Nintendo dominated the Japan Game Awards, claiming the Grand Prize, 3 Excellence Awards, the Special Award, and the METI Award. The massive sweep marks a major comeback for the company, which took home only two awards at last year’s event.
Nintendo Claims 4 out of 7 Major Awards at Japan Game Awards 2026
Pokémon, Super Mario, Donkey Kong, and Kirby Secure Sweep for Nintendo
Nintendo swept the 2026 Japan Game Awards in Tokyo on September 15, 2026, winning four out of seven categories. Pokémon Pokopia won the Grand Prize, the event’s highest honor, and an Excellence Award alongside Donkey Kong Bananza and Kirby Air Riders. Pokémon received the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) Award, and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie was given a Special Award lauding the film’s success after it grossed $1 billion worldwide on a budget of $110 million.
Nintendo won six out of the eighteen awards presented at the event, securing a dominant one-third of the total. This marks a major comeback for the company, which only took home two awards last year: the Movement Award for the Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket and the METI Award for the Nintendo Switch 2 console.
Building up its franchises and committing to console development has clearly paid off for Nintendo, as Switch 2 console exclusives from their biggest and most iconic intellectual properties secured the sweep.
Pokémon led the tally, receiving the METI Award for the franchise’s significant contributions to the Japanese video game industry with its numerous 30th year anniversary celebration projects. Pokopia’s innovative departure from Pokémon’s classic battle gameplay for a relaxed, sandbox life-simulation experience was also acknowledged with an Excellence Award.
Fresh off its Game of the Year victory from The Game Awards 2025, Donkey Kong Bananza also received an Excellence Award, its first award from the event in 15 years. Nintendo’s momentum continued as Kirby Air Riders secured another trophy for the company ahead of its 35th anniversary in 2027.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie was honored with a Special Award following its massive box office success earlier this year, and Pokopia capped off the historic evening by taking home the night’s most prestigious Grand Prize.
Nintendo will undoubtedly return to next year’s Japan Game Awards with a packed lineup of console-exclusive releases for its most iconic franchises. The highly anticipated roster so far features Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave, the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake, Kirby and the World Beyond, and Metroid Ravenous.
Source:
Japan Game Awards 2026 – "Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award / Game of the Year Division"
