The Roblox Innovation Awards 2026 crown the year’s standout games, creators, and developers based on community votes across 19 categories. This year’s ballot runs from July 29 to August 11, and every vote is cast inside The Block, the official hub built in collaboration with Twin Atlas.
Quick answer: Launch The Block, walk to the rotating cube at the voting station in the center, and pick one nominee in each of the 19 categories. Voting closes August 11, 2026 at 8:00 pm PST.
Marquee awards: Best New Game, People’s Choice, and top creators
These are the headline categories most players watch. Best New Game is limited to experiences that launched for the first time in 2026, which is why several long-running favorites are absent. People’s Choice is decided entirely by community votes and functions as the year’s Game of the Year.
| Category | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Best New Game | Animal Hospital, TTK, +1 Keyboard Escape, Scary Shawarma Kiosk: The Anomaly |
| People’s Choice | RIVALS, 99 Nights in the Forest, Grow a Garden 2, Animal Hospital |
| Best Studio | Grandma’s Favourite Games, Twin Atlas, Nosniy Games, Voldex |
| Best Video Star | Alaska Violet, bundun, Laughability |
Flamingo was also named in Best Video Star but opted out by request, leaving three names on that ballot.
Technical, creative, and UGC categories
This group recognizes work that goes beyond raw popularity, including engine-pushing tech, tooling for developers, art direction, branded collaborations, audio, and avatar-item creators.
| Category | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Innovation in Tech | Pixel Quest, Scary Shawarma Kiosk: The Anomaly, TTK, Dueling Grounds |
| Best Plugin | Building Tools by F3X, RoPro, Moon Animator 2, UGC Makers Toolbox |
| Innovation in Creative Direction | Animal Hospital, Duck Duck, Piggy: Intercity, Gakuran |
| Best UGC Creator | Valkenheim, WhoseTrade, dvdko, DIDIgamedev |
| Innovation in Branded Game | Steal a Brainrot x GOAT, Glow Up! by e.l.f., KPop Demon Hunters, Steal a Brainrot Bruno Mars Concert |
| Best Use of Audio | Guts & Blackpowder, Block Tales, DOORS, Piggy: Intercity |
Genre awards: from survival to classic experiences
Nine categories reward experiences that commit fully to a single lane. The Classic award replaces several older genre buckets and honors long-standing games such as obbys and tycoons that shaped the platform’s history.
| Category | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Best Party & Casual Experience | Adopt Me, Grow a Garden 2, +1 Keyboard Escape, Clip It |
| Best Survival Experience | Nullscape, Scary Shawarma Kiosk: The Anomaly, Animal Hospital, 99 Nights in the Forest |
| Best Puzzle Experience | Terminal, Detective Duck, Finish The Word, Secret Universe |
| Best Sports Experience | Volleyball Legends, Racket Rivals, Blue Lock Rivals, FIFA Super Soccer |
| Best Strategy Experience | Tower Defense X, Rise of Nations, Tower Defense Simulator, Mini War |
| Best Action Experience | Blox Fruits, Deepwoken, Jujutsu Shenanigans, RIVALS |
| Best Shooter Experience | Hypershot, TTK, Bloxstrike, RIVALS |
| Best RPG Experience | Blox Fruits, VV Ultimatum, Deepwoken, Piggy: Intercity |
| Classic | Bee Swarm Simulator, Natural Disaster Survival, Jailbreak, Work at a Pizza Place |
Experiences nominated in multiple categories
A handful of titles show up on several ballots this year. Animal Hospital, TTK, and Scary Shawarma Kiosk: The Anomaly each earned nominations across multiple categories. Grow a Garden 2, the sequel to the record-breaking farm simulator, is competing for People’s Choice against Animal Hospital, RIVALS, and 99 Nights in the Forest.
- Animal Hospital: Best New Game, Innovation in Creative Direction, Best Survival Experience, People’s Choice
- TTK: Best New Game, Innovation in Tech, Best Shooter Experience
- Scary Shawarma Kiosk: The Anomaly: Best New Game, Innovation in Tech, Best Survival Experience
- RIVALS: Best Action Experience, Best Shooter Experience, People’s Choice
- Piggy: Intercity: Innovation in Creative Direction, Best RPG Experience, Best Use of Audio
How to vote in the Roblox Innovation Awards 2026
Any Roblox user can enter The Block and take part. Voting is limited to one nominee per category, so choose carefully before you confirm each pick.
Voting deadline and rewards
The voting window closes on August 11, 2026 at 8:00 pm PST. You can vote once per category, so a completed ballot covers all 19 selections.
Voting across every category unlocks the “Vote! Vote! Vote!” badge along with the World Builder Hammer back accessory. Completing quests throughout The Block unlocks six RIA-themed UGC items in total, including the RIA Voting Hub 2026 – Welcome Cap, Aura of Re-Animation, VFX Staff of Wizardry, Programmer’s Scrolls, and Musical Mindset Aura.
You will know your ballot is complete when the badge is awarded to your account and the World Builder Hammer appears in your inventory. If either reward is missing, confirm that a selection is registered in each of the 19 categories, since a single skipped category leaves the full-vote reward locked.
