Inclusive gaming award honors accessible games and projects at gamescom 2026

Cologne, Germany.

This year’s gamescom, the world’s largest entertainment trade fair, set the stage for an extraordinary and unique event: the Gaming ohne Grenzen Award. Powered by telecommunications provider congstar and the initiative Gaming ohne Grenzen (“Gaming without Borders”), the award recognizes outstanding achievements in promoting inclusion within the gaming industry, honoring games, projects, gadgets and individuals who are committed to ensuring that more people can enjoy gaming.

The award was presented at gamescom in Cologne, Germany, on August 26, 2026. A jury of experts from various fields selected the award winners in nine categories following an intensive process:

• Award National: Tiny Bookshop
• Award International: Forza Horizon 6
• Award Representation: Find Your Words
• Award Technology & Hardware: QuadStick
• Award Personality: Marlene Beilharz
• Get Together Award: Games for Blind Gamers
• Best Feature Award: PEAK
• Best Mobile Game Award: Art of Fauna
• Community Choice Award: Tiny Bookshop

Tiny Bookshop won the National Award for its relaxed pace, lack of time-critical challenges, and point-and-click controls. Forza Horizon 6 received the International Award for combining open-world racing with an AutoDrive autopilot, built-in screen reader, and visual accessibility options.

The Get Together Award went to Games for Blind Gamers, a Game Jam bringing sighted and blind enthusiasts together during development. PEAK won the Best Feature Award for a function designed to reduce emotional and visual triggers. Art of Fauna took the Best Mobile Game Award for its screen reader support and adjustable visual elements.

Find Your Words, a camping adventure exploring non-verbal communication, won the Representation Award. The mouth-operated QuadStick controller received the Technology and Hardware Award for opening gaming to people without the use of their arms or legs. Marlene Beilharz earned the Personality Award for her blog, events, and podcast promoting accessible gaming. Tiny Bookshop also won the Community Choice Award.

“Gaming connects people all over the world. To ensure that nobody is excluded, we must consider inclusion and accessibility from the start,” said Timo Wakulat, Senior Expert Brand & Communications at congstar. Saskia Moes, Head of the Gaming ohne Grenzen initiative, added: “This year’s winners show that a more inclusive gaming experience benefits everyone.”

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Picture: Winners and presenters at the Gaming ohne Grenzen Award 2026, from left: Saskia Moes, Marlene Beilharz, Sven Radtke, Patricia Mendes, Markus Sindermann, Charlotte Zapfe-Wildemann, Linda Scholz, Stefan Wilhelm, David Zapfe-Wildemann, Maurice Andreas, Anni Pekie, and Melanie Eilert. Martin Scherag Photography / Copyright: congstar