Abertay University announces six finalist teams for DARE Academy 2026

Abertay University has announced the six student teams selected as finalists for this year’s DARE Academy, its flagship video game design competition. 

The undergraduate teams will spend the summer developing original game prototypes as they compete for the DARE trophy and a £5,000 grand prize. 

A highlight of the University’s calendar, DARE Academy gives students intensive support from academic staff, industry mentors and professional sponsors. Over the coming months, the finalists will work in Abertay’s Centre for Excellence in Computer Games, turning their initial concepts into polished, playable prototypes in a professional studio environment. 

The teams were chosen following a competitive pitching process, with judges praising the creativity, ambition and technical potential of this year’s submissions. 

The DARE Academy 2026 finalist teams and their games are:

• Exotic Rat Studios – Murder At The Clocktower
• HydraByte – Elementorum
• Whispered Eclipse – Demon Slumber Party
• How What Why Games – Dirty Work
• Crabbits – GalactInk
• Finch Outside The Box – Loose Juice 

Throughout the competition, the teams will receive guidance from experienced industry mentors as they develop their games and prepare for the final showcase and awards event later this year. 

DARE Academy continues to play an important role in supporting emerging talent from Abertay’s Faculty of Design, Informatics and Business. Designed to reflect real-world game development, the competition challenges students from a range of disciplines to collaborate, innovate and create commercially focused projects. 

DARE also has a strong track record of helping students take their first steps into the games industry, with former participants going on to establish independent studios and secure roles across the sector. 

Dr Dayna Galloway, Head of the Department of Games and Arts at Abertay University, said: 

Every year, DARE Academy showcases the exceptional creativity, technical skill and entrepreneurial spirit of our students, and this year is no exception. The standard of the pitches was incredibly high, and selecting the finalists was no easy task. We’re excited to work with these talented teams over the coming months and see how their ideas develop into fully realised game prototypes.

This year’s winner will be chosen by a panel of industry judges following the final showcase later this year.