SAGA 2026

SAGA 2026

We’re proud to announce that this year the 9th edition of our StyriAn Games Awards – SAGA – with a total value of 1.500 € will be awarded!

Have a look at the previous years: 2025, 2024, 2023, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017

Here are the details:

** Grand Prize **
* Local Star Award powered by Fachgruppe UBIT Steiermark *
* Audience Choice Award *

The StyriAn Games Awards – SAGA – give local indie game developers the opportunity to present their games and be rewarded. From all submissions, there will be five named finalists selected by a jury, that will be presenting their games at this years button Festival.

Deadlines:

January 16, Submission Deadline
March 6th-7th, Award Ceremony @ button Festival

Rules and Registration

Jury

  • TBA

Indie Game Area

Registration to the Indie Game Area:

Registration

Phil Gosch Award of Absurd Game Innovations

The Phil Gosch Award of Absurd Game Innovations honors the memory of Phil Gosch, who shaped the Austrian game development community with his humor, passion for experiments, and love for the weird, quirky, and creative.
This year we award this prize for the first time. Learn more:

Rules and Registration

Get to know the games

Pale Coins (Lukas Irzl / Website)

Journey into the ruthless open world of Pale Coins, an old-school fantasy RPG. Face punishing bosses, goblin-infested dungeons, and discover legendary weapons as you customize your champion and fight across Grenmark for the fabled Champion’s Coin.

  • Action RPG
  • PC (Steam)

Roguefall (Velwoot Games / Steam)

Roguefall is an action rogue-lite following a lost player guided by the enigmatic Overseer to scavenge a world almost forgotten. Fight, explore, collect, and fall until you reach the final machine: 0VR5R.

Descend into a crumbling world filled with remnants of the past and watched over by curious wildlife and ancient constructs. Test your skills in procedurally generated dungeons made of meticulously hand-crafted rooms.

Venture deeper to uncover lost shops, gather ores and mysterious essences, awaken dormant machines, and dismantle wandering drones to gain an edge on your journey.
Upgrade mysterious machines that grant permanent buffs. Equip five unique weapons, each with its own playstyle, and collect over 50 treasures with special effects. Modify treasures at ruined machines to tailor them to your strategy. Level up and spend points on attributes that suit your playstyle.

Face 0VR5R, the final machine, an intricately designed boss that will challenge your skill and strategy. What awaits after its defeat?

  • Action, Rogue-lite, Difficult
  • PC (Steam)

Space Cowboy (ILIKESCIFI Games)

Currently I am working every free minute on a longtime project of mine, Space Cowboy! The game combines a top down space exploration game with procedurally generated platformer sequences on planets and space stations. Be the captain of your own pixel spaceship, discover new galaxies, trade, jump ‘n’ gun, fly space races, gamble in space saloons and be like a leaf on the wind… 😉 In short: It’s a pixel art spaceship in your pocket!

• A unique mix of top down space exploration, platformer & survival “lite”
• Fly, Survive & Live in your own Pixel Spaceship
• Collect a bunch of pixel spaceships
• Listen to different space radio stations from Stoner Rock to Electro Folk
• 100 percent SUPER – SCIFI – FANMADE

I wanted to create this game for 30 years. I think I had the basic idea with 12 years in 1994 or so. Highly inspired by Han Solo & Chewbacca of Star Wars. I wanted to play their adventures!

  • Pixel Art Space Exploration and “Living in your spaceship” Simulation
  • PC / Windows

Weblab (Causa Creations)

Weblab is a child-friendly puzzle game about building the internet! It was created in collaboration with Visuelles.xyz, Netidee and the technical museum of Vienna, where it is currently displayed. In 2026 it will also be released to the public as a standalone web version!
Weblab aims to explain the footprint and infrastructure of the internet. With whimsical cutscenes and as little as possible text it is intended as an experience for the younger crowd; 7-12 years. Playfully explore what is necessary to keep our phones, cars, computers,… going in our little puzzle game and dive deeper into each individual part of the internet in our factbook.

  • Casual Puzzle
  • Itch.io, Android

Toni’s Turbo Tunnel (Anton Klinger / Bluesky)

Toni’s Turbo Tunnel is a fast-paced one-button shoot ’em up, where you either hit your shots or they come back to hit you. Compete for the best score in new challenges every day. Simple, quick and quite challenging.

  • Action Shmup
  • Android