Lean in, puzzle lovers — community voting for the 2026 Thinky Awards is live! The fourth annual video game awards showcase, hosted by pro puzzle purveyors at Thinky Games, highlights innovative, intellectually stimulating indie games from independent developers worldwide.
“We’re delighted to be hosting the 4th Annual Thinky Awards, celebrating the very best thinky games from 2026,” the organization’s website says. While the Thinky Games jury determines winners for most categories, players can vote for three community choice awards through Monday, Nov. 23.
Thinky Games will reveal the winners on Monday, Dec. 14, in a celebratory broadcast on its YouTube and Twitch channels.
Thinky Games has been busy this year. The puzzle game-focused group held its second annual Thinky Direct in May, celebrating puzzling indies from around the world in a simulcast showcase on the organization’s YouTube and Twitch channels.
The broadcast featured more than 40 head-scratching games from independent developers worldwide, including world premieres and long-awaited launch-date announcements.
All puzzle games nominated for Thinky Games’ Thinky Awards 2026
Find out if your favorite head-scratching indie game made the cut. Check out all nominees for the fourth annual Thinky Awards, airing Monday, Dec. 14, and head to Thinky Games’ exclusive Discord channel to talk all things thinky.
Don’t know what to expect? Check out last year’s Thinky Awards broadcast on the official Thinky Games website and watch winners like Blue Prince and Is This Seat Taken? take the digital stage.
Find these nominees on Steam and itch.io now:
GAME OF THE YEAR →
(NOTE: Vote for your Game of the Year right here)
- 868-BACK (Michael Brough; Finji)
- Big Walk (House House; Panic)
- Emuurom (Coyote Time Publishing; borbware)
- He Who Watches (Danga Games; Draknek & Friends)
- Order of the Sinking Star (Thekla, Inc.; Gamirror Games; Arc Games)
- The Artisan of Glimmith (Lunarch Studios; 983 Interactive)
- The Incident at Galley House (Evil Trout; William Rous)
- The Message from Deep Space (Applesinmypants)
BEST APPROACHABLE GAME →
- 20 More, Somehow Even Smaller, Mazes (FLEB)
- Big Walk (House House; Panic)
- Chomp Garden (PawPaw Games)
- Colorbound (Panpipe Studio; Whitethorn Games)
- Deductopia (Nightwell Games)
- Rita (SporkTank)
- Schrodinger’s Cat Burglar (Abandoned Sheep)
- The Mermaid Mask (SFB Games)
BEST CHALLENGING GAME →
- Derelict Star (gate; Luminous Tree Games)
- He Who Watches (Danga Games; Draknek & Friends)
- Order of the Sinking Star (Thekla, Inc.; Gamirror Games; Arc Games)
- Pull Chain (Steven Miller)
- The Incident at Galley House (Evil Trout; William Rous)
- The Message from Deep Space (Applesinmypants)
- Theta and Paralldox on Worldlines (XXela; Delta Theta)
- Where’s My Egg? (LevelClear)
BEST APPROACHABLE GAME →
- A Little Perspective (Tad Cordle)
- Clover’s Quadrants (Two-Headed Deer)
- E9uations (9nPotato)
- Hamstermind (Righteous Tree)
- He Who Watches (Danga Games; Draknek & Friends)
- Order of the Sinking Star (Thekla, Inc.; Gamirror Games; Arc Games)
- The Artisan of Glimmith (Lunarch Studios; 983 Interactive)
- Theta and Paralldox on Worldlines (XXela; Delta Theta)
MOST INNOVATIVE GAME →
- Big Walk (House House; Panic)
- Emuurom (Coyote Time Publishing; borbware)
- Horse Magnifier: The Full Horse (sketbordcat)
- Map Map – A Game About Maps (Pipapo Games; Rekoup)
- The Art of Reflection (Hydrozoa)
- The Message from Deep Space (Applesinmypants)
- The Remake of the End of the Greatest RPG of All Time (Coin Drop Games)
- TR-49 (Inkle)
BEST ART DIRECTION →
- Big Walk (House House; Panic)
- Burn With Me (Nozomu Games; Inner Pocket)
- Clover’s Quadrants (Two-Headed Deer)
- Emuurom (Coyote Time Publishing; borbware)
- Helix: Descent N Ascent (Badass Mongoose)
- Phonopolis (Amanita Design)
- The Mermaid Mask (SFB Games)
- Wax Heads (Patattie Games; Curve Games)
BEST STRATEGY GAME →
- 868-BACK (Michael Brough; Finji)
- Burn With Me (Nozomu Games; Inner Pocket)
- Dicevaders (Playstack; Pengonauts)
- Mewgenics (Edmund McMillen; Tyler Glaiel)
- Shroom and Gloom (Team Lazerbeam; Devolver Digital)
- Slay the Spire 2 (Mega Crit)
- Titanium Court (AP Thomson; Fellow Traveller)
BEST PEN AND PAPER PUZZLE →
- Cut Up! (Dee <3)
- Herd (Blaž Urban Gracar; Letibus Design)
- Lost Speech (xxuurruuii)
- Murdoku Vol. 2-3 (Manuel Garand)
- Rorschach’s River (Broken Sign Games; Puzzlers Club)
- The Initiating (8BitLlama)
BEST MOBILE GAME →
- Club Soko (Miracle Tea)
- Humbug 2 (Dunderbit)
- Servant of the Lake (Rusty Lake)
- Titanium Court (AP Thomson; Fellow Traveller)
- TR-49 (inkle)
- Ultrapool (Icedrop Games; offbrand games)
BEST FREE GAME →
- 20 More, Somehow Even Smaller, Mazes (FLEB)
- Carrot Kingdom! (shoma; Handsum)
- Pull Chain (Steven Miller)
- Rorschach’s River (Broken Sign Games; Puzzlers Club)
- Sudokuvania 2: Lineage of Logic (Skeptical Mario)
- The Archives of Trevosa – Jam Version (jamwitch)
- The Red Pearls of Borneo (Bushmonkey Games)
BEST EXPANSION →
- Gentoo Rescue – Anniversary Update (
- Opus Magnum: De Re Metallica (Zachtronics; Alliance)
- Portal: Alive & Kicking (Rhubarb & Rhubarb)
- Shape (Cool Math Games; Studio Look)
- The Incident at Galley House (Evil Trout; William Rous)
- The Talos Principle 2 – Puzzle Editor (Croteam; Devolver Digital)
MOST ANTICIPATED GAME →
(NOTE: Vote for your most anticipated puzzle game here)
- DEG (Doseo)
- Dittori (Blookerstein; Draknek & Friends)
- Inkblood (Hey Bird!; Critical Reflex)
- Machinarium 2 (Amanita Design)
- Nonolith (Justcamh; Inner Pocket)
- The Archives of Trevosa (jamwitch)
- The Talos Principle 3 (Croteam; Devolver Digital)
- Tiling Town (muratsubo Games)
- Trifolium: The Adventures of Gary Pretzelneck (EmptyMatter)
BEST CONTENT CREATOR →
(NOTE: Vote for your favorite content creator here)
- Aliensrock
- Cracking the Cryptic
- Draknek & Friends Official Podcast
- GamesWithMorgan
- Icely Puzzles
- NinaStruggles
- Olexa
- That Design Feel
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