Taipei Game Show has named the finalists for its Indie Game Award 2027, and the numbers tell the story. The competition drew 731 entries from 53 countries and regions this year, which the organizers say is more than 40% growth over last year. Only 45 teams from 20 countries and regions made the Final Round.

Host country Taiwan placed 10 of those 45 teams. That's a strong showing in a field that includes some games already carrying real momentum outside the award circuit.

This year's award runs in collaboration with PlayStation. Teams from Belarus and Madagascar entered for the first time.

The finalists with a head start

A few names on the list arrive with track records. Japan's Ratatan raised more than JPY 219 million in crowdfunding during development and shows up as a Best Audio finalist. Thailand's Lost and Found Co. from Bit Egg Inc. mixes hidden-object gameplay with character-driven storytelling and office decoration, and it's also in the Best Audio group.

From the US, Zeitgeist Studio's hand-drawn psychological horror adventure NAME OF THE WILL is up for both Best Narrative and Best Social Impact. Brazil's GHOSTLESS from Coffeenauts sits in the same two categories, with themes around AI development, human identity, technology ethics and trust.

The UK's lone finalist is Poncle's Vampire Crawlers, nominated for Best Innovation.

Taiwan's strongest picks

The organizers singled out three Taiwanese games. SIGONO's OPUS: Prism Peak is a finalist in three categories (Best Narrative, Best Audio and Best Visual Art), more than any other game in the field. CUP DOG GAMES' Rubinite, a Best Design finalist, has drawn interest from a Taiwanese venture capital fund. Straight Banana's Selfie Worm, up for Best Innovation, was already picked for Tokyo Game Show's "Selected Indie 80" and named a "Sense of Wonder Night" finalist.

Other Taiwanese finalists include Far Realm, Estella, Into The Haunted Land, Gaia Ritual, Superbird and two student games, Syntax:Overload and SLAVE CARD.

The categories and how winners are chosen

A jury of game industry experts, media and content creators from Taiwan and overseas judges the entries. Winners will be picked across eight award categories, including the Grand Prix. The finalist list covers:

  • Best Narrative
  • Best Audio
  • Best Visual Art
  • Best Design
  • Best Innovation
  • Best Social Impact
  • Best Student Game

Notable entries elsewhere include ChillyRoom's ReBlade: The Death Spiral and 34 Big Things' Carmageddon: Rogue Shift in Best Visual Art, Fumi Games' MOUSE: P.I. For Hire in both Best Audio and Best Visual Art, and Limbic Entertainment's Corsair Cove in Best Design. The full list is on the Taipei Game Show website.

Where to play the winners

The winning games get a showcase at Taipei Game Show 2027, which runs January 21 to 24, 2027 at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center Hall 1. Hands-on demos will sit in the Indie Game Award 2027 Winner's Pavilion inside INDIE HOUSE. The B2B zone and the Asia Pacific Game Summit run January 21 to 22.

For developers still hoping to exhibit, INDIE HOUSE registration moves to a waitlist on October 21. Taipei Game Show also says it has helped 35 Taiwanese indie studios exhibit at events in Japan, Brazil, South Korea and Canada this year, with Thailand, Lithuania and Canada next.

For Filipino players and developers, the shortlist is worth bookmarking. Award shortlists like this one are often where the next breakout indie first gets noticed.