What’s Next
Best Buy Foundation presents XBOX Game Camp Minneapolis 2026
Best Buy Foundation presents XBOX Game Camp Minneapolis 2026, an initiative supporting emerging talent through a partnership with Best Buy Teen Tech Centers across Minnesota. From June 15 to September 3, aspiring game creators (ages 18–19) will learn key aspects of the game development lifecycle, from concept to playable prototype, with mentorship from Microsoft, XBOX, and the Best Buy Foundation. As XBOX marks its 25th anniversary, this camp joins in the celebration of 25 years of empowering game developers around the world.
XBOX Game Camp Africa
XBOX Game Camp Africa returns in 2026 for its third year, continuing to support and spotlight talent across the continent. Building on the momentum from previous editions, this camp will focus on established African game studios, offering expert mentorship, tools, and project support in partnership with ID@XBOX and the Developer Acceleration Program (DAP).
Following a highly competitive selection process, participating teams have now been chosen, and the camp officially begins in September with virtual programming designed to support studios as they accelerate development on their projects.
The program will run virtually for ten weeks, expanding access and enabling collaboration with developers across the region while connecting them with mentorship from industry experts.
Connect with creatives
Explore videos and photos from past Game Camp events to learn how aspiring game developers have shared their aspirations and realized their potential with the help of industry experts.
XBOX Game Camp Belgium 2026
XBOX Game Camp Belgium 2026 brought students, educators, and professional developers together in Kortrijk, Belgium from March 31–April 3, 2026 for a specialized game jam. In partnership with Howest University of Applied Sciences (DAE), Flanders Game Hub, Roots & Pixels, and supported by Microsoft Benelux and the Flemish Government, over 300 participants formed 40 teams to develop original game concepts. This three-day event strengthened ties between academia and industry while supporting collaboration between European and African game development communities.
XBOX Game Camp x Arizona State University 2026
XBOX Game Camp x Arizona State University took place May 29–31, bringing together more than 100 participants across 14 teams for an intensive, fast-paced game jam. Both students and established developers collaborated to build original levels inspired by the theme Knight Lore, reimagining classic gameplay concepts through their own creative lens while working within a compressed timeframe. The camp culminated in a final showcase, where teams presented their projects, highlighting the innovation, talent, and momentum of the next generation of game creators in Arizona.
XBOX Game Camp Arcade x UW Engineering Days 2026
XBOX Game Camp Arcade participated in the University of Washington’s annual Engineering Discovery Days, a two-day event where middle school students (grades 6–8) explore STEM careers while connecting with alumni and industry professionals. From April 30–May 1, 2026, hundreds of attendees were introduced to video game development through hands-on workshops using Microsoft MakeCode Arcade and Minecraft Education. Participants also engaged in informal conversations with industry professionals across XBOX and Microsoft, gaining insight into career pathways within the games industry.
XBOX Game Camp Detroit 2025
From July 29 to October 23, 2025, XBOX Game Camp brought its immersive learning experience to Michigan’s game development community. Over 12 weeks, more than 150 participants collaborated to simulate the game studio environment, whether newcomers or established groups, transforming their ideas into playable concepts.
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XBOX Game Camp Detroit 2025
On October 17, 2025, the 14th XBOX Game Camp cohort, and second edition of the XBOX Game Camp Arcade format, took place at Ford Field’s Hall of Legends in Detroit, Michigan. This event was hosted in collaboration with Microsoft MakeCode, CODE313, and the Detroit Lions/Detroit Lions Academy, inspiring over 70 students from Southeastern High School and Detroit Lions Academy to explore the world of game development and potential career paths.
XBOX Game Camp Special Olympics 2025
From July 16–17, 2025, XBOX Game Camp welcomed nine Special Olympics athletes to the Microsoft Redmond campus for a two-day experience designed to spark creativity and career aspirations in gaming. Partnering with the Inclusive Tech Lab, Mojang Studios, Microsoft MakeCode, Halo Studios, and Special Olympics, athletes explored game development, accessibility innovation, and coding workshops while connecting with XBOX leaders and industry experts.
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XBOX Game Camp Ukraine 2024
XBOX Game Camp Ukraine took place virtually on December 12th, 2024, to celebrate and show support for both aspiring and established Ukrainian game developers worldwide. In collaboration with 11 bit studios and Microsoft Ukraine, the 9-hour event featured fireside chats, panels, and live presentations from experts at GSC Game World, MachineGames, Simplygon, Mojang, ID@XBOX, XBOX Game Studios, XBOX Social Impact, and more.
