Hundreds of students from colleges and universities across Ireland gathered at the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) for Games Fleadh 2026, one of the country’s longest-running and most exciting showcases of student game development.
The event saw students from across the country travel to the Thurles campus, bringing teams, projects and visitors for a full day of competition, networking and showcasing their work.
Now in its 23rd year, the event, held on Wednesday, March 4th, brought together undergraduate developers, lecturers and industry professionals for a full day of competition, collaboration and creativity.
Students presented original games, demonstrated their technical and design skills, and received feedback from judges and industry experts.
This year’s theme, Alternative Physics, challenged teams to design games where the rules of the world are deliberately twisted — from strange forces and unusual momentum to impossible spaces and playful manipulation of time.
The result was a lively exhibition of imaginative, student-built games that drew strong interest from visitors throughout the day.
Dr Liam Noonan, organiser of Games Fleadh and lecturer on the BSc (Hons) in Software Development with Games Programming at TUS, said the standard of entries continues to impress each year.
“Games Fleadh showcases the best of the third-level game development community in Ireland. The creativity and technical ability on display from students this year was fantastic. The ‘Alternative Physics’ was theme is designed to push creativity and problem-solving — the kind of skills that matter in modern software development. It’s great to see so many visitors and schools coming along to experience the games and meet the students behind them.”
The event also welcomed second-level schools and members of the public, many of whom travelled to Thurles to experience the games firsthand and speak with student developers about studying game development and software programming at third level.
Competitions on the day included the Game Studio Challenge, where teams created games based on the Alternative Physics theme, and Robocode, which tests programming and problem-solving skills through robot battle simulations.
Dr Janice O’Connell, Head of the Department of Information Technology at TUS, said the event highlights the creativity and innovation of students working in technology.
“Games Fleadh is a fantastic event that brings together many different aspects of IT, innovation and creativity. Through the originality and imagination involved in game development, the event connects industry, academia, current students and future students. We are very grateful to our main sponsor Electronic Arts and to our industry partners for their continued support, as well as the staff and students in Thurles who help make the event such a success each year.”
Games Fleadh has grown into a national showcase for Ireland’s student games sector, giving participants the opportunity to present their work, gain valuable feedback and connect with the wider games development community.
