Castle Game Jam is a week-long game development event held in a castle in Jaunpils, Latvia, where participants form teams to create game prototypes. Teams can be pre-formed or assembled at the start of the event, making it easy to join whether you come alone or with others.

Held every 3 to 5 years, the event offers a rare opportunity to take part. Set in a historic castle surrounded by quiet countryside, the week combines focused development with a unique environment for collaboration, shared experiences, and time away from everyday distractions.

The castle in Jaunpils is first time mentioned in 1411. Most likely it's built in the end of the 14th century. The tower was added in the 15th century. In the first half of 16th century Jaunpils Castle was the place where many old and weak brothers of Livonian Order settled. In 1576 Jaunpils Castle became property of last komtur of Dobele Matthias von der Recke. Castle was owned by his descendants until 1920. The castle was heavily damaged in war by Swedes in 1625. Later a third floor was added and the old fortress became a manor with all conveniences in the end of the 17th century. The building was partly reconstructed in the 18th century. The castle was burned down during the Russian Revolution of 1905. A year later it was rebuilt by architect Wilhelm Bockslaff.

From the 16th century until 1920 the castle belonged to the family of the Baltic German baron von der Recke. One of the family members who lived there in the 18th century was the poet Elisa von der Recke. After the Latvian agrarian reforms of the 1920s, the castle complex housed a cattle-breeding experimental station. During the Soviet occupation of Latvia, the interior of the castle was heavily reconstructed and for many years had typical Soviet interiors from the 1960s. In the 2000s, a team of Latvian designers refitted the interior of the castle. Today it features luxurious medieval style apartments which blend luxuries with glimpses of the castle's history.

We will be organizing buses from/to Riga International Airport (RIX), the time for these buses will be announced in March, 2026.

To travel to the castle, we recommend you fly to Riga International Airport (RIX), then take bus 22 to Riga Central Station. From Riga Central Station take a train or bus to Tukums (~1.5h) then a local bus to Jaunpils (~30m).

Ferries to Latvia operate from Sweden, Germany, and Finland to Riga or Ventspils, and trains connect Latvia with Lithuania and Estonia.

The castle in Jaunpils is first time mentioned in 1411. Most likely it's built in the end of the 14th century. The tower was added in the 15th century. In the first half of 16th century Jaunpils Castle was the place where many old and weak brothers of Livonian Order settled. In 1576 Jaunpils Castle became property of last komtur of Dobele Matthias von der Recke. Castle was owned by his descendants until 1920. The castle was heavily damaged in war by Swedes in 1625. Later a third floor was added and the old fortress became a manor with all conveniences in the end of the 17th century. The building was partly reconstructed in the 18th century. The castle was burned down during the Russian Revolution of 1905. A year later it was rebuilt by architect Wilhelm Bockslaff.

From the 16th century until 1920 the castle belonged to the family of the Baltic German baron von der Recke. One of the family members who lived there in the 18th century was the poet Elisa von der Recke. After the Latvian agrarian reforms of the 1920s, the castle complex housed a cattle-breeding experimental station. During the Soviet occupation of Latvia, the interior of the castle was heavily reconstructed and for many years had typical Soviet interiors from the 1960s. In the 2000s, a team of Latvian designers refitted the interior of the castle. Today it features luxurious medieval style apartments which blend luxuries with glimpses of the castle's history.

We will be organizing buses from/to Riga International Airport (RIX), the time for these buses will be announced in March, 2026.

To travel to the castle, we recommend you fly to Riga International Airport (RIX), then take bus 22 to Riga Central Station. From Riga Central Station take a train or bus to Tukums (~1.5h) then a local bus to Jaunpils (~30m).

Ferries to Latvia operate from Sweden, Germany, and Finland to Riga or Ventspils, and trains connect Latvia with Lithuania and Estonia.