Video game grants in Canada: credits up to 50%, plus CMF cash
Most "video game grant" money in Canada is actually five provincial tax credits paying 25% to 50% of your dev payroll, plus two Canada Media Fund streams that are real non-repayable grants. Pick your province and stage below and see your studio's stack, sourced from GrantCompass's verified funding catalog.
Build your studio's stack →Canada funds game studios in three layers. The floor is your provincial interactive digital media tax credit: Ontario pays 40% of eligible labour, Quebec up to 37.5%, Manitoba 35% to 40%, Nova Scotia 25% to 50%, and BC 25%, all claimed on your corporate tax return. On top sits the Canada Media Fund, the closest thing to a federal video game grant: up to $250,000 for prototypes and up to $1.5 million for innovative projects, both non-repayable. Saskatchewan studios get a dedicated Digital Game Development Grant of up to $50,000 a year instead of a credit. Every credit and CMF stream requires a corporation; Saskatchewan's grant also takes individuals.
Making interactive work as an individual artist rather than a company? Browse arts-council film & media grants instead.
Stack your studio's funding
Pick your province and where your game is at. We'll show your provincial layer, the federal project money that fits your stage, and the R&D credits on top, with each program's honest current status.
Your provinceUpdated October 21, 2026. Every amount on this page is verified against the GrantCompass catalog.
The short answer, in numbers
A Canadian game studio's dependable money is its provincial tax credit; the Canada Media Fund is the grant money on top; and almost everything requires a corporation.
Here's what you need to know about the phrase "video game grants": most of the money that fits it is not technically a grant. The provincial programs are refundable tax credits, which is better in one important way, they are entitlement-style: every eligible claim gets paid, there is no jury and no ranking. The Canada Media Fund and Creative Saskatchewan programs are true grants, non-repayable but competitive and intake-gated. This page treats both honestly and labels which is which.
How game funding fits together
Three layers: a provincial credit as the floor, CMF project money on top, and R&D or export programs as the multiplier.
The three layers do different jobs and arrive at different times. Your provincial credit pays out after your fiscal year-end, on payroll you already spent. CMF money arrives during the project, but only if you win an intake. SR&ED and export funding reward specific kinds of work, technological uncertainty and international sales respectively, and only some studios have either.
- If you're pre-prototype with a concept and a small team: the CMF IDM Prototyping Program (up to $250,000) is built for you, next intake October 27 to November 10, 2026. Your provincial credit starts accruing from your first eligible payroll dollar either way.
- If your prototype is done and you're heading into production: the CMF Innovation & Experimentation Program (up to $1.5 million, between intakes as of October 16, 2026) is the federal target, and it wants a publisher or distributor letter of intent.
- If your game has shipped: Creative Export Canada is the growth lever, and your credit keeps paying on eligible labour for what you build next.
- If you're not incorporated yet: stop and incorporate. Every credit and every CMF IDM stream on this page requires a corporation.
A qualified studio's Stack Floor, the funding a qualified applicant can count on before any competitive program (entitlement-style tax credits and guaranteed-access financing that pay every eligible claim), is its provincial interactive digital media credit: 40% of eligible labour in Ontario, up to 37.5% in Quebec, 35% to 40% in Manitoba, 25% to 50% in Nova Scotia, 25% in BC. CMF, Creative Export Canada, and Creative Saskatchewan sit above that floor, all juried and intake-gated, never guaranteed.
Which game money is open to your studio?
Never incorporated? Read this first
- CMF IDM Prototyping ProgramCash · federal · to $250,000 · opens Oct 27Canadian-controlled corporation that owns the game.
- CMF Innovation & ExperimentationCash · federal · to $1.5M · between intakesPrototype done; publisher or distributor letter of intent.
- Ontario Interactive Digital Media Tax CreditTax credit · Ontario · 40%35% on fee-for-service. Ontario Creates certification.
