Green Game Jam reached 108m daily active players to spur real-world climate action in 2024

The Green Game Jam 2024 engaged over 108 million daily active users globally and featured 45 in-game green activations. 

That's according to Playing for the Planet’s Annual Impact report, which showed that last year’s event was a record-breaking one with a 73% year-over-year rise in participating games.

Activations encouraged players to take real-world action related to food, waste reduction and environmental restoration. Games involved included Pokémon Go and PUBG Mobile.

Among its sustainability goals from 2024, Playing for the Planet commissioned a new Scope-3 carbon calculator aligned with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. It was beta tested by 22 alliance members and made public in 2025.

Continued push

Playing for the Planet commissioned a study in 2024 on the effectiveness of green activations, with findings - based on data from over 58,000 players - published in April 2025.

In 2024, the alliance fell short of its goal to grow membership by 25%, but did achieve an increase of more than 14%, up from 45 to 52 members. This was amid a challenging year marked by industry-wide layoffs and studio closures.

Despite the difficulties, new members like Razer, Wooga and Games for Change joined, with no departures recorded. Moreover, progress is underway in exploring how games IP, storytelling and AI can drive climate action. 

New innovations also came from alliance members like Ubisoft, with a cardboard box edition of Skull & Bones.

Playing for the Planet also launched a Storytelling Working Group and a ‘Nature Squad’ to integrate environmental themes into games and foster collaboration. However, exploration into the environmental impact of generative AI remains limited, with further action planned for 2025.

Award winners

The report highlighted the first-ever Playing for the Planet Awards, which took place in Helsinki in November 2024 to celebrate the games driving social and environmental impact. 

Longleaf Valley by TreesPlease won Best Purpose-Driven Game, while Urban Miner by Mojang Studios took home Best Activation. Ubisoft’s For Honor earned the Best Green Tech award. 

“The achievements of the alliance over this period should not be underestimated,” said UN Environment director of ecosystems Susan Gardner.

“Members and partners within the industry have shared knowledge to inspire effective climate action, introduced production innovations which have substantially reduced the industry’s carbon footprint, and empowered over a billion players around the world to take positive action to support the climate.”

The full report contains insights into initiatives to save energy without compromising graphics and more.