GamingonPhone Awards 2026: All 28 Categories, Finalists & Voting Until September 21
·5 min read
The GamingonPhone Awards 2026 finalists are live across 28 categories, and public polls are open until September 21, 2026. The 6th edition of mobile gaming's biggest awards night lands on October 28 in Bangkok with a global livestream. Here is how the voting actually works, who is shortlisted in the categories that matter for esports, and the full category list.
Voting closes
September 21, 2026
Ceremony
October 28, 2026
Where
Bangkok + global livestream
Categories
28 (16 B2C, 12 B2B)
Your Vote Is 40% of the Result
This is the detail most awards coverage leaves out, and it changes how you should read the outcome. GPA results are a weighted blend, not a popularity contest: 50% industry jury panel, 40% public vote, and 10% GamingonPhone editorial team. The 2026 jury panel runs to more than 100 members drawn from the mobile games industry.
Practically: a fan campaign can move a category but cannot own it, and a game the jury rates highly can win without leading the public poll. Voting is per category — 28 separate polls, each asking for an email — so nobody gets a single blanket ballot.
Public voting opened on August 21 and runs to September 21, so there are under three weeks left to cast a ballot.
Key Dates
| Eligibility window | August 1, 2025 – July 31, 2026 |
| Nominations | July 21 – August 12, 2026 (extended by two days) |
| Public voting | August 21 – September 21, 2026 (open now) |
| The Mobile Premiere showcase | October 2026, immediately before the awards |
| Grand finale | October 28, 2026 — Bangkok + YouTube livestream |
“2026” here means the August 2025 – July 2026 release window, not the calendar year — worth remembering before asking why a given game is or is not on a shortlist.
Mobile Game Of The Year Finalists
The headline category, described by the organisers as their highest honour. Ten finalists:
The Two Esports Categories
For anyone tracking competitive mobile viewership, these are the shortlists worth watching. Mobile Esports Game Of The Year — eight finalists:
Mobile Esports Team Of The Year — ten finalists, spread across seven different titles:
| Team Spirit | Mobile Legends: Bang Bang |
| Kuaishou Gaming | Honor of Kings |
| Team Vitality | Mobile Legends: Bang Bang |
| Team Flash | PUBG Mobile |
| GodLike Esports | BGMI / PUBG Mobile |
| AG Super Play | Honor of Kings |
| Tribe Gaming | Clash of Clans |
| HMBLE | Brawl Stars |
| Qing Jiu Club | COD Mobile |
| Buriram United Esports | Free Fire |
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang takes two of the ten team slots and is up for game of the year too — consistent with the audience data, since MLBB overtook Fashion as TikTok Live's number two category earlier this year.
All 28 Categories
16 player-facing (B2C)
- Mobile Game Of The Year
- On-going Mobile Game Of The Year
- Indie Mobile Game Of The Year
- Premium Mobile Game Of The Year
- Innovative Mobile Game Of The Year
- Mobile Game Community Of The Year
- Mobile Subscription Game Of The Year
- Mobile Game Visual Design Of The Year
- Mobile Game Audio Design Of The Year
- Mobile Game Adaptation Of The Year
- Most Anticipated Mobile Game Of The Year
- Players’ Choice Mobile Game Of The Year
- Mobile Game Voice Acting Of The Year
- Mobile Game Update Of The Year
- Mobile Esports Game Of The Year
- Mobile Esports Team Of The Year
12 industry (B2B)
- Mobile Game Developer Of The Year
- Mobile Game Publisher Of The Year
- Regional Expansion Partner Of The Year
- Mobile Game IP Crossover Of The Year
- UA & Growth Platform Of The Year
- Mobile Analytics Tool Of The Year
- Monetization & Payment Provider Of The Year
- Alternative Distribution Platform Of The Year
- QA & Localization Partner Of The Year
- Best PR / Marketing Team Of The Year
- External Development Partner Of The Year
- Leader in Climate Action and Social Innovation
New This Year: The Mobile Premiere
Running immediately before the ceremony, The Mobile Premiere is billed as the first physical showcase dedicated exclusively to mobile games — a mobile-only answer to a summer showcase circuit that has largely ignored the platform. Slots for developers and publishers are free, with submissions handled directly by the GamingonPhone team.
How Big Is This, Really?
Six editions in, the awards are community-scale rather than broadcast-scale. Last year's edition, for reference:
| Nominations submitted | 6,423 |
| Finalists | 244 across 30 categories |
| Industry jurors | 107 |
| Community votes | 620,000+ |
| Impressions | 18 million+ |
Note that 2026 trims the category count from 30 to 28. For the other creator and esports awards running this season, see our awards tracker.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does GamingonPhone Awards 2026 voting close?
Public voting opened on August 21, 2026 and closes on September 21, 2026. Finalists are published on the GPA 2026 hub and each category has its own voting page. Winners are revealed on October 28, 2026.
How are the GamingonPhone Awards winners decided?
Each result is a weighted blend rather than a straight public vote: 50% comes from the industry jury panel, 40% from the public vote, and 10% from the GamingonPhone editorial team. The 2026 jury panel has more than 100 members.
How do I vote in the GamingonPhone Awards 2026?
Open the GPA 2026 hub at gamingonphone.com/awards/gpa-2026, pick a category, select your finalist and submit with an email address. Each of the 28 categories has a separate poll, so you vote category by category.
Which games are up for Mobile Game of the Year 2026?
Ten finalists: The Division Resurgence, Rainbow Six Mobile, Neverness to Everness, Mongil Star Dive, Arknights Endfield, Heartopia, Where Winds Meet, Pokémon Champions, Sea of Stars and Guild Wars Reforged.
What is the eligibility window for the 2026 awards?
August 1, 2025 through July 31, 2026. GamingonPhone notes that when it says 2026 for the finalists, it means that 12-month timeline rather than the calendar year.
Where and when is the ceremony, and can I watch it?
The 6th edition takes place on October 28, 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand, with a concurrent global livestream on GamingonPhone's official YouTube channel. The Mobile Premiere showcase runs immediately before the awards.