Busan is hosting Asia's largest indie game festival at BEXCO, showcasing a curated selection of titles from a pool of global submissions that surged 44% compared to last year.

The City of Busan (Mayor Jeon Jae-soo), in partnership with the Busan IT Industry Promotion Agency and the Busan Indie Connect Festival Organizing Committee (BIC Organizing Committee), will host the Busan Indie Connect Festival 2026 (BIC Festival 2026) at BEXCO for three days, from August 14 to 16. The slogan for this year's event, which celebrates diverse indie games free from capital constraints, has been confirmed as BUFF YOUR INDIE SPIRIT.

This year saw a record-breaking 856 submissions from 57 countries—a 44% increase over last year. Following a rigorous evaluation process, 332 games from 42 countries were selected for on-site exhibition. The General and Rookie categories were evaluated by 22 judges over three months, while the Connect Pick category incorporated votes from Big Connectors to enhance public appeal.

The offline exhibition and experience events will be systematically divided into Business Days and Festival Days. The opening day, August 14, will feature business matching programs for industry professionals and the Busan Indie Wave Conference, while August 15 and 16 will offer a variety of programs for the general public to experience the games firsthand.

The venue will feature stage events, a merchandise area, and a live broadcasting space. To maximize visitor convenience, pop-up food stalls featuring local Busan cuisine and rest areas will also be provided. The core awards ceremony, the BIC Awards, will announce major nominees at 5:00 PM on the 14th, with final winners determined on the 16th by combining on-site voting results. For those unable to attend in person, an online exhibition will run on the official website until August 28.

A notable achievement this year is the establishment of a strategic partnership with YouTube. Seven outstanding indie games from five companies, verified by the BIC Organizing Committee, will be featured on YouTube Playables—a service that allows users to play games instantly without installation—significantly increasing accessibility for global users.

Furthermore, with the official channel recently surpassing 100k subscribers and earning a Silver Creator Award, the festival plans to leverage this collaboration to maximize promotional impact. Mayor Jeon Jae-soo stated, "Now in its 12nd year, the Busan Indie Connect Festival is a cornerstone of Busan's leap toward becoming a global mecca for indie games. We will continue to expand city-level support to revitalize the creative ecosystem for indie games, a key growth engine for the future content industry, and help them enter the global market."