This year's gamescom latam took place in São Paulo between April 30 and May 4. This was the second edition of the Latin American version of the event, which debuted in Brazil in 2024. In 2025, the event grew even further and attracted more than 130,000 visitors. As it did last year, this edition combined BIG Festival's tradition of focusing on independent games with the relevance of the gamescom brand, thereby offering a complete experience for fans and professionals in the game industry.
Even though some time has passed since it took place, however, the event remains the subject of discussions and controversies among fans and developers. Indie developers who were invited to exhibit their games alleged several failures in the event's organization and in how they were treated, and promptly sent a large number of suggestions for improving it.
The latest major statement containing suggestions for the event in response to these organizational failures was sent to the organizers in an open letter by the Game Devs Unidos Collective.
The full document can be read by clicking here, on Google Drive. If you are not familiar with the matter, the letter also presents and defines the situation clearly.
Nevertheless, the traditional BIG Festival awards went ahead as expected, highlighting indie games from around the world. Many Brazilian indie games were also featured in the competition, and some duly won awards.
If you have not seen the complete list—which is missing from most websites and is not even presented coherently on gamescom latam's own page—here are all the winners:
Best Game: Nine Sols (Taiwan)
Nine Sols is a 2D action game with platforming elements, developed by Red Candle Games. Set in the futuristic world of New Kunlun, it blends Asian mythology with a cyberpunk aesthetic to create the "taopunk" genre. The game features hand-drawn animation and an engaging narrative that explores themes of power, oppression, and identity.
Best Game (Latin America): Grizzly Man (Argentina)
Grizzly Man is an interactive adventure game developed by Argentina's LCB Game Studio. The game combines a "choose your own adventure" narrative with evocative illustrations inspired by 1950s pulp fiction and 1980s computer graphics. Beyond its aesthetic, the game offers a rich narrative with choices that influence how the story unfolds, as well as accessible puzzles, including a variation on solitaire.
Best Game (Brazil): Mullet MadJack (Brazil)
Mullet MadJack is a first-person shooter developed by Brazilian studio Hammer95. The title combines frantic action with roguelite elements in a dystopian future with a cyberpunk aesthetic inspired by 1990s anime. With more than 97% positive reviews on Steam, Mullet MadJack stands out as one of the greatest recent successes in Brazil's indie scene.
Best Art: Naiad (Spain)
Naiad, developed by solo studio HiWarp, is a peaceful and poetic exploration game in which you take on the role of a water nymph navigating a mysterious river until it reaches the sea. Its minimalist aesthetic, serene sound design, and subtle environmental changes led the game to win the best art award at this edition.
Best Sound: The Holy Gosh Darn (Norway)
The Holy Gosh Darn is a comedic 2D narrative adventure developed by Perfectly Paranormal and published by Yogscast Games. The game blends time travel, creative puzzles, and light combat with irreverent humor. Its creative and captivating audio uses expressive sound effects alongside a score that heightens moments of tension and humor.
Best Casual Game: Paper Trail (United Kingdom)
Paper Trail is a point-and-click puzzle game developed by Newfangled Games. With an aesthetic that simulates folding sheets of paper, inspired by origami, the player guides a character through minimalist environments, folding areas to overcome obstacles and advance through the levels. The game has an elegant design and relaxed approach, perfect elements for players seeking creative fun without competitive pressure.
Best XV/VR: Sugar Mess - Let's Play Jolly Battle (United States)
Sugar Mess – Let's Play Jolly Battle is a virtual-reality first-person shooter released by JollyCo. In the colorful Sugar Kingdom, you control Prince Sugar, fighting sweet enemies with weapons that evolve during the match. The game blends shooting, challenging bosses, puzzles, races, and rhythm sequences, offering a fun and accessible experience for all ages.
Best Multiplayer: Bang Bang Barrage (China)
Bang Bang Barrage is a fast-paced action game developed by Monkey Bread. With retro visuals and an arcade style, the game places players in chaotic arenas where they face waves of enemies with explosive weapons and special powers. The title also offers local cooperative multiplayer for up to four people, perfect for quick and intense matches with friends.
Best Mobile Game: Level Devil (United States)
Level Devil is a 2D platformer full of surprises and unexpected traps, developed by Unept. Each stage looks simple, but the environment can change at any moment, with floors that vanish, spikes appearing from nowhere, or the ceiling collapsing. The challenge is considerable, and the game toys with the player in creative and humorous ways. With simple controls and short stages, it is the kind of game that makes players try again many times.
