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Yes. Pocket Gamer is accepting reader nominations for its 13th annual awards, with the nomination form now live on the official Pocket Gamer Awards page. Readers can put forward mobile games, developers, characters, updates, collaborations and other eligible entries for consideration before the public-voting stage.
Key dates for the 2027 awards
| Stage | Date or timing | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Nominations | 15 October–15 November 2026 | Readers submit their favorite eligible entries through Pocket Gamer’s nomination page. |
| Shortlist | After nominations close | Pocket Gamer totals nominations and publishes the finalists for each category. |
| Fan voting | After the shortlist, through 20 December 2026 | Fans vote on the shortlisted entries. |
| Winners | Expected early 2027, with January identified in the awards overview | Pocket Gamer announces the winning entries. |
Pocket Gamer Brands Editor-in-Chief Dann Sullivan said the nomination phase would run from 15 October until 15 November, followed by voting through 20 December and a winners announcement early the following year.
How to nominate a game or other entry
- Open the official Pocket Gamer Awards 2027 nomination page. The page is intended for reader submissions and identifies this as the awards’ 13th edition.
- Choose the relevant category. Depending on the award, you may be nominating a game, developer, publisher, character, community, update, collaboration or official game webshop.
- Submit your nomination before 15 November 2026. Entries received during the nomination window are used to determine which nominees appear on the public ballot.
- Return for the voting stage. A nomination does not itself decide the winner. Pocket Gamer first creates a shortlist, then fans vote on that shortlist through 20 December.
Pocket Gamer describes the awards as organised by industry experts but voted on by fans. In practice, nominations influence shortlist placement, while the final result is determined by the public vote.
Which games are eligible?
Most new releases
For most game-focused categories, the title must have launched between 1 October 2025 and 30 September 2026. That window is the main test for a new-release entry, so a game outside those dates generally should not be nominated in a standard launch-based category.
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Categories with launch-date exemptions
Six categories do not require the game to have launched during that period:
- Best Mobile Game Character
- Best Game We’re Still Playing
- Best Community
- Best Webshop
- Best Mobile Game Update
- Best In-Game Collab
Updates are expected to fall within the eligibility period where possible, even though the update category is not tied to a game’s original launch date. The Best Webshop award concerns an official game website where players can buy game currency.
Developer and publisher awards
Developer, indie-developer and publisher categories consider the nominee’s wider catalogue rather than relying only on one launch inside the main window. Recent releases remain relevant, but the criteria are broader than the rules for a single new game.
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What changed in the 2027 categories?
The 2027 edition contains 22 categories. Pocket Gamer has added four awards, removed one, and changed or replaced others:
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| Change | 2027 position |
|---|---|
| New | Best Mobile Indie Developer |
| New | Best Mobile Game Character |
| New | Best In-Game Collab |
| New | Best Webshop |
| Removed | Mobile Innovation |
| Renamed or retitled | Best Update/Updated Game becomes Best Mobile Game Update |
| Replaced | Best Family Game is replaced by Best Webshop |
These changes broaden the awards beyond complete games. A character, a live-service update, a player community, a collaboration between game properties or an official in-game-purchase storefront can now be the subject of a nomination in its own right.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What happens after you nominate?
1. Pocket Gamer counts submissions
The publisher aggregates reader nominations across the 22 categories. Nomination volume helps determine which entries progress to the shortlist; submitting a choice therefore matters even though it is not the final vote.
2. A public shortlist is published
Once nominations close, Pocket Gamer announces the shortlisted entries. The shortlist is the set of nominees that fans can vote on in the next stage.
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Public voting runs through 20 December 2026. The final fan ballot, rather than nomination totals alone, determines the winners.
4. Winners are announced in early 2027
Pocket Gamer expects to reveal the results early in 2027; its awards overview describes the winners stage as January.
Quick Recap
Quick eligibility checklist
- Confirm that a standard game release falls between 1 October 2025 and 30 September 2026.
- Use one of the six exempt categories if the entry is a character, ongoing game, community, webshop, update or collaboration that does not fit the launch window.
- For developer, indie-developer and publisher awards, consider the nominee’s catalogue and recent work.
- Submit by 15 November 2026.
- Watch for the shortlist and vote by 20 December 2026 if your nominee advances.
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