Serious Games Winners Revealed at I/ITSEC

The Serious Games Showcase & Challenge (SGS&C) announced its 2025 winners on December 4 during the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC) in Orlando, Florida. Marking its 20th year, the program recognized games developed for learning and training across government, industry, and academia.

“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.”

The 2025 Best General Audience Game award went to Venture Valley Business Tycoon by Singleton Foundation. The Best Government Audience Game award was presented to the Serve to Lead Game Series by the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. MilExTS: Tactical Trauma Trainer by Exonicus, Inc. received the Best XR Game award. The Best Serious Game Innovation Award was given to Wayfinder, an independently developed title. Speak Your Heart by Carnegie Mellon University received the Best Student-Developed Game award. The Students’ Choice Award went to the Wildfire Resilience Minigame Collection by the University of California Santa Cruz. The People’s Choice Award was shared by Cyber H2O from the Virginia Digital Maritime Center and the 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.

SGS&C also announced Trey Reyher as the next industry lead and stated that details for the 2026 Challenge would be shared on its website.