05/28/26
Games will once again help protect the oceans. World Ocean Day Festival returns to Steam
Dive into a week-long sale, creator streams, and an event designed to make a real difference for whales and dolphins around the world.
Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC), together with WDC’sGames for Waves community, invites gamers and developers to take part in the next edition of the World Ocean Day Festival. The event will take place on Steam on June 4th-11th 2026 to celebrate World Ocean Day, combining a large-scale game sale with a charity initiative supporting the protection of whales,dolphins and the ocean.
Since 2022, the World Ocean Day Festival has brought together developers, streamers, content creators, and gaming communities around a shared mission. Previous editions of the event have already raised more than £1 million to support marine conservation efforts, while the broader Games for Waves community has generated over £6 million for WDC initiatives since 2014.
However, World Ocean Day Festival is not limited to ocean-themed games. The organizers emphasize that developers from all genres are welcome to participate. This year’s sale will include games such as Another Crab’s Treasure, Forever Skies, Spilled!, Flooded, Still Wakes The Deep and No Man’s Sky.
The goal of the festival is to unite the gaming community around ocean conservation through both entertainment and awareness. In addition to discounts on games, the event will feature streams hosted by creators and influencers showcasing participating titles. According to WDC, last year’s edition generated more than 300 hours of streamed content and reached approximately 8.6 million people worldwide.
The funds raised during the event will help WDC’s global conservation projects including their Norway For Whales campaign, aimed at ending commercial whale hunting in Norway, which is the deadliest whale hunt in the world.
The organizers are also encouraging developers to join the initiative. Participating studios pledge a portion of their game revenue to WDC, with a minimum donation threshold of 10% of net revenue earned throughout the duration of the event.
According to WDC, participation in the World Ocean Day Festival can also provide significant visibility for developers. Data shared by the organizers suggests that some participating studios experienced major increases in sales performance and player interest during previous editions of the event. Earlier participants included studios such as Skybound Games, Starbreeze, and Akupara Games.
The World Ocean Day Festival will begin on June 4th at 10 AM PDT and run until June 11th.
World Ocean Day Festival Stream Schedule
As part of the World Ocean Day Festival, live broadcasts will take place on the official GamesForWaves Twitch channel on the following dates:
• June 4th from 5 PM BST
• June 8th from 7 PM BST
Additionally, the team will make a guest appearance on MCroft07’s stream:
• June 10th from 6 PM BST
