Epic's AI MegaJam Offers $65,000 in Prizes, Then Makes AI Optional

Epic Games' 2026 AI MegaJam runs November 12–15, asking teams to build games in Unreal Engine or Unreal Editor for Fortnite for $65,000 in cash prizes. Epic may also hand out development continuation grants of up to $50,000 per team to keep promising projects going after the jam, GamesRadar reports. The theme drops November 11, and registration is on Itch.io.

The jam's FAQ originally said AI use was required. Epic walked that back on X: "That's our mistake. You can use as little or as much AI as you want," per PC Gamer. The promotion itself leans in, with the tagline "Vibe your way to 50K" over promo art that, GamesRadar notes, features a six-fingered hand.

It lands as AI-made content is already a flashpoint for players, including the AI clutter concerns around this month's record Steam Next Fest. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney has said the company is moving developers around "to retool for maximum AI acceleration," and the announcement drew heavy pushback in the replies on X.

The details

• Dates: theme reveal November 11; jam November 12–15
• Tools: Unreal Engine or UEFN; AI optional, "from asset generation to coding agents"
• Cash prizes: $65,000 total
• Grants: development continuation grants of up to $50,000 per team
• Registration: Itch.io

How are the prizes split?

PC Gamer reports three main categories with $7,500 for each winner and smaller prizes for second and third, plus extra categories such as best team. GamesRadar lists two $2,500 awards for the best dev log on using AI tools and the best game with LLM-driven NPCs. Some participants will work in person from a San Francisco event space, with daily livestreams of their progress.

One critic on X pointed out that Ludum Dare was running weekend game jams back in 2002. Epic's version adds a $50,000 grant and makes the AI optional, which leaves mostly the grant.