The 2026 Roblox Innovation Awards (RIAs) concluded Saturday in San Jose, with the newly released title “Animal Hospital” securing several of the night’s most prestigious honors. The ceremony served as the closing event for the 12th annual Roblox Developer Conference, where the platform also revealed plans for a major milestone celebration.
Hosted by Justin Sousa, Roblox’s head of developer community known as “JParty,” the awards recognized excellence across 20 categories. Winners were determined by a massive community vote totaling 319 million submissions, highlighting the scale of engagement within the platform’s creator ecosystem.
“What I love most about this list is how different all of these winners are,” Sousa remarked. “There isn’t one definition of a great Roblox game anymore, and that’s the point. From tactical shooters and terrifying forests to word games, football, fashion, audio, and one particularly suspicious medical facility, the boundaries of what can be built on Roblox keep moving because this community keeps moving them.”
During the conference, Roblox also announced “The Hunt: Roblox 20,” a special event kicking off on September 17 to mark the platform’s 20th anniversary. Sousa noted that the event would celebrate the “breadth of ingenuity creators bring to the table” after two decades of operation.
“Animal Hospital” by Studio Animal Anomaly was named Best New Game, Best Innovation in Creative Direction, and Best UGC Creator, among other accolades. The game, described as an unsettling mix of veterinary care and survival horror, also took home the People’s Choice award and the Builderman Award, recognizing it as the standout title of the year.
Other notable winners included “RIVALS” by Nosniy Games, which won Best Shooter and Best Studio; “DOORS” by LSPLASH for Best Use of Audio; and “99 Nights in the Forest” by Grandma’s Favourite Games for Best Survival Game. The awards also highlighted innovations in branded experiences, with “Steal a Brainrot x GOAT” by Do Big winning Best Innovation in a Branded Game.
The full list of 2026 winners reflects the diverse genres thriving on Roblox, ranging from puzzle titles like “Finish The Word” to sports simulations such as “FIFA Super Soccer” and classic survival experiences like “Natural Disaster Survival.” The event underscored Roblox’s continued evolution into a multifaceted platform supporting tactical shooters, party games, RPGs, and creative tools like the UGC Makers Toolbox.
The Hunt event dates are out! September 17 can’t come soon enough for the 20th anniversary celebrations.
Survival horror taking over a kids platform is wild. Great for Animal Hospital though, total game of the year.