- Creative Saskatchewan Digital Game Development GrantCash · Saskatchewan · to $50,000 · to Nov 18Individuals can apply. No commission work.
- Ontario Creates Futures ForwardCash · Ontario · to $20,000 · to Nov 30Owner finished an approved workshop or course.
- Quebec multimedia titles credit (CDTIM)Tax credit · Quebec · up to 37.5%Work-for-hire included. Certificate first.
- Manitoba Interactive Digital Media Tax CreditTax credit · Manitoba · 35% to 40%Top tier depends on Manitoba-resident labour.
- Nova Scotia Digital Media Tax CreditTax credit · Nova ScotiaLesser of 50% of qualifying labour or 25% of total spending.
- BC Interactive Digital Media Tax CreditTax credit · BC · 25%Register on eTaxBC before the wages.
- SR&EDTax credit · federal · 35%Canadian-controlled private corporations; engine or tools R&D.
- Ontario Creates IP Fund: InteractiveCash · Ontario · to $500,000 · between intakesCanadian-owned; incorporate once funded.
- Ontario Creates Global Market DevelopmentCash · Ontario · to $15,000 · between intakesSales trips and market events.
- Ontario Creates Screen Marketing and DiscoverabilityCash · Ontario · to $50,000 · to Dec 16Games with Ontario Creates Production money.
- Creative Saskatchewan Marketing Grant, Micro StreamCash · Saskatchewan · to $5,000 · to Jan 6Marketing. Individuals can apply.
- Creative Export Canada, Export DevelopmentCash · federal · to $90,000 · between intakesGame ready to sell; revenue under $10 million.
- CMF Indigenous Program (Indigenous Screen Office)Cash · federal · between intakesFirst Nations, Inuit and Métis creators; individuals can apply.
That is the games-only list. Hiring, export and digital-adoption programs fund studios too. See every program your studio matches →
The provincial credits and the Saskatchewan grant
Five provinces pay a games-specific tax credit on development labour; Saskatchewan pays a competitive grant instead; the other seven have no games-specific program in our verified catalog.
| Province | Program | Rate / amount | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario | OIDMTC | 40% of eligible Ontario labour (35% fee-for-service); no overall cap; marketing/distribution capped $100K/product | Open, claim via tax return |
| Quebec | CDTIM | Up to 37.5% of eligible labour expenditures | Open, Investissement Québec certificate required |
| Manitoba | MIDMTC | 35–40% refundable on eligible labour expenditures | Open, extended to Dec 31, 2030 |
| Nova Scotia | NSDMTC | 25–50% of qualifying expenditures; +10% geographic bonus outside Halifax; +$100K marketing/distribution per product | Open, certificate required |
| British Columbia | BC IDMTC | 25% of eligible BC salaries and wages (permanent since Sept 1, 2025) | Open, register via eTaxBC before incurring wages |
| Saskatchewan | Digital Game Development Grant | Up to $50,000/year or 50% of budget (lifetime max $100,000) | Open, deadline Nov 18, 2026 |
Ontario: the strongest single rate
The Ontario Interactive Digital Media Tax Credit pays 40% of eligible Ontario labour when you own the product and 35% for fee-for-service work, with no overall cap on the credit itself. Studios routinely claim millions a year. Marketing and distribution costs are eligible only up to $100,000 per product. The one discipline it demands is timing: apply for Ontario Creates certification early in development, not after launch. The full mechanics, the 80/25 rule, the administration fee, and the own-IP versus fee-for-service math live in our dedicated OIDMTC guide.
The best single rate in Canada for a game studio that owns its IP is Ontario's OIDMTC at 40% of eligible Ontario labour, because it has no overall cap: on identical payroll, the own-product track is worth $25,000 more per $500,000 of labour than the 35% fee-for-service track.
