Canadian video games take centre stage at Montréal International Game Summit

At the recent Montréal International Game Summit (MIGS), excitement for the Canadian games industry was palpable. Together with Ontario and British Columbia, Quebec leads the way for Canadian video games production. Montreal, in particular, has the highest concentration of game studios in the province. While MIGS has a global appeal thanks to its packed schedule of talks and panels, it’s distinctly Canadian in its focus, and rightfully so.

MIGS brings together developers and studios eager to show off their games to potential investors and publishers, so there’s plenty of time to get hands-on and play. This time around, the crowd favourite Indie Zone on the upper floor of the conference featured over 20 titles in development and nearing completion. Their creators got to observe attendees play the games they’re working on and give us a sneak peek into what’s to come to our collective Steam wishlists in the near future.

It was great to see the vast majority of studios and developers in attendance hail from around Canada, with many studios representing the MIGS’ home town of Montreal. Here are just a few games from Canadian studios that we test drove at MIGS and are now eagerly anticipating in 2026 and beyond.

Clerks and Quirks

Developer: ALTKEY Games (Québec City, Que.)
Platform: PC (Steam)
Release date: TBA

Part-sim, part-pure chaos, Clerks and Quirks is a roguelite co-op management game built with multiplayer in mind, although you can definitely attempt a solo run if you dare. The setting is a fantasy convenience store, where legendary heroes come to stock up on weapons, potions, and trinkets, while you, the clerk, attempt to sell them stuff and not burn out. The goal is to survive 15 consecutive business days, which gets progressively harder. Each day comes with new challenges, more demanding customers, and appliances that spring to life and smack you in the face. Literally. A successful run rewards you with permanent unlocks and, most importantly, the knowledge and wisdom to do it all over again and not fail… maybe.

The game is a lot of fun to play and is definitely much easier with other people. When they inevitably get in your way, why, that’s part of the experience! The cooperation required is reminiscent of Overcooked, but the roguelite aspect makes it more streamlined. Developed by Québec city-based studio ALTKEY Games, Clerks and Quirks was a favourite at MIGS and won the Indie Games Showcase voted on by attendees. A playtest is coming in mid-December.

Almanach: Of Empires and Sorcery

Developer: Foretold Entertainment (Montréal, Que.)
Platform: PC (Steam)
Release date: TBA

Fans of 4X games, this is for you. Almanach: Of Empires and Sorcery is a densely packed turn-based strategy game set in a world in a constant cycle of rebirth. Lead warriors, scouts, and settlers towards new lands, found cities, build neighbourhoods, and manage resource production, food sources, trade, and warfare. Keep an eye on mysterious occurrences and hidden dangers. Run away from lions!

There is a lot to do in the game, even in the initial demo, and even more to learn, especially for genre newbies. (The demo at MIGS allowed me to get about 70 turns in, which took a good half an hour.) What makes Almanach interesting is the interconnectedness of the worlds you inhabit. In the developers’ words, each new game takes place in a new age, with choices you made in the previous one impacting your experience in the current one. The demo doesn’t give a clear idea of that yet, but the game will be interesting to watch for that mechanic alone.

North Shore

Developer: Ravine Studios (Toronto, Ont.)
Platform: PC (Steam)
Release date: 2028

North Shore is a top-down adventure and exploration game set in the surreal versions of wintry landscapes of Southern Ontario and Southern Québec, heavily inspired by the paintings of Cornelius Krieghoff, Lauren Harris, and the Group of Seven. The game already endeared itself to closed audiences at playtesting events and indie get-togethers in Toronto this summer. At MIGS, I was finally able to sit down one-on-one with Ravine Studios’ technical director and creative director to play the demo of North Shore.

The creative team describes it as “Zelda-like”, which admittedly is a large umbrella to work under! The game looks visually stunning and pays close attention to movement and the physics of skating, as well as the psychology of rapidly changing landscapes and moods. It feels playful and wrought with danger at the same time, which is the exact feeling Ravine Studios is going for. They’re currently working on putting together a closed beta and are targeting a full game release in 2028.

