Five teams will start the new Games Lift round on September 8, 2025. They will receive a one-year workshop and mentoring program, input from international industry experts, and 15,000 euros in financial support. Over 30 industry experts from the Games Lift Network are ready to share their experience and provide professional support to the teams. In addition, the teams will travel to an international industry event as part of the Games Lift program to gain their first experiences in the international market. 

We are delighted that in its sixth year, Games Lift has received a total of 43 applications from teams and solo developers to participate in the Games Lift Incubator – more than twice as many as in previous years! 

The five games and teams for the Games Lift Incubator 2025 are:

• The Wrong Horse by Sharon Sacks & Vincent Will
• Encaged and Ungraded by Leif Gutowski
• Fading Skies by Distant Blue
• Phasmopass by Curio Compass
• Project: Slimepot by Calluna Games

The Wrong Horse is a colorful murder mystery adventure set at a horse racing track. As a journalist, it is the player's task to uncover the secrets surrounding the mysterious death of a jockey and identify the perpetrator.

Encaged and Ungraded is a mixture of anomaly horror and job simulation. A shady company forces players into the role of a card grader, where they check various cards for authenticity and quality. But soon, players find themselves searching for eerie and dangerous anomalies – and hopefully they can make it through to the end of their shift.

Fading Skies revives the charm of the PS2 and GameCube era by combining classic 3D platforming with modern action RPG elements. As Ryn, a young woman accompanied by a small magical dragon, players travel through a broken world full of secrets. The mission is to stop the planet's decay and confront the shadows of a forgotten past.

Phasmopass is a turn-based roguelite. Players lead a team of humans trapped in a never-ending volleyball reality show against ghostly opponents. Powerful items and pacts with other ghosts help players win tournaments to escape the dystopian city of Limbo!

Project: Slimepot (working title) is an action-adventure game in which players explore a dungeon full of monsters, turn them into dishes, and serve them to guests in their tavern. Here, exciting dungeon crawling meets creative cooking and relaxed tavern management.

Further information on all funded projects can be found here: https://gamecity-hamburg.de/incubator/funded-projects/.

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