Quebec: deep rate, changing refundability
Quebec's Tax Credit for Production of Multimedia Titles (CDTIM) pays up to 37.5% of eligible labour and underpins an industry of roughly 13,500 jobs. Two cautions: you need an eligibility certificate from Investissement Québec before the credit exists at all, and the credit's composition is shifting, a portion is becoming non-refundable on a schedule phasing in through 2028. A pre-revenue studio that counts on the full amount as a cash refund should model the refundable portion for its specific tax year before budgeting.
Nova Scotia and Manitoba: the underrated pair
Nova Scotia's Digital Media Tax Credit pays 25% to 50% of qualifying expenditures with a 10% geographic bonus for development outside Halifax, which puts a Dartmouth or Truro studio at up to a 60% effective rate on qualifying spend, per our catalog's analysis. Manitoba's MIDMTC runs a two-tier 35% and 40% structure tied to the share of eligible labour paid to Manitoba residents, and the program has been extended to December 31, 2030, unusual certainty in this space.
British Columbia: lower rate, strict registration
BC's Interactive Digital Media Tax Credit pays 25% of eligible BC salaries and wages, permanently, after the September 1, 2025 increase from 17.5%. It has two gates the others don't: at least $100,000 in eligible BC-resident wages in the tax year, and annual registration through eTaxBC that must be in place before the eligible wages are incurred. Retroactive registration is not permitted, which makes this the easiest credit in Canada to accidentally forfeit.
Saskatchewan: a grant, not a credit
Saskatchewan has no IDM tax credit. Instead, Creative Saskatchewan's Digital Game Development Grant pays up to $50,000 per fiscal year or 50% of your annual budget, whichever is less, with a lifetime maximum of $100,000, across Pre-Production and Production streams. The 2026 deadline is November 18 at 4:00 PM Saskatchewan time. It is competitive, roughly a 15% approval rate per our catalog, and two 2026 rules matter: commission projects are ineligible, and so are projects already funded by SK Arts or SaskCulture.
What if my province isn't on this list?
Alberta, New Brunswick, PEI, Newfoundland and Labrador, and the territories don't have a games-specific credit or grant in our verified catalog. That is a statement about what we could verify, not proof nothing will ever exist, but it does mean a studio there builds its stack from the federal layer: CMF's two IDM streams, SR&ED on genuine engine or tools R&D, and Creative Export Canada once a title ships. General small-business, hiring, and digital-adoption programs in your province often still apply to a game studio even when nothing is games-specific; the full funding map below checks your business against every program in the catalog, not just the 16 on this page.
CMF: the federal project money
There is no federal tax credit for interactive digital media; the Canada Media Fund's two IDM streams are the federal layer, and both are true non-repayable grants.
The Canada Media Fund is where the word "grant" becomes accurate. Two streams matter for game studios, and they are stage-gated rather than competitive with each other.
| Stream | Amount | Built for | Status (July 17, 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| IDM Prototyping | Up to $250,000 (75% of eligible costs) | First functional prototypes: experimenting, testing, validating before production | Between intakes; next intake Oct 27 to Nov 10, 2026 |
| Innovation & Experimentation | Up to $1.5M (75% of eligible costs) | Innovative projects past the prototype stage; lower-budget stream for projects under $750K | Between intakes as of Oct 16, 2026 |
Both streams share three rules that trip up first-timers. You must be a for-profit Canadian corporation meeting CMF's Canadian-control criteria. You must own and control the rights needed to produce and exploit the project. And if you're new to CMF's IDM programs, a pre-application consultation with CMF staff is mandatory before you're even eligible to apply, and slots fill ahead of each deadline. Innovation & Experimentation additionally wants a publisher or distributor letter of intent and proof you've finished concept and prototype stages.
The best non-repayable cash for a pre-revenue Canadian studio is the CMF IDM Prototyping Program, up to $250,000 covering 75% of eligible costs, because no provincial program matches that amount at prototype stage. It is between intakes until October 27, 2026, so the move right now is booking the mandatory pre-application consultation, not applying.
