Tokyo Game Show 2025 once again featured Sense of Wonder Night, highlighting experimental and creative indie games that defy convention. Read on to learn more about the event, when it starts, and what games were showcased.
What is SENSE OF WONDER NIGHT?
An Indie Game Awards Show
Sense of Wonder Night (SOWN) is a competition that aims to expand the game industry by discovering game ideas that trigger a Sense of Wonder,
or the feeling of changing something in one’s world when they first hear or see a concept. This will be the 18th time the event has been held, where eight out of a total of 165 selected indie titles are chosen.
The goal of the event is to continually find ways to innovate on game design with brand-new ideas, to raise awareness of these ideas, and to ultimately revitalize the game industry overall.
The total number of participants has increased from last year’s total of 973 to a massive total of 1365, plus 174 from the Indie Game Area.
For more information, you can visit the website here!
SENSE OF WONDER NIGHT 2025 Awards
Finalists
Breaking Existing Rules
| NearpinGO | |
|---|---|
| Developer | NearPin GO (Japan) |
| Platforms | Apple Watch |
| NearPinGO is a motion-based golf game using the Apple Watch. The game mechanics are simple: choose a club, swing your arm, and hit the ball. You will then have to walk to where the ball landed, as your movement is part of the gameplay. This game can be played while walking or doing other errands. The developers describe it as walk-and-swing golf. | |
| Non-Virtual Reality Games | |
|---|---|
| Developer | Non-Virtual Reality Games |
| Platforms | PC (Steam) |
| Play a collection of games that use VR without the headset! These two-player games use sound and vibrations without the use of visuals, while players play together in the real world. | |
| TopplePOP: Bungee Blockbusters | |
|---|---|
| Developer | ArikimA |
| Platforms | Steam, Nintendo Switch 2 |
| TopplePOP is a physics-based puzzle party game for 1–4 players, where you control bendy animals attached to bungee cords. Play solo, team up in co-op, or face off in PvP modes. The game also features battles, speedruns, and leaderboards to test your skills against friends and players worldwide. | |
| BB Adventure | |
|---|---|
| Developer | Yamamu Games |
| Platforms | PC (Steam) |
| In this fictional world, balance balls are the most popular way to have fun! As a "Rider," you take on athletic challenges by using both your body and mind. The game reacts to your movement, making it both real and fun! Bouncing on a balance ball makes your character jump, while tilting the controller makes them move. Not only that, you can even work on your core strength and your balance as you play the game! | |
Adventures in Other Worlds
| Deep Space Exploration | |
|---|---|
| Developer | Latent Entertainment |
| Platforms | Mobile (iOS) |
| Deep Space Exploration is a tabletop murder mystery mobile game where players deceive both humans and AI to pull off the perfect crime in space. With the captain found dead, players must evade suspicion and outwit others, especially Miranda, the AI navigator of the spaceship. | |
| and Roger | |
|---|---|
| Developer | TearyHand Studio |
| Platforms | Nintendo Switch |
| “And Roger” is an interactive novel where you play as a young girl who wakes up to find a stranger asleep on her couch. When he awakens, he tells her to get ready—but she has no idea who he is. As the mystery deepens, she embarks on a journey to uncover the truth and search for her missing father. | |
| Word Game | |
|---|---|
| Developer | Word Game |
| Platforms | Steam |
| Word Game is a game of words where players control the letter “I” to discover hidden clues between the lines, alter meanings by deleting words, and rewrite facts by shifting words. | |
| Time Flies | |
|---|---|
| Developer | Playables |
| Platforms | PlayStation 5, Steam, Nintendo Switch |
| Time Flies is an adventure survival game where players take the role of a fly. With their natural life of flies being short, players must accomplish as many activities as they can in their bucket list. This includes learning an instrument, reading a book, becoming rich, getting drunk, or just simply making someone smile. | |
Game Awards and Winners
Pocky Awards
Winners:
● Parking Together
● Word Game
● Zashiki-warashi UN-Real Estate
The Pocky Awards were presented by indie game ambassador and Japanese YouTuber/streamer Pocky, who has over 3 million subscribers and numerous gameplay videos.
