Game Worlds now open at ACMI

Melbourne’s major new playable exhibition Game Worlds has been unveiled at ACMI, celebrating the evolution, creativity and cultural impact of more than 30 iconic videogames from the 1970s to today.

The exhibition features original design materials, concept art, rare objects and 44 opportunities to play games, from pioneering games of the past to competing against a world record-breaking speedrun.

“We’re thrilled that Game Worlds is now open, and I look forward to meeting so many of the gamers, fans, and their friends and families who will be visiting over the summer. Growing up with videogames, so much of my own childhood, and that of my family, is reflected in this exhibition,” said ACMI Director & CEO, Seb Chan.

“As a Victorian export, the exhibition will also tour internationally from late 2026, allowing people around the world to explore what we love about videogames: community, creativity, ingenuity – and their enormous cultural influence.”

Curated and built by ACMI, Game Worlds explores the connection between developers, players and technology - games that gave us cities to build, farms to grow, realms to explore and online communities to get lost in.

Featured titles include international hits Minecraft (Mojang Studios), Final Fantasy XIV Online (Square Enix), World of Warcraft (Blizzard Entertainment), The Sims (Electronic Arts), The EIder Scrolls Online (ZeniMax Online Studios/ Bethesda Softworks), Neopets (World of Neopia), SimCity (Electronic Arts), Stardew Valley (ConcernedApe) and brand-new Australian release Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry).

The exhibition also features global indie games Guardian Maia (Metia Interactive), Terra Nil (Free Lives/Devolver Digital), and Celeste (Maddy Makes Games). Historical highlights include early home-computer classics from the 1980s and 90s The Sentinel (Geoff Crammond/Firebird), The Hobbit (Melbourne House), DOOM (1993) (id Software/Bethesda Softworks), and Team Fortress (Valve), plus groundbreaking 1970s titles Maze War (Greg Thompson and Dave Lebling), Colossal Cave Adventure (William Crowther), and Zork (Infocom).

Home-grown creativity is on show, with displays tracking the development of Isopod by Queensland’s Sbug Games and playable prototypes by Melbourne’s 2pt Interactive. Four newly commissioned microgames from established and emerging Australian game developers are playable across the museum.

Players can care for a creature hatched at ACMI, restore colour to the world, traverse different perspectives and answer calls on a videogame hint line in ACMI EGG by Apartment 809, Salix8 Sunset by Tim Koch, What’s Your Angle by Callum Chatfield and Mally He, and Hint Line ’93 by Secret Lab and Yarn Spinner.

In an Australian exclusive, the two creative minds behind 2018 indie masterpiece Celeste, Canada’s Maddy Thorson and Noel Berry, will be in conversation at ACMI on 6 October. Beloved for its challenging gameplay and emotive narrative about a girl climbing a mountain to battle personal demons, Celeste draws on Maddy’s owned lived experiences. They’ll discuss this and share stories from the game’s development, reflecting on their 10+ years as an internationally recognised indie developers.   

Additionally, late-night access, talks, accessible exhibition visits and industry events are programmed throughout the run. Fan communities can gather at a series of themed Player Nights. Exclusive merchandise is available from ACMI Shop, including limited-edition collectibles for Neopets, The Sims and Hollow Knight: Silksong, plus a series of ACMI-produced books delving into The Sims and Hollow Knight: Silksong.   

For more than 20 years, ACMI has been the home of videogames in Australia. Game Worlds is the third in a series of major large scale videogame exhibitions after Game On (2008) and the ACMI-made Game Masters (2012), which was seen by more than 1.1 million people worldwide when it toured internationally.

“From the multiplanar worlds of Azeroth to the haunted platforms of Pharloom, journey behind-the-scenes to uncover the ground-breaking feats of engineering, design and artistry that bring videogame worlds into being. Game Worlds features rare objects, original concept art, and allows you to play games in ways you can’t at home – from joining a 90’s LAN party, to racing a record-breaking speedrunner,” said Co-Curators Bethan Johnson and Jini Maxwell.

“Videogame fans of all ages are going to love Game Worlds, which continues ACMI’s track record of showcasing digital games and supporting our homegrown games industry. Digital games are a booming sector in Victoria and the Allan Labor Government is proud to back this exhibition and support our next generation of game developers including through the microgames commissions program,” said Acting Minister for Creative Industries, Danny Pearson.