DCMS has announced an additional £5 million for the UK Games Fund as part of the Creative Industries Sector Vision – a joint plan between Government and industry to drive growth, build talent and develop skills across the creative sectors.
At present (last updated Apr 2025) the scheme is funded until 31st March 2026.
We intend to operate a rolling deadline, however we may close our application portal periodically for ten to fourteen days whilst we review batches of applications, re-opening as soon as possible. We also have fixed allocations of funding to administer within different financial years so we encourage early applications. For both these reasons, you should make your application as soon as possible.
Applicants may apply whether or not they have previously received funding. A selection of the criteria are given below; please see the UK Games Fund for the full list of criteria.
Eligibility: UK registered SME with PAYE employees engaged in games development work in the UK. We normally expect companies to not be a recently established start-up, or formed for the purposes of securing this grant. A start-up may be considered where supported by the founders’ effective articulation of the structural rationale as above alongside an immediate publishing opportunity secured because of founder track record. We normally expect companies to not be a recently established start-up, or formed for the purposes of securing this grant.
Requirements for use of funds: Funding being required to support a mix of existing and/or new employees, alongside a lesser proportion of contracting; a clear explanation of the development approach in terms of the planned physical location/s of work in the UK and access to talent. Overall project costs at least double the requested grant. Strong additionality case, with our funding making a demonstrable difference in terms of unlocking additional resources, new relationships, platform or audience access, etc. Note that 30% of the grant will be held back until that additionality is fully contracted.
Preferences: A positive bias towards employed staff rather than contracting in the planned development approach. Opportunities for networking/learning between team members – understanding this will be proportionate to the circumstances of the applicant’s on-site or remote working arrangements. Positive impacts on under-representation at a company level arising from the planned hires and a longer-term commitment to addressing any under-representation in the development team.
Requirements for the game you are working on: Prototype in place; IP owned by the applicant or licensed on terms that are aligned with the project’s long-term requirements; no gambling elements or mechanisms which could be perceived as such; commercial games for entertainment focus with potential to secure a commercial audience at scale.
Successful grantees will receive 70% payment of grant in advance of commencement, usually within four weeks of contract completion. The balance of the 30% will be paid when leverage is secured and committed to the project.