The INDIE Live Expo 2026.12.1 broadcast is set for December 1, and the final round of the user vote for Most Fun Indie Game of the Year runs through November 23, with the winner announced during the broadcast. DRAPLINE led the preliminary round.
The INDIE Live Expo executive committee has filled in the shape of its December 1 broadcast. On July 21 it announced that INDIE Live Expo 2026.12.1 would be the 15th edition of the program, which began in 2020 and airs simultaneously in Japanese, Chinese, English, and Korean. INDIE Waves returns as a segment where each game gets 15 seconds of screen time; the previous edition featured about 160 titles, and a general call for submissions was planned for around September 2026. The committee also announced the INDIE Live Expo Awards, in which prominent game industry figures select their most interesting indie game of the year.
That call opened on September 2, with entry free, one title per organization, and a September 29, 11:59 AM JST deadline. The committee plans to feature about 80 titles this round. The application adds questions about development team size, whether the game is a debut work, full-time or part-time production, and anecdotes from production. The video requirement changed as well: applicants now submit a 15-second clip plus a trailer of 30 seconds or more. The same announcement put the committee at Tokyo Game Show 2026, running September 17 to 21 at Makuhari Messe in Hall 9, booth 09-E21, handing out stickers of mascot Wishlist Ado-chan and a pamphlet with a 4-koma manga by Kawajiri Kodama. The program has passed 100 million cumulative views and introduced more than 3,300 titles, with over 1,000 applications for the previous edition.
On October 27 the committee opened the final round of its user vote for Most Fun Indie Game of the Year. Balloting runs through November 23 on official X and Google Forms, and only the ten titles that topped the preliminary round are on the ballot. DRAPLINE led that preliminary list. The first-ranked title will be announced during the December 1 broadcast, and voters are entered into a lottery for a PlayStation 5.
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Facts
- Announced
- opened the final round of its user vote for Most Fun Indie Game of the Year on October 27 · 2026-10-27
- Announced
- balloting runs through November 23 on official X and Google Forms · 2026-10-27
- Announced
- only the ten titles that topped the preliminary round are on the final ballot · 2026-10-27
- Announced
- DRAPLINE led the preliminary list · 2026-10-27
- Announced
- the first-ranked title will be announced (INDIE Live Expo 2026.12.1) · 2026-10-27
- Announced
- INDIE Live Expo 2026.12.1 is scheduled to air December 1 · 2026-10-27
- Announced
- voters are entered into a lottery for a PlayStation 5 · 2026-10-27
- Announced
- opened general applications for INDIE Waves · 2026-09-02
- Announced
- INDIE Live Expo booth at Tokyo Game Show 2026 (Tokyo Game Show 2026) · 2026-09-02
- Announced
- next broadcast on December 1, 2026 · 2026-07-21
- Announced
- INDIE Live Expo Awards program · 2026-07-21
- Noted
- broadcast on December 1 · 2026-09-02
- Noted
- entry is free · 2026-09-02
- Noted
- one title per organization · 2026-09-02
- Noted
- applications close September 29 at 11:59 AM JST · 2026-09-02
- Noted
- plans to feature about 80 titles · 2026-09-02
- Noted
- adds questions about development team size, debut status, production setup, and anecdotes · 2026-09-02
- Noted
- video requirement changed to 15-second clip plus trailer of 30 seconds or more · 2026-09-02
- Noted
- has run since 2020 · 2026-09-02
- Noted
- passed 100 million cumulative views · 2026-09-02
- Noted
- introduced more than 3,300 titles · 2026-09-02
- Noted
- previous edition drew over 1,000 applications · 2026-09-02
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Oct 27
The INDIE Live Expo Executive Committee opened the final round of its user vote for Most Fun Indie Game of the Year on October 27. Balloting runs through November 23 on official X and Google Forms, and only the ten titles that topped the preliminary round are on it. DRAPLINE led that preliminary list. The first-ranked title will be announced during INDIE Live Expo 2026.12.1, scheduled to air December 1. Voters are entered into a lottery for a PlayStation 5.
Sep 2
The executive committee behind INDIE Live Expo opened general applications for INDIE Waves, the flagship corner of the December 1 broadcast, on September 2. Entry is free, one title per organization, and closes September 29 at 11:59 AM JST. The committee plans to feature about 80 titles. This round adds questions about development team size, whether the game is a debut work, full-time or part-time production setup, and anecdotes from production, part of a push to profile the people making the games as well as the games themselves. The video requirement also changed: applicants now submit a 15-second clip plus a trailer of 30 seconds or more. The committee separately announced an INDIE Live Expo booth at Tokyo Game Show 2026, running September 17 to 21 at Makuhari Messe in Hall 9, booth 09-E21, where it will hand out stickers of mascot Wishlist Ado-chan and a pamphlet carrying a 4-koma manga by Kawajiri Kodama. The program has run since 2020, passed 100 million cumulative views, and introduced more than 3,300 titles. The previous edition drew over 1,000 applications.
Jul 21
The INDIE Live Expo executive committee announced on July 21 that the next broadcast of the indie game showcase, INDIE Live Expo, will take place on December 1. This will be the 15th edition of the program, which began in 2020. The broadcast will include the return of the INDIE Waves segment, where each game gets 15 seconds of screen time; the previous edition featured approximately 160 titles. A general call for submissions for INDIE Waves is planned for around September 2026. The committee also plans to hold the INDIE Live Expo Awards, in which prominent figures from the game industry select their most interesting indie game of the year. Details on broadcast time, content, performers, and participating award judges have not yet been announced and will be released later on the official website and social media channels. The program is broadcast simultaneously in Japanese, Chinese, English, and Korean. The committee has also begun soliciting corporate sponsors for the event.