Audience Award Grand Prix - And Roger
The highest honor of the awards show, the Audience Award Grand Prix, is given to the game that is voted by the audience, both in-person and online, that exudes the "sense of wonder." This game produced the greatest excitement and motivation for others to play.
Audience Award Semi-Grand Prix - NearPin GO
This award is presented to the runner-up of the Audience Award Grand Prix, which also brought a high level of impact to the audience.
Best Technological Game Award- BB Adventure
The Best Technological Game Award is awarded to the game that utilizes new and advanced technology or systems, innovating and creating new experiences for the players.
Best Arts Award - And Roger
The Best Arts Award is bestowed upon the game that showcases the most exceptional artistic and visual direction, highlighting its graphics, visual style, animations, and overall aesthetic quality. This also considers the usage of new and unconventional methods of artistic presentation.
Best Experimental Game Award - Non-Virtual Reality Games
The Best Experimental Game Award goes to the game that pushes the boundaries of what a game could be. It recognizes the game that utilizes the most daring and non-traditional method of developing and playing games.
Best Game Design Award- Word Game
With great emphasis on presenting a new and compelling experience to gamers, the Best Game Design Award is given to the game that executes its core mechanics and systems to perfection. This game focuses on implementing unique rules that foster unexpected, emergent gameplay.
Best Presentation Award - And Roger
The Best Presentation Award honors the developer whose stage delivery was the most effective and engaging, allowing the Sense of Wonder Night audience to fully grasp the game's concept and purpose.
Everything We Know About Sense of Wonder Night 2025
Sense of Wonder Night Aired September 26, 2025
Sense of Wonder Night (SOWN) 2025 was held on September 26, 2025. This annual showcase is part of the Tokyo Game Show and shines a spotlight on innovative indie titles from around the world. People who want to watch the broadcast can view it on Tokyo Game Show’s official YouTube channel, or tune in above!
Sense of Wonder Night Broadcast Starts at 6:00 A.M. PT / 9:00 A.M. ET
Sense of Wonder will start their broadcast at 6:00 A.M. PT / 9:00 A.M. ET. To know when it will air in your local time zone, use our timetable below:
| Region | Local Release Time |
|---|---|
| United States (ET) | Friday, September 26, 2025, 9:00 a.m. |
| United States (PT) | Friday, September 26, 2025, 6:00 a.m. |
| United Kingdom | Friday, September 26, 2025, 2:00 p.m. |
| Central Europe | Friday, September 26, 2025, 3:00 p.m. |
| New Zealand | Saturday, September 27, 2025, 2:00 a.m. |
| Australian East Coast | Friday, September 26, 2025, 11:00 p.m. |
| Australian West Coast | Friday, September 26, 2025, 9:00 p.m. |
| Japan | Friday, September 26, 2025, 10:00 p.m. |
| Philippines | Friday, September 26, 2025, 9:00 p.m. |
| South Africa | Friday, September 26, 2025, 3:00 p.m. |
| Brazil | Friday, September 26, 2025, 10:00 a.m. |
| Universal Time (UTC) | Friday, September 26, 2025, 1:00 p.m. |
What is Sense of Wonder Night?
Sense of Wonder Night a.k.a SOWN, is a long-running event dedicated to discovering game ideas that spark true innovation—the kind that makes players stop and think, "I’ve never seen anything like this before." Now celebrating its 18th year, SOWN highlights experimental and creative projects that defy convention and push the industry forward.
To honor these qualities, several awards are presented each year. The Audience Award Grand Prix (USD 3,000) and Audience Award Semi-Grand Prix (USD 500) recognize crowd favorites. In addition, individual prizes of USD 500 each are given for Best Technological Game, Best Arts, Best Experimental Game, Best Game Design, and Best Presentation.