Is there a federal video game tax credit in Canada?
No. There is no federal tax credit for interactive digital media, and no federal equivalent of Ontario's OIDMTC or Quebec's CDTIM. The federal layer for game studios is the Canada Media Fund's two interactive digital media streams: Prototyping at up to $250,000 and Innovation & Experimentation at up to $1.5 million, both covering up to 75% of eligible costs. The federal film and television credits (CPTC and PSTC) do not apply to interactive products. The one federal tax program a game studio can use is SR&ED, and only for work with genuine technological uncertainty, engine and tools R&D rather than content production. This split, provincial credits plus federal project grants, is the structural fact that shapes every Canadian studio's funding plan.
Actual grants for game development: cash, not credits
Grants for video game development in Canada, meaning cash paid during the project rather than a credit on your tax return, come from 10 programs on this page. As of October 16, 2026, four take applications, the CMF Prototyping Program opens October 27, and five are between intakes. How the two CMF streams work: CMF: the federal project money.
| Program | Pays up to | Status, Oct 16, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| CMF IDM Prototyping | $250,000 (75% of costs) | Opens Oct 27 to Nov 10 |
| CMF Innovation & Experimentation | $1.5 million (75% of costs) | Between intakes |
| Creative Saskatchewan Digital Game Development | $50,000 a year | Open, deadline Nov 18 |
| Ontario Creates IP Fund: Interactive | $50,000 pre-production; $250,000 to $500,000 production | Between intakes |
| Ontario Creates Futures Forward | $20,000 (75% of costs) | Open, deadline Nov 30 |
| Ontario Creates Global Market Development | $15,000 (50% of costs) | Between intakes |
| Ontario Creates Screen Marketing and Discoverability | $50,000 (50% of costs) | Open, deadline Dec 16 |
| Creative Saskatchewan Marketing, Micro Stream | $5,000 (50% of budget) | Open, deadline Jan 6, 2027 |
| Creative Export Canada, Export Development | $90,000 | Between intakes |
| CMF Indigenous Program (ISO) | Varies by stream | Between intakes |
Funding for indie and solo game developers
You work alone, with no companyThree programs take you as you are
Saskatchewan developers can apply as individuals to the Digital Game Development Grant and the Marketing Micro Stream; the grant asks an individual for a Saskatchewan tax return for the year before. First Nations, Inuit and Métis creators can apply to Indigenous Screen Office programs as individuals or sole proprietors.
You are in Ontario, not incorporated yetApply first, incorporate if selected
Three Ontario Creates programs accept an unincorporated applicant that incorporates once selected: the IP Fund Interactive stream, Global Market Development and Futures Forward. All three want a Canadian-owned company based in Ontario. Futures Forward is open to November 30, 2026, for owners who finished an approved workshop or course between January 1, 2025 and October 31, 2026.
You have a company, but a publisher owns the gameCredits yes, most grants no
Work-for-hire still earns a credit: Ontario pays 35% on fee-for-service labour and Quebec's CDTIM covers work-for-hire. Both CMF streams require you to own and control the rights, and Creative Saskatchewan excludes commission projects.
Stacking credits, CMF, and SR&ED
The layers are designed to combine; the one hard rule is that the same dollar of labour can never be claimed twice.
A studio in a credit province can hold its provincial credit, a CMF contribution, and an SR&ED claim in the same year. The mechanics are about labour-pool separation. Government assistance received on a cost, including CMF contributions, reduces the expenditure base you can claim elsewhere on that same cost, and a payroll dollar claimed under your provincial IDM credit is not also claimable under SR&ED. The working pattern: route work with genuine technological uncertainty, novel engine systems, procedural tech, netcode research, toward SR&ED (35% refundable for Canadian-controlled private corporations on the first $6 million of eligible spend under Budget 2025's raised limit), and route production labour, design, art, level building, toward the provincial credit. NRC IRAP can layer onto the R&D side for commercializable technology projects: up to $1 million typical, with a median actual award of $75,000.
| R&D program | Pays | Fits when |
|---|---|---|
| SR&ED | 35% refundable for CCPCs on the first $6M of eligible spend | Your engine/tools work has genuine technological uncertainty |
| IRAP | Up to $1M typical; median actual award $75K | You're building commercializable tech with a clear plan, not just game content |
Can a game studio claim both OIDMTC and SR&ED?
