MSX games since 2003
MSX games since 2003

MSXdev26

| Dates and Deadlines | Rules and guidelines | Jury Team | Rating | Donations | Sponsorship | Prizes | Enrollment | Games |

MSXdev is an international annual game competition for MSX computers that’s been running since 2003. It’s a stage for MSX game developers to show off their skills, with simple rules: create an MSX-compatible game. Participation is open to everyone and completely free. All software submitted is treated as freeware, meaning it’s free to download and play. The games, typically in ROM format, can be played on any MSX, whether on the original hardware or through an emulator.

The MSXdev26 is returning to its roots by focusing on MSX1 again. That means only games that run on bare MSX1 with 16KB RAM are accepted for joining the compo. So put on your creativity socks and start jamming with that Z80 kungfu we all love so much!

DATES AND DEADLINES

MSXdev26 comp takes game submissions from Monday September 14, 2026, until Sunday March 14, 2027 – 6 month in total to cram an original MSX game and get famous while doing it. During run time the jury panel will be announced. Their duty starts about one week after the deadline and takes about 6 weeks to complete. We expect to announce the results May 2027.

RULES AND GUIDELINES

The MSXdev26 is returning to its roots by focusing on MSX1 again. That means only games that run on bare MSX1 with 16KB RAM are accepted for joining the compo. No hardware extensions are allowed, except for peripherals like joysticks, mice, and similar devices, but there’s no limit on the ROM size. With MSXdev26, the compo aims to preserve the charm and challenge of developing for the original MSX generation but also encourage bigger, bolder, more elaborate game thanks to unlimited ROM size. It is the best of both worlds; classic constraints where they matter, freedom where it fuels innovation.

Nobody enjoys strict rules, and neither do we. Still, we need a basic framework for accepting game entries. If we had just one rule, it would be something like, “you MUST have fun participating.” That said, here are a few things to keep in mind: (all apply only during the run of the compo)

  • Games run on MSX1 16KB RAM (real and/or emulated)
  • Games that are submitted to the contest are original; they have never been published on MSX before.
  • Clones and remakes of existing games, however, are accepted, provided they adhere to the requirements.
  • Give credits where credits are due
  • Games are MSXdev exclusive; after submitting an entry, it cannot be published or made available outside MSXdev during the contest. You can link to the original MSXdev entry page instead.
  • The submitted entry is accepted as the full featured version, demos are not allowed. Updates during the contest are only accepted before the deadline.
  • The game is considered freeware (during the compo)
  • The game is submitted as a .ROM, or a .CAS file. There’s no limit on the size of it.
  • Include clear game play instructions by means of a manual (at least in English).
  • The game has at least gameplay, sound and dedicated graphics
  • Make sure to have your game tested, and tested again, before submitting.

On enrollment, the games will be evaluated by our team using the mentioned MSX configuration specs and should work on any compliant machine. If it does, and adheres to all other prereqs it is accepted for MSXdev. In any case, the MSXdev organization has the right to reject, or redraw an already accepted, game entry at any time before the official enrollment deadline. Oh, and did we mention to have your game be tested before entering?

WHAT CHANGED?

Since the last edition, we’ve made a few tweaks to the rule set to make things run more smoothly. Here’s what’s new:

  • MSXdev26 exclusive – once you’ve submitted your game, it will only be available for download through our website (during the compo). No other locations are permitted, but you can always link to our source, of course.
  • The quality bar – we’ve set a minimum standard for games to be accepted into the competition. For example, every game must include its own dedicated set of graphic and sound elements. Games that fall short on quality will be rejected.
  • Prize money – unlike in recent years, the donated prize money will now be added to the loot box, allowing winners to choose it as a prize. It’s no longer reserved solely for the top rankings.

JURY TEAM

All entries are judged on their quality by a panel of jury members. This panel will process every game by means of a point-scoring system and a full written report on their impressions. The game gets rated and scored by each individual jury member. The final ranking depends on the overall score of all jury members.

The juror team consists of a minimum of three jurors, each of whom are responsible for individual evaluation and scoring of each entry.

JURY SELECTION PROCESS

The goal is to have a Jury Team with members that have deep knowledge of the MSX system, its capabilities, existing games, the scene and overall be a veteran from the worldwide MSX community. They, the jurors, are either invited by the organization or have volunteered actively. Their names will be announced when the jury panel is complete. A jury member is excluded as a participant from the contest.

