The GXG 2026 Game Music Contest: The 3rd SOUND TRACK (hereinafter referred to as GXG Soundtrack), a stage where the emotions of gameplay are reborn through music, announced on June 8 that it is accepting applications for approximately six weeks from June 8 to July 19. Applications can be submitted online through the official GXG website.
Now in its third year, GXG Soundtrack is a creative competition where participants express the inspiration they receive from games through their own music. In the previous two editions, stages broke down genre boundaries, ranging from rock, hip-hop, R&B, and orchestra to traditional Korean music (gukak). In 2025, a total of 138 teams applied, recording a competition ratio of 20 to 1 for the finals and establishing the contest as an event drawing attention from both gamers and musicians.
The 6 teams that pass the preliminary round will perform in the finals on September 11 on the main stage at Pangyo Station Square. The final winning teams will be awarded a total prize pool of 21 million won: 10 million won for 1 Grand Prize winner, 5 million won for 1 Gold Award winner, 2 million won each for 2 Silver Award winners, and 1 million won each for 2 Bronze Award winners. On the following day, September 12, the GXG Gala Concert will take place, featuring another round of passionate live performances by the finalists.
A total of 15 gaming companies are participating in this year's competition, offering 16 games as featured themes. Anticipation is building to see how games across a wide variety of genres will be reborn into new melodies through the hands of creators.
The featured games include a large lineup: Neowiz's Shape of Dreams and Lies of P: Overture; Neople's Dungeon & Fighter Universe, including Dungeon & Fighter, Dungeon & Fighter Mobile, The First Berserker: Khazan, and Cyphers; Nexon Games' Blue Archive; Nexon Korea's MapleStory; Riot Games' League of Legends; Supercell's Brawl Stars; Epid Games' Trickcal Revive; NC's Lineage; NHN's Hangame Royal Hold'em and Hangame Low Baduki; Wemade and MADNGINE's Night Crows; Kakao Games and Lionheart Studio's Odin: Valhalla Rising; Krafton's PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS; and Pearl Abyss's Black Desert and Crimson Desert.
An official from the GXG 2026 Organizing Secretariat stated, "Marking its third year, this competition will be a highly polished stage that elevates the remarkable synergy accumulated between games and music to the next level." They added, "We look forward to seeing many creators take on the challenge of translating game content loved by countless players into original sounds, once again coloring Pangyo's autumn with a fresh cultural experience."
Meanwhile, the urban game culture festival GXG 2026, themed "Enjoying Game Culture," will be held for two days from September 11 to 12, 2026, in the area around Pangyo Station Square. Detailed recruitment guidelines for GXG Soundtrack and information about the GXG event can be found on the official website.