Yes, in the same tax year, but never on the same labour. The two programs cover different kinds of work by design: OIDMTC pays on eligible interactive-product labour broadly, while SR&ED only recognizes work resolving genuine technological uncertainty. A studio claims both by keeping separate, contemporaneous records of which people spent which hours on which workstream, time tracking created as the work happens, not reconstructed at year-end. Studios that skip the tracking usually end up conceding the SR&ED claim, because CRA reviewers ask for exactly those records. If your only "R&D" is building game content on an existing engine, be honest with yourself: that labour belongs in the provincial credit claim, and forcing it into SR&ED is the fastest way to draw a review.
Which province's video game tax credit pays most on $500,000 of labour?
On $500,000 of eligible labour, a provincial video game tax credit returns $125,000 to $200,000, depending on the province, at the rates in force on October 16, 2026. Ontario's own-game rate and Manitoba's top tier pay most, $200,000 each. Saskatchewan pays a capped grant instead of a video game tax credit.
| Province and rate | Back on $500,000 | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario, own game (40%) | $200,000 | Ontario Creates certification; no overall cap |
| Ontario, fee-for-service (35%) | $175,000 | Same credit, lower rate on client work |
| Quebec (up to 37.5%) | Up to $187,500 | Certificate first; part becomes non-refundable through 2028 |
| Manitoba (35% to 40%) | $175,000 to $200,000 | Top tier depends on Manitoba-resident labour |
| Nova Scotia (lesser of two) | $125,000 ($150,000 outside Halifax) | Lesser of 50% of labour or 25% of all spending |
| British Columbia (25%) | $125,000 | Register on eTaxBC before the wages; $100,000 BC wage minimum |
| Saskatchewan (grant) | $50,000 at most | Competitive; $50,000 a year, $100,000 lifetime |
A grant on the same costsShrinks the base first
Nova ScotiaPays the lesser of two amounts
Where the team worksDecides the province
No game tax credit in your province? Alberta and the rest
Alberta's Budget 2019 moved to eliminate the province's Interactive Digital Media Tax Credit, and our catalogue lists no games-specific credit or grant for Alberta as of October 16, 2026. New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador and the territories are the same. An Edmonton or Calgary studio builds from federal money: the two CMF IDM streams, SR&ED and Creative Export Canada.
Sources: GrantCompass catalogue records (all four between intakes or not yet open on October 16, 2026); Alberta Tax and Revenue Administration, special notice Vol. 5 No. 54, "Budget 2019 elimination of corporate tax credits". Read October 16, 2026.Staying in Alberta
General small-business programs still fund a game studio: Alberta business grants and Alberta digital grants list them. For engine R&D, run your numbers in the SR&ED calculator.
Moving for a credit
Moving for a credit means moving payroll. Ontario Creates asks for a principal place of business in Ontario for the whole funding period. Creative Saskatchewan asks a company for a permanent establishment there and a majority of voting shares held by Saskatchewan residents.
Who's who: four realistic studios
The right first move differs by province and stage; these four cover most Canadian studios.
Creative Saskatchewan first, CMF second
You're in a good position because you sit in the one province with a dedicated game-dev grant: Creative Saskatchewan's Pre-Production stream funds prototypes, demos, and vertical slices at up to $50,000 or 50% of budget, deadline November 18, 2026. Treat the application like a business pitch, it wants commercial evidence (pre-sales, publisher interest, platform commitments), and note commission work is ineligible. Book a CMF pre-application consultation in parallel so the October 27 Prototyping intake is a live option, not a missed one. There's no Saskatchewan IDM tax credit, so these two grants are your stack.
