The Serious Games Showcase & Challenge (SGS&C) announced its 2025 winners December 4 at the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC). Now in its 20th year, SGS&C honors games that demonstrate clear learning objectives, strong design, and measurable outcomes.
“Each year, SGS&C spotlights teams who turn rigorous learning goals into engaging, effective
play,” said Jenn McNamara, Breakaway Games and SGS&C Director.“ This cohort shows just
how far serious games have come — from clinical VR to leadership training to community resilience — and how much they can do to elevate human performance.”
2025 SGS&C Winners
The 2025 winners are:
• Best General Audience Game — Venture Valley Business Tycoon by Singleton Foundation
• Best Government Audience Game — Serve to Lead Game Series by Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS)
• Best XR Game — MilExTS: Tactical Trauma Trainer by Exonicus, Inc.
• Best Serious Game Innovation Award — Wayfinder, Independently Developed
• Best Student-Developed Game — Speak Your Heart by Carnegie Mellon University
• Students’ Choice Award — Wildfire Resilience Minigame Collection by University of California Santa Cruz
• People’s Choice Award (Tie) — Cyber H2O by Virginia Digital Maritime Center and Surface Warfare Officer Reactive Decision Simulator (SWORDS) by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
“This program succeeds because evaluators, developers, and end users come together with a shared standard: outcomes,” said Clifton Garner, SIMETRI and SGS&C IPT Industry Lead. “This year’s winners balanced engagement with real-world requirements — the kind of design that holds up in classrooms, units, and organizations.
Sponsors and Community Support
SGS&C extends sincere thanks to this year’s sponsors — ARA, ECS, Hatalom, Mass Virtual, RAVE Computer, Trideum, VMASC and Xiphos — whose support makes the Challenge possible and helps bring impactful training solutions to the broader community.
SGS&C also announced Trey Reyher as next year’s Industry Lead. Details for the 2026 Challenge — including key dates and categories — will be shared on the SGS&C website.
About Serious Games Showcase & Challenge
The Serious Games Showcase & Challenge (SGS&C) is an annual program, hosted at I/ITSEC, that recognizes games purpose-built for learning and training across government, industry, and academia. For 20 years, SGS&C has connected developers, evaluators, and users to highlight serious games that deliver real results.
News & Updates
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