Fun week+ of fantastic events coming up for the Seattle Indies community Jan 26 – Feb 2, 2026
We are picking up in 2026 right where we left off in 2025 with a nonstop slate of events for our community members to meet, create, learn, connect and more. The week+ of Jan 26-Feb 2, 2026 is full of back to back events culminating in hosting our 10th annual Global Game Jam site at DigiPen in Redmond and at AIE in Seattle.
We have socials in Bremerton, Burien and Tacoma to go out and meet your fellow developers, share a drink, a meal or your latest game demos. Speaking of sharing game demos we have Playtesting Club on Wednesday night the 28th at Stoup Brewing in Capital Hill, bring your game on a laptop, look for the banner and set up for anyone to play and give feedback. There are some specialty events like Writer’s Room at Hugo House on Thursday the 29th for the game writers in the community and the Business of Games meetup and panel discussion in Bellevue that same night featuring a panel of industry experts talking about their experience with fundraising in the current environment. This Saturday and Sunday we are extending our usual Indie Support Group and Co-Working meetup from one day to two and the hours from 10am – 7pm for people who want to participate in Global Game Jam in person but would rather stay on the Seattle side of Lake Washington than make the trip to Redmond.
As always check our Meetup page for the most up to date information about all of our events. See below for the full lineup and we hope to see you there!
Jan 26, 2026: Southside Social – Logan Brewing Company, Burien, WA
Come join us every **last Monday of every month** to chat about games, game development, or show off what you’ve been working on!
Jan 27, 2026: Kitsap Social – Ashley’s Pub, Bremerton, WA
Come hang out with the lively Seattle Indies Kitsap bunch! We meet every last Tuesday of the month to talk about making video games and other nerdy stuff.
Jan 28, 2026: GGJ Prep Night – DigiPen Institute of Technology & Twitch & YouTube, Redmond, WA
Join us in person at DigiPen Institute of Technology or online on Twitch and YouTube for an evening of talks and Q&A sessions with games industry veterans to get you prepared for the main event, Global Game Jam 2026 happening at DigiPen, AIE and the Seattle Indies Discord on Friday Jan 30th – Sunday Feb 1st.
Jan 28, 2026: Playtesting Club – Stoup Brewing Capitol Hill, Seattle, WA
Looking for feedback on your game? Only had other game developers try it? Playtesting Club is for you!
Playtesting Club takes place at Stoup Brewery in Capitol Hill. Set up a laptop and have strangers from all walks of life try your game! It’s never too early to bring something – as a wise game developer once said, “as soon as you have something that you can move on the screen, hand someone the controller and see what they think.” Whether you have a simple prototype with programmer art or you’re close to shipping something, bring your game! We don’t require polished art here – make sure it’s fun before you pretty it up!
Jan 29, 2026: Writer’s Room – Hugo House, Seattle, WA
Welcome all game writers, narrative designers, voice actors and more to the Seattle Indies Writer’s Room! Bring your scripts, flowcharts, character bibles or whatever you’re working on to share and get feedback on your storytelling.
Every month we get together to go over each others prototypes, visual novels, pitches, interactive fiction, or any writing content intended for games. Scripts will be read out loud and we will cover as much as folks have time for, so please be respectful of the other writers. Long form discussion and larger works should be discussed in the #narrative or #critique channels of the Seattle Indies Discord.
Jan 29, 2026: SEABUG Study Hall – Seattle Indies Discord
Join others from the Seattle Blender User Group for a lo-fi chill out online study hall. Bring a project, just chat, and have a good time with some unstructured project sharing and Q&A.
Jan 29, 2026: Business of Games: Funding Your Vision – Bellevue
Gain the knowledge and tools to think critically about what their creative vision is and what is the best funding route to achieve that goal
How do you fund your vision without losing sight of your creative goals? This panel dives into the diverse landscape of game financing—from the autonomy of bootstrapping and crowdfunding to the high-growth potential of VCs (venture capital) and the structured support of publishing deals. Our experts will help guide you to shift your mindset beyond just asking “How do I get funded?” into “What funding model actually fits my game?” By analyzing the trade-offs of different paths, attendees will learn how to evaluate their game’s specific needs, maintain creative alignment, and build a sustainable financial foundation.
Jan 30 – Feb 1: Global Game Jam 2026 – DigiPen Institute of Technology, Redmond, WA
Global Game Jam returns to Seattle Friday, January 30th – February 1st! We will Kick off the event DigiPen Institute of Technology we’ll be hosting a mixer for discussing the theme, pitching our ideas, and forming our teams oh.. and also PIZZA ! GGJ is our largest in-person game jam of the year so join the fun and make something cool with your fellow game devs.
Jan 31 & Feb 1: Extended Hours Indie Support Group & Co-working – AIE Seattle
Curious how to start learning something? Want to chat with someone of another discipline? Need a place to work on a project and share it with others? ISG is a social, game development focused work group that encourages people of all skill levels and disciplines to come together and collaborate for the benefit of all.
This is a great place to begin your game development journey and learn from fellow game creators as they work on their projects.
Feb 2, 2026: Pierce County Social – 7 Seas Brewery & Taproom – Tacoma
Join us at 7 Seas Brewery and Taproom in the main taproom every 1st Monday of every month to chat about game development, games, or just hang out!