OIDMTC is your floor; CMF is your next layer
Your Stack Floor is OIDMTC at 40% of eligible Ontario labour with no overall cap, so get Ontario Creates certification moving now if you haven't. CMF Innovation & Experimentation is between intakes as of October 16, 2026, so build the application before its next round. If you have a real engine or tools workstream, split that labour pool out for SR&ED from day one.
CDTIM pays on work-for-hire too, but watch the phase-in
Quebec's CDTIM covers eligible multimedia-title labour including work-for-hire, up to 37.5%, once Investissement Québec certifies the title. The thing to model carefully: part of the credit is becoming non-refundable on a schedule phasing in through 2028, and a services studio with thin margins feels that as a cash-flow change, not an accounting detail. When you start building your own IP alongside client work, Creative Export Canada's Export Development Stream (up to $90,000; annual intake, the 2026 round closed July 8) is the natural next layer for reaching international markets.
Run the payroll math, not the headline rate
Ontario's 40% headline beats Nova Scotia's 25% base, but NSDMTC ranges to 50% of qualifying expenditures and adds a 10% bonus outside Halifax, and Nova Scotia's costs are lower. Manitoba pays 35% to 40% with the higher tier rewarding local hiring, and is locked in to the end of 2030. BC's 25% comes with a $100,000 BC-wage minimum and a register-before-you-spend rule. The honest answer is that the best jurisdiction depends on where your people are, since every one of these credits pays on labour in that province, not on where your customers or servers are.
What changed for 2026
Rates moved in BC, Quebec's refundability is phasing, Manitoba locked in its credit, and the CMF calendar is set through the fall.
- BC's rate went up and became permanent. The Interactive Digital Media Tax Credit rose from 17.5% to 25% of eligible BC salaries and wages effective September 1, 2025, and is now a permanent credit. If you modelled BC at the old rate, redo the math.
- Quebec's CDTIM is shifting toward non-refundable. A portion of the up-to-37.5% credit is becoming non-refundable on a schedule phasing in through 2028, which changes the cash value for pre-revenue studios even though the headline rate holds.
- Manitoba extended MIDMTC to December 31, 2030. Five-plus years of program certainty is rare; studios can plan multi-title pipelines against it.
- The 2026 CMF calendar is set. Innovation & Experimentation Round 2 was set for August 25, 2026; IDM Prototyping's fall intake runs October 27 to November 10, 2026.
- Creative Saskatchewan tightened eligibility. Commission projects became ineligible for the Digital Game Development Grant in 2026, and the November 18 deadline is firm.
- SR&ED's enhanced limit doubled. Budget 2025 raised the expenditure limit for the 35% enhanced rate directly from $3 million to $6 million, a maximum enhanced credit of $2.1 million per year for Canadian-controlled private corporations, which raises the ceiling on the engine-R&D side of a studio's stack.
Common mistakes that cost studios real money
Most losses here are sequencing errors: spending before registering, applying after launching, or claiming the same dollar twice.
- Incurring BC wages before registering. BC's credit requires eTaxBC registration before eligible wages are incurred, and retroactive registration is not permitted. Wages paid before registration are simply gone from the claim.
- Applying for Ontario certification after launch. OIDMTC certification should start early in development. Late applications add an Ontario Creates late-filing fee and push your refund out; the credit is claimed against tax years, not launch dates.
- Skipping the CMF pre-application consultation. For new IDM applicants it's mandatory, and consultation slots fill before deadlines. No consultation, no eligible application, regardless of how strong the project is.
- Submitting commission work to Creative Saskatchewan. Commission projects became ineligible in 2026. The grant funds original games intended for commercial sale.
