Playing for the Planet: Games and Climate Action on the Global Stage

The games industry gathered in London yesterday for the Playing for the Planet Green Games Summit and Awards, a unique and vitally important event that celebrates eco-friendly games initiatives and the growing community of studios committed to sustainability.

The Summit brought together developers, publishers, NGOs, and industry leaders to share insights, inspire innovation, and recognise the creators using play to protect the planet.

And the timing couldn’t be more significant. In just a few days, the world’s governments and policymakers will convene at COP30 in Brazil, the UN’s landmark climate conference, to review progress on global climate goals and update national action plans.

Politics may change, but the science does not: and the (still) inconvenient truth is that the planet is heating up – and it’s up to us all to work to cool it down through collaboration.

While leaders debate the future of the planet, the games industry is already showing what action looks like in practice through events like the Green Games Summit. By harnessing creativity, collaboration, and community, studios and players worldwide are proving that change can start with a controller, a mobile phone, or a simple click to play.

2025: The Year Games Became Greener

At PlanetPlay, we’ve seen extraordinary momentum this year as the industry continues to #MakeGreenMoves. Our mission, to turn gameplay into real-world environmental impact, has brought together more studios, players, and partners than ever before. Highlights include:

The Green Games Showcase at Summer Game Fest 2025, watched by millions worldwide, which raised $150,000 for WithOneSeed, enough to plant our target of 50,000 trees in Timor‑Leste for vital habitat restoration.

The Play2Act global gamer survey with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which engaged more than 200,000 players across 189 countries, revealing that 79% of gamers exposed to green in-game content made positive real-world behavioural changes.

Ongoing Make Green Moves activations across games from the likes of SYBO, Hutch, Ten Square Games, and others, which have together raised over $2.2 million for certified sustainability projects verified by Gold Standard.

Celebrating Industry Changemakers

These achievements reflect what’s possible when the global games community unites for a cause, proving that entertainment can also be a driver for education, empathy, and action.

As such, PlanetPlay was honoured to be among the finalists in the Changemaker category at Playing for the Planet Awards which took place alongside this week’s Green Game Summit.

Just to be recognised as a finalist alongside industry leaders Riot Games, ustwo games, Greenquest Innovations and TreesPlease Games was an honour for our team, and a testament to the dedication of our studio partners, ambassadors, and global player community.

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Changemaker category winner Trees Please Games who have been rightly recognised for their leadership in environmental awareness and inspiring players to take action through awesome games like Longleaf Valley.

Congratulations also to the winners and finalists in all other categories, and also to all those who took part in the Green Game Jam Awards, which were proud to support earlier this summer.

As COP30 begins, one message is clear: real impact happens when creativity meets purpose. And in the games industry, that future is already being built one player, one project, and one planet at a time.

To learn more about PlanetPlay and to get your games listed on our marketplace, visit https://partners.planetplay.com.

See how PlanetPlay works: https://youtu.be/0v_O0Ji4PpE