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XBOX Game Camp Africa 2024
From July 16-17, 2024, XBOX Game Camp Africa returned for its second event, attracting twice as many participants as the previous year. A total of 1,300 campers from 27 countries participated, with in-person participation in Nairobi, Morocco, and Johannesburg. Surrounding this event, the Microsoft Africa Transformation Office (ATO) incorporated gaming into its business pillars, leading to various collaborations with African governments, academia, and the private sector.
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XBOX Game Camp Asia 2024
XBOX Game Camp Asia took place from March 4 – May 16, 2024, across 5 countries in South & Southeast Asia – India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines. In collaboration with ID@XBOX, Bethesda/Zenimax, 343i, XBOX Studios Quality, XBOX Publishing, Mojang, and the XBOX Global Expansion Team (GXT), we saw 84 campers across 16 teams, including one entirely female led team, bring their game concepts to life. By the end of Game Camp Asia 2024, 14 games or prototypes, along with game trailers were completed.
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XBOX Game Camp Sweden 2023
XBOX Game Camp Sweden 2023 took place from April 3 – June 21, 2023, with 19 teams comprised of 151 campers. XBOX Game Camp collaborated with 48 mentors, presenters, speakers, and supporters from XBOX Sweden Marketing, ID@XBOX Sweden, MachineGames, Mojang, and Simplygon. Campers accessed 20+hours of content, with an additional 20+ speakers from Mojang & MachineGames, receiving inspiration, advice, and insight in navigating their journey and career path, specifically in Sweden.
XBOX Game Camp Africa 2023
On July 16, 2023, XBOX Game Camp Africa took place virtually across the entire continent and approximately 600 campers participated in-person in 4 locations - Cairo, Johnannesburg, Lagos, and Nairobi. Panelists & presenters from Bethesda, Rare, XGS Publishing, GitHub, ID@XBOX and several external African-based companies delivered 14 presentations across 2 days for all in-person and virtual attendees on the continent.
XBOX Game Camp South Korea 2022
In October 2022, XBOX Game Camp kicked off for a 2nd year with a 4-month immersive learning experience in Seoul, South Korea. With the support of Gyeonggi Contents Agency (GCA), the 11 teams had access to spaces to collaborate and exposure to guest speakers. The curriculum was localized in Korean – with real-time translators for office hours and mentoring sessions for a seamless experience.
XBOX Game Camp Atlanta 2022
On September 7, 2022, XBOX Game Camp Atlanta concluded with 174 aspiring game developers who created 21 games for their portfolios. Immense gratitude to the mentors and local partners from Microsoft Atlanta, Georgia Creative Communities Project, Academic Partners Network and Subsume for their work and collaboration.
XBOX Game Camp Arcade 2022
XBOX Game Camp Arcade is an initiative by Make Code and the XBOX Game Camp team. The camp is specifically designed to ignite curiosity and empower underrepresented youth to learn about tech and games for future studies. The first XBOX Game Camp Arcade was a one-day activation, hosted by The Garage in Atlanta, Georgia on Friday, September 9, 2022. Fifty-five 4th graders from two Title 1 schools, Woodson Park Academy and Slater Elementary School, participated.
XBOX Game Camp New Orleans 2022
In March of 2022, XBOX Game Camp returned to New Orleans. Local partners Greater New Orleans, Inc. and New Orleans Business Alliance are working with XBOX Game Studios to deliver unique learning experiences and ongoing regional resources for 140 new budding game creators in the greater New Orleans, Louisiana area.
XBOX Game Camp South Korea 2021
In October of 2021, XBOX Game Camp hosted its first international camp in Seoul, South Korea. We worked with local partner Gyeonggi Contents Agency (GCA) to deliver the program’s unique immersive learning experience for over 50 participants.
XBOX Game Camp New Orleans 2020-2021
In September of 2020, XBOX Game Studios worked with our local partners, New Orleans Business Alliance and Greater New Orleans, Inc. to deliver a unique learning experience for budding game creators in the greater New Orleans, Louisiana region. Over 170 participants worked together for 6 months to create 11 beautiful video games.