RATING

All entries will be evaluated equally – the exact rating system will be announced later (tba)

Remember, your entry gets rated on quality. And that includes external means like packaging and the manual as well! In order to have your creation judged completely, we advise to include means to access every area of the entry. Like cheat-codes, passwords, screenshots, emu save-states, in-game BGM player, sound files, easy/hard level selection and other things you can think of to make it easy for judges to score your entry. We will be discrete with this information, it is for the jury-panel’s eyes only.

DONATING

We will have a cash prize for the winner with the sum of your donations. If you love the MSXdev contest and want to be part of it by contributing to a prize, this is your opportunity!

Make you donation via PayPal

Please, when making your donation, be sure to specify the name/nick you want to appear as the donor, or tell us if you want to remain anonymous.

Every contribution, even the smallest amount, will be highly appreciated! 100% of the donations will go to the game developers – Thank you very much for considering to support the contest!

LIST OF DONORS

We have received the following donations for this edition:

  • € 9.16 by 市野茂人
  • € 100,00 by Anonymous
  • € 50,00 by Arnaud de Klerk | The File-Hunter
  • € 50,00 by Ricardo Jurczyk Pinheiro

All amounts are net (ex Paypal fees) Thank you all!

SPONSORSHIP

You can also become a sponsor by adding any item to the winners loot box.

Anything goes, from a sticker to a piece of hardware, a gift certificate or a subscription to any service. The following sponsored items have already been confirmed:

If you’re interested in initiating a sponsorship, please contact us by e-mail.

PRIZES

All donated funds will be awarded to the winners of the MSXdev26 edition. The exact total will be determined once the competition results are announced.

Both sponsored items and donations will end up in the loot box where every contestant has a change to dive in and grab an item of choice, starting with the first place winner followed by the next winners.

ENROLLMENT

Participating in this MSXdev contest is easy, just e-mail your final version of the game together with the required information to the MSXdev team to get enrolled. Every entry that complies with the requirements will be approved to enter the contest and gets a chance to shine.

To register your entry, send an email to info@msxdev.org with the following attachments and information:

  • Name of the game and its version
  • Name of the author, group, or individual(s) involved
  • Game genre
  • Screenshots and/or other artwork of the game
  • A game manual (at least in English) – any format will do
  • Full name of the author and contact e-mail address. (provide as much contact information as you like)
  • Attach the game in a ROM, or CAS file format (whether zipped or not) and provide carrier type information if possible.
  • Any other information or related media that you’d like to share

On entering the contest, a registration conformation e-mail will be returned. The entry will then be examined by the organizing party for compliance and followed by an another e-mail to either approve or decline the submitted entry. When the entry is compliant, it will be announced and published on the msxdev.org web site. From that moment on, the game is considered “published” and ready for judgement.

If we have any more questions on your submitted entry, we will contact you by e-mail.

Keep in mind that:

  • Only the last received version of the game is the one valid for the contest. Updates are accepted during the contest. Updates are posted on the MSXdev.org website.
  • State in the instructions or in attached text file the freeware status of any game participating in MSXdev contest. Any freeware license can be used, as long as the full game can be freely obtained by the users.
  • During the compo, the game is considered MSXdev exclusive. After that, we release all restrictions and the game is yours again. Feel free to redistribute or sell the game when the deadline has passed.
  • All participants will accept the final results

* The MSXdev requires a minimum of 9 submitted game entries to commence. When the deadline has passed with less than that, the compo is cancelled.

SUBMITTED GAMES

This year’s entries are:

All listed games are MSXdev exclusives, and not to be published elsewhere during the compo. Games are freeware, that means free to download and play. The author remains the owner of the submitted game.

THANK YOU

The MSXdev would not be possible if it wasn’t for

  • Konamito – for setting up this web-site and doing system administration
  • MSXall – for hosting this web-site
  • The File-Hunter – for hosting online play
  • MRC – for the support
  • Donators and sponsors – for the never ending commitment
  • MSX game developers – for making this compo for what it is; awesome
  • The MSX scene – for all your love and support

Awesome!

ENDING CREDITS

This year’s edition is run by Róman van der Meulen and Sander Niessen as core members and Paco Santos Ramírez as editor and Arnaud de Klerk as online game host.

All official information about the contest will always be available at the MSXdev.org website. If you have any questions, contact us at info@msxdev.org