- South of Midnight (Compulsion Games — Montreal, Que.)
Best Audio Design
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows (Ubisoft Quebec — Quebec City, Que.)
- Battlefield 6 (Battlefield Studios, includes Montreal’s Motive)
- Eternal Strands (Yellow Brick Games — Quebec City, Que.)
- Hell is Us (Rogue Factor — Montreal, Que.)
- South of Midnight (Compulsion Games — Montreal, Que.)
Best Score/Soundtrack
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows (The Flight and Montreal’s Teke: Teke)
- Eternal Strands (Austin Wintory)
- Lost Records: Bloom & Rage (Montreal’s Milk & Bone and Ruth Radelet)
- Marvel Cosmic Invasion (Tee Lopes)
- South of Midnight (Olivier Derivière)
Best Performance
- Erica Luttrell as Melissa Mills in Battlefield 6 (Toronto, Ont.)
- Olivia Lepore as Swann Holloway in Lost Records: Bloom & Rage (Montreal, Que.)
- Momona Tamada as Oni-yuri in Assassin’s Creed Shadows (Vancouver, B.C.)
- Peter Shinkoda as Fujibayashi Nagato in Assassin’s Creed Shadows (Montreal, Que.)
- Elias Toufexis as Rémi in Hell is Us (Montreal, Que.)
Best Console Game
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows (Ubisoft Quebec — Quebec City, Que.)
- Battlefield 6 (Battlefield Studios, includes Montreal’s Motive)
- Hell is Us (Rogue Factor — Montreal, Que.)
- Marvel Cosmic Invasion (Tribute Games — Montreal, Que.)
- South of Midnight (Compulsion Games — Montreal, Que.)
Best PC Game
- Aloft (Astrolabe Interactive — Montreal, Que.)
- Ambrosia Sky: Act One (Soft Rains — Toronto, Ont.)
- Battlefield 6 (Battlefield Studios, includes Montreal’s Motive)
- Eternal Strands (Yellow Brick Games — Quebec City, Que.)
- Foundation (Polymorph Games — Quebec City, Que.)
Best Mobile Game
- EA Sports FC 26 Mobile (EA Canada — Vancouver, B.C.)
- Elsewhere Electric (Games by Stitch — Toronto, Ont.)
- LHEA and the Word Spirit (Soul Fuel Games — Centre-du-Quebec, Que.)
- Rainbow Six Mobile (Ubisoft Montreal — Montreal, Que.)
Best VR/AR Game
- Chronostrike (Pentachromatic Games — Montreal, Que.)
- Elsewhere Electric (Games by Stitch — Toronto, Ont.)
- Fruit Golf (Coal Car Studio — Vancouver, B.C.)
- Prison Boss Prohibition (Trebuchet — Montreal, Que.)
- Verse VR (Lofty Sky Entertainment — Toronto, Ont.)
Best Esports Event
- Battle of BC 7 (Vancouver, B.C.)
- Call of Duty Champs (Kitchener, Ont.)
- Electric Clash 2025 (Toronto, Ont.)
- Raptors GC Tournament (Toronto, Ont.)
- Valorant Masters Toronto 2025 (Toronto, Ont.)
Best Esports Player
- Adam “mada” Pampuch (Canada)
- Brandon “Dashy” Otell (Canada)
- Keith “NAF” Markovic (Canada)
- Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken (Kelowna, B.C.)
- Troy “Canadian” Jaroslawski (Canada)
Best Esports Coach
- Antonin “AEC” Tran (Montreal, Que.)
- Kurtis “Aui_2000” Ling (Vancouver, B.C.)
- Loic “Effys” Sauvageau (Quebec)
- Mervin-Angelo “Dayos” Lachica (Ontario)
- Shaun Byrne (Windsor, Ont.)
Best Esports and Gaming Organization
- Raptors GC (Toronto, Ont.)
- Shopify Rebellion (Toronto, Ont.)
- Toronto Ultra/KOI/OverActive Media (Toronto, Ont.)
- Vancouver Surge (Vancouver, B.C.)
Best Content Creator
- Alex “Vansilli” Nguyen (Montreal, Que.)
- Ashley Roboto (Southern Ontario)
- Nicholas “NickEh30” Amyoony (Halifax, N.S.)
- Stef Sanjati (Toronto, Ont.)
- Victor Lucas/Electric Playground (Vancouver, B.C.)
Innovation in Accessibility
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows (Ubisoft Quebec — Quebec City, Que.)
- EA Sports FC26 (EA Vancouver — Vancouver, B.C.)
- South of Midnight (Compulsion Games — Montreal, Que.)
- Squeakross: Home Squeak Home (Alblune — Montreal, Que.)
- Wanderstop (Ivy Road — Vancouver, B.C.)
The Canadian Game Awards 2026 also revealed the launch of the Fan Choice Awards, presented in partnership with the Entertainment Software Association of Canada (ESAC). Fans can vote for their favourite 2026 Canadian game on the official ESAC website. On May 4, the top 10 finalists will be revealed, and fans will have to return and vote once more ahead of May 21’s show.
