Pocket Gamer Awards 2027 Opens Nominations Next Week With 22 Categories

Pocket Gamer has announced the thirteenth edition of its annual mobile gaming awards, with nominations for the Pocket Gamer Awards 2027 opening on October 15. This year's programme features twenty-two categories, reflecting the increasingly varied ways mobile games are developed, distributed and supported. New categories include Best Mobile Indie Developer, Best Mobile Game Character, Best In-Game Collaboration and Best Webshop.

The introduction of a webshop award is particularly interesting because direct-to-consumer purchasing has become an increasingly important commercial channel for mobile publishers seeking alternatives to traditional app-store payment arrangements. The collaboration category also recognises how extensively major live-service games now rely on partnerships with entertainment franchises, celebrities and other intellectual properties.

Most eligible games must have launched between October 1, 2025 and September 30, 2026, although selected categories covering ongoing games, communities and updates operate under different rules. Nominations remain open until November 15, followed by public voting through December 20. Winners will be announced in early 2027. For independent developers, the awards provide another opportunity to attract attention in a market where discoverability remains extraordinarily difficult.

A nomination will not automatically solve funding or marketing problems, but industry recognition can help smaller studios reach audiences who might otherwise never encounter their work. The programme also provides a useful snapshot of how the mobile market is changing. A decade ago, the industry largely celebrated successful games. Today, it also celebrates the systems, communities and commercial infrastructure that keep those games operating.