South of Midnight dominated the 2026 Canadian Game Awards, winning Game of the Year and multiple top honors for Compulsion Games.
The 2026 Canadian Game Awards brought together developers, creators, esports talent, and fans in Toronto to celebrate another standout year for the country’s gaming industry. Held at the John W. H. Bassett Theatre on May 21, the sixth annual event showcased some of the top Canadian talent across AAA blockbusters, indie hits, esports, accessibility, and content creation.
I’ve been a judge and consultant for the Canadian Game Awards for a few years, and the prior to it, the Canadian Videogame Awards (similar name, different events), and it’s important for me to help support the Canadian dev scene so this year we again partnered with the CGAs and its founder, Carl-Edwin Michel, to promote and co-stream the event across our main YouTube channel and our brand-new Twitch channel.
Leading the nominees heading into the night were Ubisoft Quebec’s Assassin’s Creed Shadows and Compulsion Games’ South of Midnight, both of which earned recognition in major categories including Game of the Year, Best Narrative, and Best Game Design. Other heavily nominated titles included Hell Is Us, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, and Marvel Cosmic Invasion, reflecting a strong year for Canadian studios across a wide range of genres and platforms but it was Compulsion Games which came home with the big prizes… Below is the complete list of winners from the 2026 Canadian Game Awards.
Complete 2026 Canadian Game Awards Winners List
Best Art Direction
Winner: South of Midnight from developer Compulsion Games and publisher Xbox Game Studios
- South of Midnight
- 33 Immortals
- Eternal Strands
- Marvel Cosmic Invasion
- Lost Records: Bloom & Rage
Best Game Design
Winner: Hell Is Us from developer Rogue Factor and publisher Nacon
- South of Midnight
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows
- Hell Is Us
- Eternal Strands
- Battlefield 6
Best Score/Soundtrack
Winner: South of Midnight by composer Olivier Deriviere
- South of Midnight
- Lost Records: Bloom & Rage
- Eternal Strands
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows
- Marvel Cosmic Invasion
South of Midnight Composer Explains Creating A Tim Burton-Esque Musical Odyssey
ScreenRant interviews South of Midnight composer Olivier Deriviere about his work on Compulsion Games’ ambitious, musically-minded new game.
Best Narrative
Winner: South of Midnight from developer Compulsion Games and publisher Xbox Game Studios
- South of Midnight
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows
- Lost Records: Bloom & Rage
- Hell Is Us
- Wanderstop
Best Performance
Winner: Elias Toufexis in Hell is Us
- Erica Luttrell (Battlefield 6)
- Momona Tamada (Assassin’s Creed Shadows)
- Elias Toufexis (Hell Is Us)
- Peter Shinkoda (Assassin’s Creed Shadows)
- Olivia Lepore (Bloom & Rage)
Best Audio Design
Winner: South of Midnight from developer Compulsion Games and publisher Xbox Game Studios
- South of Midnight
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows
- Hell Is Us
- Eternal Strands
- Battlefield 6
Best PC Game
Winner: Battlefield 6 from developer Battlefield Studios and publisher Electronic Arts
- Aloft
- Foundation
- Ambrosia Sky: Act One
- Eternal Strands
- Battlefield 6
Best Console Game
Winner: South of Midnight from developer Compulsion Games and publisher Xbox Game Studios
- South of Midnight
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows
- Hell Is Us
- Marvel Cosmic Invasion
- Battlefield 6
Best Indie Game
Winner: Wanderstop from developer Ivy Road and publisher Annapurna Interactive
- Ambrosia Sky: Act One
- Ctrl Alt Deal
- Wanderstop
- Fresh Tracks
- Marvel Cosmic Invasion
Best Mobile Game
Winner: Rainbow Six Mobile from developer Ubisoft Nova and publisher Ubisoft
- Elsewhere Electric
- LHEA and the Word Spirit
- Rainbow Six Mobile
- EA Sports FC 26 Mobile
Best VR/AR Game
Winner: Elsewhere Electric from developer Games by Stitch
- Verse VR
- Elsewhere Electric
- Fruit Golf
- Chronostrike
- Prison Boss Prohibition
Best in Accessibility
Winner: Assassin’s Creed Shadows from developer and publisher Ubisoft
- South of Midnight
- SQUEAKROSS: Home Squeak Home
- EA FC 26
- Wanderstop
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Esports Player
Winner: Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken from FaZe Clan
- Brandon “Dashy” O’Tell
- Troy “Canadian” Jaroslawski
- Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken
- Adam “mada” Pampuch
- Keith “NAF” Markovic
Esports Coach
Winner: Loic “Eefys” Sauvageau from Shopify Rebellion
- Loic “Eefys” Sauvageau
- Antonin “AEc” Tran
- Mervin-Angelo “Davyes” Lachica
- Shaun Byrne
- Kurtis “Aui_2000” Ling
Esports Org
Winner: Shopify Rebellion
- Shopify Rebellion
- Toronto Ultra / KOI / OverActive Media
- Vancouver Surge
- Raptors GC
Esports Event
Winner: Raptors GC Tournament from the Toronto Raptors
- Bell Esports Challenge
- Electric Clash 2025
- Battle of BC 7
- Call of Duty Champs
- Raptors GC Tournament
Content Creator / Show
Winner: Victor Lucas from Electric Playground
- Victor Lucas / Electric Playground
- Nicholas “NickEh30” Amyoony
- Alex “Vansilli” Nguyen
- Stef Sanjati
- Ashley Roboto
Game of the Year
Winner: South of Midnight from developer Compulsion Games and publisher Xbox Game Studios
- South of Midnight
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows
- Hell Is Us
- Lost Records: Bloom & Rage
- Wanderstop
Studio of the Year
Winner: Compulsion Games, based in Westmount, QC, makers of South of Midnight
- Compulsion Games
- Rogue Factor
- Tribute Games
- Yellow Brick Games
- Digital Extremes