Goeland: Seagull Adventure

Developer: Maarti Games (Montréal, Que.)
Platform: PC (Steam)
Release date: TBA
Demo

You’ve been a goose in an untitled game, and you’ve possibly wreaked havoc as a goat; now, how about the ultimate seashore town villain—a seagull? You can be the town’s resident criminal, knocking over garbage bins and stealing cherries from an orchard. Or, you can be a caped hero returning footballs to kids, protecting wildlife, and rescuing the seas from pollution. How many bananas will it take to win a game of Tic Tac Poo? How fast can you break out of jail? It’s up to you to find out!

A solo developer’s work in progress, Goeland: Seagull Adventure is a hilarious and addictive sandbox-style game of mini-quests, puzzles, and general shenanigans, with a distinct art style and a great potential for endless open-world exploration. The demo available on Steam provides a solid hour-plus of entertainment, and I’m eager to see more.

Button Man

Developer: Styrax Studios (Halifax, NS)
Platform: PC (Steam)
Release date: 2026
Demo

Button Man made a glorious appearance at Gamescom this year, and it continues to be an anticipated release for those of us who enjoy game homages to real-life settings and cities, especially in Canada. Set in a Prohibition-era Nova Scotia, Button Man follows Bruce, a former local kingpin’s henchman, returning to the town of Kingsport to investigate his boss’s murder. Bruce can run around town, talk to NPCs, recruit companions, fight hooligans, and even pet cats. What more do we need? The game looks awesome, has some sharp dialogue, and overall a lot of promise. You can play the demo on Steam now.

Chef of Sherwood

Developer: Porcelaine Games (Montréal, Que.)
Platform: PC, tablets
Release date: Summer 2026
Demo (itch.io)

This is for life simulation fans out there—you’re in for a real treat, pun intended. Chef of Sherwood takes on the story of Robin Hood, reimagined and told through the eyes of a cook in Prince John’s royal kitchen, whose (yours) only goal is to cook well to survive the royal family’s whims. The core mechanic of the game is a set of cooking mini-games, some quite challenging, requiring timing and precision as well as a level of attention not often present in similar games.

Apart from cooking, the game also asks the player to be strategic in how they spend their day, what ingredients they acquire, and when. Not everything is available every day; the amount of food you can get is limited, as is the time you have to shop and meet the townsfolk. Not to mention that interactions with certain NPCs can lower (or raise) the displeasure of the royal family. Upset them too much, and it’s not the dinner, but your head on the chopping block next.

Chef of Sherwood is coming to PC and mobile in summer 2026, but you can also play an extensive and very fun demo on itch.io right now.

Embers: A cozy fantasy journal

Developer: Studio Lazulite (Montréal, Que.)
Platform: PC (Steam)
Release date: Coming soon

Embers is less of a game and more of a journaling tool with gamified elements. It fits well within the rising trend of idle games and productivity tools, with the potential to appeal to the audiences of both while also being neither. Lovers of the cozy sim genre will appreciate its influences on Embers, with pixel art and gentle, unobtrusive animations. While the demo gives you a single prompt to reflect and journal on to complete a ritual, the full game (tool?) will have many more, together with an option to save and re-read entries.

Drop: Save the Forest

Developer: Riccardo Giol, Games Greenhouse (Chilliwack, BC)
Platform: PC (Steam)
Release date: December 5, 2025
Demo

Drop: Save the Forest is a 2D pixel-graphics puzzle game developed by Riccardo Giol and Games Greenhouse, a video games studio based in Chilliwack, B.C. You play as Drop, an environmental hero with a knack for extinguishing forest fires who is made entirely of water. As the levels progress, the puzzles get trickier, but Drop also gets new powers and weapons to deal with fire hazards. The game has an educational component talking about various biomes, flora, and fauna that Drop is protecting, and has a very family-friendly feel overall. It is set to release next month, but a demo is available on Steam now.

Images credit: Steam