Innovation: Sol Cesto (France)
Sol Cesto is a fast-paced tactical "roguelite" developed by Tambouille, Géraud Zucchini, and Chariospirale and published by Goblinz Publishing. Its recognition for innovation came from Sol Cesto's creative and original concept, which stands out among independent games because of its innovative gameplay. By mixing puzzle elements with unique physical dynamics, the game breaks with traditional formulas and invites players to try unusual solutions. It encourages creativity by exploring unexpected interactions among graphics, mechanics, and sounds.
Best Gameplay: Animal Well (United States)
Animal Well is a pixel-art metroidvania developed by Billy Basso of Shared Memory and published by Bigmode. You control a small creature that emerges from a flower and explores an underground maze filled with animals. There are no maps or tutorials explaining what to do; it is up to you to discover the world on your own. Many puzzles reveal themselves only through experimentation or community interaction, making it a title rich in discoveries and ideal for fans of exploration and puzzles.
Best Narrative: Neva (Spain)
Neva is a 2D platformer developed by Nomada Studio. The game follows the journey of Alba, a young warrior, and her companion, a wolf named Neva, through a world corrupted by darkness. The narrative is divided into four chapters, each representing a season of the year, and explores themes such as attachment, loss, and overcoming adversity. With highly distinctive narrative and graphical elements, Neva is widely praised for evoking profound emotions.
Best Unreleased Game: Sedap! A Culinary Adventure (Singapore)
Sedap! A Culinary Adventure is a cooperative cooking and combat game developed by kopiforge. In it, you and a friend take on the roles of Som, the chef, and Gon, the hunter, as you explore the mysterious Khaya Island. With stylized visuals, a memorable soundtrack, and a setting based on Southeast Asian culture, Sedap! offers an engaging experience, especially in cooperative mode, where collaboration between players is fundamental to facing the chaotic kitchen and the island's challenges.
Best Diversity Game: Wildwood Down (United States)
Wildwood Down is a point-and-click adventure from Crashable Studios set on the boardwalk in Wildwood, New Jersey. Playing as Daniel, a teenager with Down syndrome, the player investigates a mysterious murder while trying to find his missing sister. With visuals that blend pixel art and 3D environments, the game embraces dark humor, mystery, and creative puzzles. Beyond its entertainment value, it stands out for promoting inclusion and representation, with a protagonist voiced by an actor with Down syndrome and a portion of its profits donated to support organizations.
Best Social Issues Game: Velvet 89 (Czech Republic)
Velvet 89 is a free hidden-object game developed by Charles Games that depicts the peaceful protests of the 1989 Velvet Revolution in the former Czechoslovakia. Set in four cities, including Prague, the player searches for protesters amid the crowd and unlocks real accounts that reveal the period's fears and motivations. With a visual style combining paper cutouts, old recordings, and faded photographs, the game creates an immersive and educational experience based on historical research and expert consultation.
Best Educational Game: Auau Kiko: Dino Dentista (Brazil)
Auau Kiko: Dino Dentist is a free educational game with no ads or in-app purchases, developed by Thiago Nogueira with support from the Paulo Gustavo Law. Aimed at young children, the game invites them to help a cute dinosaur brush, floss, and rinse its teeth while fighting bacteria that represent unwanted germs. With simple mechanics and encouraging tips, the game is ideal for introducing healthy habits from an early age.
Best Children's Game: Stars In The Trash (Spain)
Stars in the Trash is an adventure platformer starring Moka, a spoiled cat who decides to run away from home to explore the world and learn to survive on the streets while facing various enemies. Combining exploration, light combat, and puzzle-solving, the game stands out for its hand-painted watercolor-style art and traditional animation reminiscent of animated classics.
WINGS: Wanderstop (United States)
Wanderstop is a cozy narrative game developed by independent studio Ivy Road and published by Annapurna Interactive. The game follows Alta, a former warrior who, after a series of defeats, finds refuge and healing by running a magical tea shop in an enchanted forest. Wanderstop's gameplay combines relaxed management mechanics with an introspective narrative, allowing players to grow ingredients, prepare personalized teas, and interact with customers, each with their own stories and needs.
Best Game (Popular Vote): Mechanines Tower Defense (Brazil)
Mechanines Tower Defense is a Brazilian indie strategy game developed by Flying Cakes Studios. Set in a dystopian future dominated by robots, the game combines tower defense and "rogue-lite" elements to offer unique matches in which the player commands a squad of genetically modified dogs, the EvoDogs, who must protect PetLab from the Mecanoids' invasions.
Best Student Game: Shelley Manor (Spain)
Shelley Manor is an adventure and puzzle game developed by Tiny Terrors Studio and ESAT. Set in a mysterious mansion where time seems to have stopped, Shelley Manor blends fantasy and reality as the player takes on the role of Alex, a tourist deceived by the locals who must explore the corridors and rooms to escape before it is too late, in linear gameplay with free exploration that lets players choose how to use their time.
