The jury will assess the submitted games based on gameplays following 7 fixed criteria. Each assessment criterion will be assigned with a score on a scale from 1 to 10. The criteria will be used for both the nomination and the selection of the winners.

Graphics: The jury will evaluate the graphic style, the atmosphere of the game world, the character design, and the game's color scheme in terms of aesthetics.
Gameplay: Game mechanics are crucial for the gaming experience and will therefore be closely scrutinized. Creativity, sophisticated controls, and appropriate difficulty levels will positively affect the rating.
Sound: A good soundtrack adds to every gaming experience and allows players to fully immerse themselves in the game world. Games with fitting, atmospheric and undistorted music and soundscape will receive positive reviews.
Innovation: This category rewards innovative concepts, game elements, and technologies.
Entertainment: When it comes to assessing the quality of games, it's obviously very important that gamers get their money's worth. Among other things, the jury will look at the fun factor, the richness in variety, and how long the game entertains the players.
Technological progress: If the game uses the latest technologies, it will score points in this category.
Sales prospects: Is this game already hyped, has it been recommended, or are there other reasons to expect a big success in sales? In this case, the jury can award points in this category.

➜ Here you can find the regulations (.pdf) for the gamescom award 2026.