PreviewLabs

Raw creativity funneled into a playable game built on a harsh deadline; who does not love a good game jam? Since PreviewLabs grew from a love for game jams, we naturally wanted to participate in the Global Game Jam 2026.

Just like last year, we powered one of the largest GGJ sites in Belgium: the Global Game Jam Antwerp. In this article, you’ll find the games our team built within the 48-hour time limit of the jam.

The theme for this edition of the Global Game Jam was “mask”. All of these games have something to do with that subject. PreviewLabs colleague Jarne Beaufays was part of the Global Game Jam theme committee and was actually the person who came up with this year’s theme.

Masking for the Mass

To call Masking for the Mass a game would do it a disservice. It is an interactive piece of art made with video game technology.

In this art piece, a man stands in front of a cardboard city. He is feeling anxious and talks to himself about the severe anxiety he is experiencing. However, when someone looks his way, he will put on a mask and say different things to hide his true feelings.

This project, by our own Jarne Beaufays, together with his partner Wina Galesloot, integrates a locally running LLM (large language model) to adapt what the man says to himself based on how many people are watching.

Jarne looks back satisfied with the experience. “Bouncing from the MIT Reality Hack straight into this game jam was a crazy, hectic, and overall amazing experience,” says Jarne about this edition of the Global Game Jam. “It felt surreal to participate in a Global Game Jam for which I came up with the theme.”

Who is The Batman?

Usually, we root for the superhero to remain anonymous. In this game though, it is your sole task to unmask one of the world’s most famous vigilantes.

In this game by our colleague Aymeric Goes – joining forces with ex-PreviewLabs colleagues Jerry Van Den Heuvel and Rosario Daratenas, who were joined by Michael Vandendrissche – you have captured Batman and are trying to find out who is behind the mask.

A task that proves to be harder than anticipated, since behind every mask, another awaits. Up to you to remove them all, sell them to your live viewers, and buy upgrades that allow you to eventually reveal the vigilante’s true identity.

“I had a lot of fun making this game,” says Aymeric. “The team worked really hard to create something awesome and it showed. We even won the Most Fun award this year!”

(W)allhack

Sure, physics are great, but sometimes they can be a limiting factor for achieving what you really want. (W)allhack allows you to control the laws of physics themselves to solve puzzles that would otherwise be unsolvable.

For this game, our veteran programmer Domien De Mol joined forces with our new interns Arthur Tirez and Matthias Ooms. In their concept, every surface belongs to a specific physics layer. As overlord of the game, you get to decide how each surface type reacts physics-wise.

Domien is particularly proud of this entry: “It’s the first game jam in which I got to work on my own idea. Taking on a lead role was a bit scary, but we worked together super well.”

“I’m really proud that I managed to design a puzzle, since that’s normally not one of my strengths,” says Matthias about his experience building this game. Arthur discovered the value of game jams first-hand:  “Working on this game and figuring out how the unique mechanic should function was a fun challenge. I learned a lot in a short amount of time.”

Gentle Faces

This cosy game will put a smile on your face with its heartwarming premise. You are a traveler visiting a town called Gentleshaw, where you will make masks for people based on their fondest memories.

This game is the brainchild of PreviewLabs colleagues Lorenz Delcol and Joren Dresselaers, who joined forces with ex-PreviewLabs colleague Rosario Daratenas, Jasmijn Verlinden, and Kaatje. Together, they created an experience in which you explore, solve puzzles, and uncover stories of Gentleshaw’s citizens.

“I went into the Global Game Jam expecting to connect with new people. Instead, I wound up getting to know my colleague Joren a lot better”, says Lorenz Delcol. “We bonded over a similar taste in games, which made the collaboration incredibly interesting.”

Joren liked the challenge of being the only programmer on the team. “It was a fun challenge to implement everything my team members came up with in time. Even though we created a game with a scope that was overly ambitious, I still had a blast.”

A Clearing in the Woods

When your mind is working overtime and you are feeling anxious, a walk in a forest can work wonders. However, you can’t always physically get to a forest from where you are, be it at work or living in a busy city.

A Clearing in the Woods gets you there regardless of physical constraints. It is a game of self-reflection, where you can be alone with your thoughts. A place where you can ponder on vulnerable questions and share your answers with no one in particular, while you are relaxing in the woods.

Our colleague Jitse Verstraete worked with his partner, Laura Stalmans, and former PreviewLabs team member Rosario Daratenas on this mindful experience.

“The primary focus was to set a cosy mood and create an emotional connection,” Jitse explains. “It was a challenge to adapt to this new genre, but it was a fun change of pace. It was genuinely heartwarming to read all the messages players left in our digital forest.”

Masked in the Light

A bunch of mischievous mask spirits are running wild in the forest. It is up to you to find them in the darkness with your magic flashlight and capture them.

This game by PreviewLabs’ Michael Schmittat and his partner Alozer has you hunting for escaped spirits. Capturing one will reveal all of the other spirits of the same color. They will not be found easily, though, as they will use the shadows to fight back.

Michael learned a lot during this edition of the Global Game Jam: “Coming up with a bunch of levels and features is the easy part. Actually making them is the challenge. The core theme was a great excuse to start playing around with sprite masks in Unity, eventually turning that into the core of the game.”

The game’s art was also a point of pride, says Alozer: “The spirits in our game are based on the Japanese Teru Teru Bōzu, which are handmade dolls hung outside to ward away bad weather. We mixed them with bunnies for obvious reasons: they are cute.”

Unlock This Creative Power for Your Projects

As you can see, the PreviewLabs team has the creative and technical skills to build fun and interesting games in only 48 hours. Mixing creativity with video game technology to build fully functional prototypes fast is what we do best.

Curious what our team can come up with for your project? Do not hesitate to reach out!