The 2026 Canadian Game Awards are nearly upon us.
Honouring the best in 2025 Canadian games, this year’s awards show will take place on Thursday, May 21 at the John Bassett Theatre in Toronto. It will be hosted by Canadian actors Jennifer Hale and Mark Meer, best known for being the respective female and male voices of Commander Shepard in BioWare Edmonton’s beloved Mass Effect trilogy.
In addition to the involvement of the fan-favourite actors, there’s a lot to be excited for this year. Here’s everything you need to know.
When and how to watch
The awards will take place on May 21 at 8 p.m. ET and run for around an hour-and-a-half. A pre-show will begin at 7 p.m. hosted by content creator Matthew Rondina and freelance host Camille Salazar Hadaway.
Tickets to attend in person are available for $37.61. Additionally, you can tune in via CGA’s YouTube and Twitch channels.
The nominees
This year, dozens of games are up for awards. We have a full round-up of them all, which impressively span the entire country, but here’s what’s up for the coveted Game of the Year:
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows (Ubisoft Quebec — Quebec City, Que.)
- Hell is Us (Rogue Factor — Montreal, Que.)
- Lost Records: Bloom & Rage (Don’t Nod Montreal — Montreal, Que.)
- South of Midnight (Compulsion Games — Montreal, Que.)
- Wanderstop (Ivy Road — Vancouver, B.C.)
Additionally, Canadian games media veteran Victor Lucas (Electric Playground) will receive the inaugural Game Changer Award. What’s more, the Entertainment Software Association of Canada will present the Fan Choice Award that was fully voted on by the public.
What to expect
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In addition to the awards themselves, the show will feature some game announcements à la the “world premieres” in The Game Awards. Carl Edwin-Michel, the creator and executive producer of the Canadian Game Awards, told us that we can expect a few of what he’s calling “First Looks,” although the focus is still very much on awards distribution.
During the show, there will also be a few other initiatives to celebrate Canada’s massive gaming industry, such as a spotlight on the 15th anniversary of Red Barrels, the Montreal-based team behind the popular Outlast horror series.
It has also been confirmed that American-Canadian Patricia Summersett, the voice of Zelda in games like Breath of the Wild, will be one of the awards presenters.
Finally, attendees will be entered for a chance to win the beefy MSI Titan 18 HX AI gaming laptop.
The Eh! Game Showcase
One of the neat things about the Canadian Game Awards is that it runs a special “Eh! Game Showcase” alongside the main ceremony. Starting at 4 p.m. on May 21, ticket holders can show up to the John Bassett Theatre to check out a variety of games and activations from Canadian companies.
Some of these include:
- Dagger Woods VR (a psychological horror VR escape room from Halifax’s Paracosm)
- Eternal Strands (an action-adventure game from Quebec City’s Yellow Brick; also up for five awards, including Best Game Design and Best Art Direction)
- Fresh Tracks (a rhythm-action game from Vancouver’s Buffalo Buffalo; also up for Best Indie Game)
- North Shore (a skating exploration game set in the Canadian wilderness from Toronto’s Ravine Studios)
- Poly Fighter (a roguelike fighter from Montreal’s Heartloop Games)
- A special activation for Outlast in celebration of Red Barrels’ 15th anniversary
XP Game Summit
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It should also be noted that the Canadian Game Awards was delayed from February to May in part to align with the XP Game Summit in the city. Organized by Toronto-based XP Gaming, the two-day business-to-business (B2B) conference brings together industry and students for panels, networking and more.
More information can be found on XP Gaming’s website.
What games are you hoping will take home some hardware? Let us know in the comments.
For more on the Canadian Game Awards, check out our full interview with creator Carl Edwin-Michel.
Disclaimer: MobileSyrup is on the CGAs voting jury that decides the nominees and winners but is otherwise uninvolved with the production of the show itself.
Image credit: Canadian Game Awards
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