The GameOn Awards Ceremony happened during the 1st day of the Philippines Game Dev Expo at the SMX Convention Center Manila! A ceremony of Filipino-made games and the passion behind them! Here are the winners!
PGDX 2026 stage via Gaming Pinas
School Category
- Game of the Year: Ctrl+Opt+Out (De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde)
- Best Gameplay Mechanic: Ctrl+Opt+Out (De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde)
- Best Game Art Direction: Ctrl+Opt+Out (De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde)
- Best Game Narrative: Papermates (De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde)
- Innovation Award: Wiz’s Journey:Mastering the States of Matter Journey (De La Salle University-Laguna)
- Best Desktop/Console Game: Loophole (CIIT College of Arts and Technology)
Professional Category
- Game of the Year: Sunnyside Deliveries (Courier Ducks)
- Most Anticipated Game: Sepak U-Sports Fighting Game (Good Knight Collective)
- Best Game Design: Fall Up (Patrick Reyes)
- Best Art Direction: High Time (YangYang Mobile)
- Best Game Audio Design: High Time (YangYang Mobile)
- Best Game Narrative: Stuck in the Present (Dusk Wave Arts)
- Innovation Award: Damsiha (Jammers in Pajamas)
- Best Desktop/Console Game: Until Then: Afterimages (Polychroma Games)
We got the opportunity to talk to High Time Developers “YangYang Mobile” and CTRL+OPT+OUT Developers “FOOL COMBO” to see what all the buzz!
CTRL+OPT+OUT official poster via CTRL+OPT+OUT by 𝙁𝙊𝙊𝙇 𝘾𝙊𝙈𝘽𝙊, cartridge.tilt, comfortblues, ruka, Banmf, and plutonicore
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What was your team’s inspiration for CTRL+OPT+OUT“CTRL+OPT+OUT was our Thesis Project! We all know how social media’s landscape has become full of targeted adware and AI, no longer becoming a safe space for the User. For CTRL+OPT+OUT, we wanted to create a space where you get to actually kill and escape these targeted Ads and AI. It’s about taking control and opting out!” – FOOL COMBO
CTRL+OPT+OUT gameplay via CTRL+OPT+OUT by 𝙁𝙊𝙊𝙇 𝘾𝙊𝙈𝘽𝙊, cartridge.tilt, comfortblues, ruka, Banmf, and plutonicore
FOOL COMBO also expounded on what games they took inspiration from. “We were inspired by games like Jet Set Radio, Quake, and Scott Pilgrim vs The World!” – FOOL COMBO
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What are your future plans for CTRL+OPT+OUT?
“We are planning to continue developing the game, and hopefully have a Steam Release in the future!” – FOOL COMBO
CTRL+OPT+OUT awarding via Facebook
CTRL+OPT+OUT won the most coveted “Game of the Year” for the student category at the GameOn Awards 2026! If you didn’t get the chance to try out their doom-esque game at PGDX (understandable, their booth was PACKED with people!), you can try out a demo on their Itch.io: https://foolcombo.itch.io/ctrloptout
High Times
High Times official poster via YangYang Mobile’s Press Kit
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How did High Times start?
“High Times actually first started from our concept’s artist doodles! Literally gave us concept art for characters and said “Here are your drug girls,” and from there we started Developing High Times” – YangYang Mobile
Interestingly enough, High Times used to have a stronger theming of drugs-
“The first initial characters were named after drugs. We have MJ Hayes, who correlates to the forbidden Mary Jane, and Harry Yen- Heroine! We had to remove it later to change the rating, it was rated M at first, and now we are rated T! ” – YangYang Mobile
High Times gameplay via YangYang Mobile’s Press Kit
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How did you get LilyPichu for High Times?
“Sound Cadence handled our voice casting and apparently she really just auditioned for the role!” – YangYang Mobile
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What are your future plans for High Times?
“We are currently fixing and removing bugs, and hopefully after a year or so we have a mobile release! – YangYang Mobile
High Times won “Best Art Direction” for the professional category! If you haven’t tried their game during PGDX, the demo and full game is already on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2251220/High_Times__DatingCooking_Sim/
The Future is Bright for Filipino Indie Developers
As game development continuously grows in the Philippines, we are only getting more innovative games from our aspiring Filipino game developers! Orgs like the Game Developers Association of the Philippines are fostering creativity within our aspiring Filipino game devs, showing that there is a future in this industry!
PGDX Indie Game Stars via Facebook
So, if you’ve been searching for a sign to try out game development, this is the perfect time to start! We hope to see new Filipino game developers at the next PGDX!
Read More PGDX 2026 Content Here:
- PGDX 2026 Launches Official Steam Curator Sale
- PGDX 2026 Celebrates Cosplay Community
- Experience the Best of Gaming at PGDX 2026
- PGDX Launches HATCH for Filipino Game Developers
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