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Press release:
October 28, 2026 – Finnish Games Week 2026 brought together two complementary initiatives: an online celebration of Finnish games on Steam from 12–18 October, followed by a week of industry events in Helsinki from 19–23 October.

Together, these weeks showcased the creativity of Finnish game development, strengthened connections across the industry, and created opportunities for developers to learn from and support one another. This year’s Steam Next Fest took place during the week of conferences. To help developers make the most out of it, organizers decided to have the FGW Steam event a week earlier.
Second year growth on Steam

The Finnish Games Week Steam event grew far beyond expectations. After featuring 225 games and reaching 2.2 million page visits in 2025, this year’s event brought together 385 games, doubled its visibility, and generated over 400.000 unique interactions with games, compared to 65.000 last year.

Throughout the week, FGW hosted developer and organization interviews alongside live gameplay streams, giving audiences more opportunities to discover Finnish games and meet the people behind them.
Five days of games industry excellence in Helsinki

The second part of Finnish Games Week brought together three events, each contributing to a stronger and more connected games industry.

Leadership Day by IGDA Finland welcomed a great audience for a program filled with valuable insights and high-quality content. The talks will be made available online through the IGDA Finland website, allowing even more people to benefit from the discussions.

PGC Nordics may have been quieter than in previous years, but the growing number of indie titles and showcases was an encouraging sign. At a time when the industry faces significant challenges, seeing independent developers continue to create, present, and push their projects forward matters more than ever.

And as the crowning event of the week, W Love Games once again hosted its dev-to-dev program, focusing on practical, hands-on knowledge sharing. Developers came together to exchange experiences, discuss the realities of today’s market, and find support for navigating the challenges of building sustainable careers and studios.

In addition, W Love Games also showcased Indie Checkpoint, a program by WLG LatAm and Indie Game Alliance, highlighting independent games from Latin America and bringing more international perspectives into the Finnish games community.
What comes next?

Finnish Games Week is built on a simple belief: we got this! Whether through discovering new games, sharing knowledge, connecting developers, or creating opportunities across borders, every participating studio, organization, and community member helps make this possible. Organizers are already looking ahead to the next Finnish Games Week Steam event in autumn 2027.

More info

https://store.steampowered.com/sale/FinnishGamesWeek2026
https://www.finnishgamesweek.com/
https://www.wlovegames.org/indie-checkpoint
Finnish Games Week (photos)

Jonas “O.J” Ek
The Gaming Ground
Twitter: @TheGamingGround