- Claiming content production as SR&ED. Building levels on an existing engine has no technological uncertainty. Forcing it into a claim is the most reliable way to trigger a CRA review that then drags down the legitimate part.
- Forgetting the assistance netting. A CMF contribution reduces the expenditure base for credits claimed on the same costs. Budgets that stack headline rates without netting overstate the total, sometimes badly.
- Operating as a sole proprietor. Every credit and every CMF IDM stream on this page requires a corporation. Incorporation costs little compared to a single year of forgone credit.
How to get funding for a video game, in order
- Milestone 0: the companyIncorporate, unless you are applying as an individual in Saskatchewan or to the Indigenous Screen Office. In BC, register on eTaxBC before the first eligible wages.
- Milestone 1: first payrollYour provincial credit starts on eligible labour. Start Ontario Creates certification or the Investissement Québec certificate early. Track engine or tools R&D hours separately for SR&ED.
- Milestone 2: first playablePrototype cash: CMF IDM Prototyping, up to $250,000, intake October 27 to November 10, 2026, with a consultation first if you are new to CMF. Saskatchewan's grant closes November 18, 2026.
Get up to $250,000 for your prototype: CMF Prototyping dates and rules → - Milestone 3: productionCMF Innovation & Experimentation, up to $1.5 million, wants a publisher or distributor letter of intent. Ontario's IP Fund production requests reach $250,000 to $500,000.
- Milestone 4: launch and afterOntario Creates Screen Marketing and Discoverability to December 16, 2026, Creative Saskatchewan's Micro Stream to January 6, 2027, and Creative Export Canada at its next intake.
How to apply
The sequence is the strategy: incorporate, register, consult, split your labour pools, then hit the fall intakes.
- Incorporate first. Every credit and every CMF stream requires a corporation. This is the gate to the entire stack.
- Register or certify before you spend. BC studios: eTaxBC registration before any eligible wages. Ontario studios: start Ontario Creates certification early in development. Quebec studios: the Investissement Québec eligibility certificate comes before the credit exists.
- Book the CMF pre-application consultation. Mandatory for first-time IDM applicants and slots fill early; do it now so the next windows are live options.
- Split your labour pools. With your accountant, separate genuine technological-uncertainty work (SR&ED) from production labour (provincial credit) and set up contemporaneous time tracking from day one.
- Calendar the 2026 intakes. October 27 to November 10: CMF Prototyping intake. November 18: Creative Saskatchewan deadline. November 30: Ontario Creates Futures Forward.
- Check the full catalog. This page covers 16 programs; the catalog holds many more. Hiring subsidies, digital-adoption money, and provincial small-business programs often apply to studios too; the map below checks all of them against your answers in about two minutes.
FAQ
Are there actual grants for video game development in Canada?
Which province has the best video game tax credit?
Is there a federal video game tax credit in Canada?
How much can a game studio get from the Canada Media Fund?
Do I need to be incorporated to claim these programs?
Can a game studio stack a provincial IDM credit with SR&ED?
What funding exists for a game that has already shipped?
When are the 2026 deadlines for Canadian game funding?
Are there grants for indie or solo game developers in Canada?
How do you get funding for a video game in Canada?
How much does a video game tax credit pay on $500,000 of labour?
Is there a video game tax credit in Alberta?
Sources and official references
- Ontario Interactive Digital Media Tax Credit (OIDMTC), Ontario Creates
- Interactive Digital Media Tax Credit, Government of British Columbia
- Manitoba Interactive Digital Media Tax Credit (MIDMTC), Province of Manitoba
- Tax Credit for the Production of Multimedia Titles (CDTIM), Revenu Québec / Investissement Québec
- Nova Scotia Digital Media Tax Credit (NSDMTC), Province of Nova Scotia
- IDM Prototyping Program and Innovation & Experimentation Program, Canada Media Fund
- Digital Game Development Grant, Creative Saskatchewan
- Creative Export Canada, