Abstract:
Epic Games announced the 2026 Epic AI MegaJam game development competition. Participants will use Unreal Engine (Unreal Engine) or the "Fortnite" Unreal Editor (UEFN) to create a playable game within four days from November 12 to 15. The event is open to the world online, and offline sessions will also be held at the Digital Jungle venue in San Francisco. The competition theme is expected to be announced live on November 11.
The total cash prize of the competition is US$65,000, divided into three categories: Best Unreal Engine Work, Best UEFN Work, and Best Student Project. The top three in each category will receive US$7,500, US$5,000, and US$2,500 respectively. There are also categories such as Best Team, Independent Developer, Visual Effects, Mobile Games, AI Usage Record and UEFN Narrative Games. Some outstanding works can also receive follow-up development funding of up to US$50,000, and AI partners will also provide tool credits; these funding and tool rights are not included in the US$65,000 cash prize.
Each team can be composed of one developer alone or up to five real people, and can use an unlimited number of AI agents. The FAQ on Epic's initial event page stated that "all entries must use AI", which attracted attention from the outside world. Subsequently, the Unreal Engine official account admitted that this was a mistake in the FAQ, clarified that contestants can decide how much AI to use, or even not use it at all, and stated that the FAQ and rules would be updated.
However, the FAQ currently displayed on the event page still retains the old statement that "AI must be used", which is inconsistent with the correction of the official account. Epic stated that it will revise the relevant instructions, and participants should refer to the updated official rules. The competition requires participants not to make the final game before the event starts, but they can install the engine, configure AI agents and development tools in advance; the work must be submitted by November 15th.
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