Addis Games Week 2026 is Ethiopia’s flagship games industry event bringing together gamers, developers, startups, investors, universities, and policymakers on one unified platform to spotlight local talent, spark collaboration, and accelerate ecosystem growth .
Held from January 23–25 at the Creative Hub (Old Post Office, Piassa, Ethiopia), this year’s edition was themed “Games for Change”, a clear reflection of the Ethiopian Games Association’s vision to position gaming as a powerful tool for problem-solving, workforce readiness, entrepreneurship, and community building.
The event was organized by key ecosystem stakeholders including Creative Hub Ethiopia, Ideeza Ethiopia, Chewata Awaqi, Efuye Gela, and the African Confederation of Esports, and featured panel sessions, talks, a hackathon, esports tournaments, game dev masterclasses, networking opportunities, and more.
One major highlight was the IDEEZA Hackathon, with a total prize pool of 30,000 ETB:
🥇 1st Place – 15,000 ETB: Ruhama Kassashu, Nahom Natnael, Fikreyohannes Biruk
🥈 2nd Place – 10,000 ETB: Feven Desta, Keku Getachew
🥉 3rd Place – 5,000 ETB: Nathnael Demalce, Mickiyas Tesfaye, Natnael Girma
Awards were also presented across multiple categories, including Best Impact Game, Best Entertainment Game, Best Esports Player, Best Esports Team, Best Game Developer, Best Game Studio, Best Content Creator, Best Community, and Chewata Awaqi of the Year .
Overall, Addis Games Week 2026 stood out as a powerful platform to showcase youth talent, foster dialogue with key stakeholders, and highlight the vast opportunities within the African games industry.
With strong structure, community energy, and undeniable talent, Addis Games Week is well on its way to becoming the premier hub for East Africa’s gaming ecosystem and the future looks incredibly promising.
