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It has been 6 long years since our last gamemode competition, and we are absolutely thrilled to announce that we are back! Whether you are a seasoned GLua veteran or looking to dive into Garry's Mod development for the very first time, this is your chance to show the community what you can build.

🎨 The Theme: Procedural Generation

This year, we are challenging you to break away from static maps and predictable loops. Your gamemode must utilize Procedural Generation as a core element. Think random map generation, dynamic loot systems, scaling enemy waves, or anything that keeps the gameplay fresh and unpredictable every single time a player joins.

📅 Key Dates & Timeline

Kickoff: June 1st, 2026 @ 00:00 UTC
Registration Cutoff: July 31st, 2026 23:59 UTC
Code Submission Deadline: August 8th, 2026 @ 23:59 UTC
Judging Period: August 15th. Time TBD
Winners Announced: August 16th

💰 Current Prize Pool: $1,758.01

(And growing! See the Sponsorship section below if you would like to contribute.)

📜 Competition Rules

To keep things fair and transparent, please adhere to the following guidelines:

Teams: You may form a team with as many people as you want, but you can only be a part of one team.
Submissions: Limit of one project submission per team.
Open Source: Your submission must be made public on GitHub or GitLab and adhere to the standard Open Source Definition.
Libraries: You are free to use any publicly available external library.
Base Gamemodes: The only permitted base gamemodes are Sandbox and Base.
Assets: Use of third-party assets (maps, models, materials, etc.) is fully permitted.
Any code outside of the base gamemode and public libraries must only be created after June 1st. You may not use something you wrote previously.

📝 Note: A sneak peek of the official judging rubric will be shared very soon!

🤖 AI Usage Policy

In line with our existing AI policy for products hosted on GmodStore, we will not prohibit the ethical use of AI in this competition.

We fully encourage teams to use any tool at their disposal (including generative AI workflows, LLMs, and code assistants) to help build a fun, working, and highly optimized gamemode.

The Requirement:

If you utilize AI tools during development (for code, asset generation, text, etc.), you must disclose that AI was used, alongside a brief description of how it was integrated into your workflow, when submitting your project.

⚠️ Important: This disclosure is purely for transparency. Revealing your use of AI will not in any way affect the judging or grading of your final product.

💬 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Who is running the competition?

The competition is organized solely by GmodStore and is not directly affiliated with Facepunch.

How do I participate?

Ready to lock in your spot? Head over to our Google Sign-Up Form to register your team.

Is prior Lua experience required?

Not at all! :) This is a fantastic opportunity to learn, experiment, and collaborate.

How will my gamemode be judged?

Submissions will be graded based on our upcoming rubric. Furthermore, you are permitted (and encouraged!) to join the judging panel during the review process to show off your cool gamemode features and answer live questions from the judges!

Want to support the community and grow the prize pool? You can donate directly via our Stripe Donation Link.

100% of your donation goes directly to the developers. Pivity/GmodStore does not take any cut from these donations. Please note that due to standard payment processing fees, the final prize amount will be slightly less than the exact total donated. You can read about Stripe's pricing here.

Sponsorship Tiers & Perks:

$25+ Tier: Entitles you to a dedicated link in the official Sponsors section of the competition.
$50+ Tier: You'll get the link plus a sponsor badge on your pivity/gmodstore profile as well as a competition sponsor role in discord.
$100+ Tier: You will get a custom sponsor banner featured on this thread (4:1 format, preferably 800x200), on our Discord, and during the live stream (all assets subject to staff approval). In addtion, you'll also receive the badge and discord role from the $50 tier.
Top Sponsor Tier: Anyone who out-donates GmodStore's base contribution will unlock the ability to submit an animated banner!

To claim your perks, please contact the staff on Discord after donating.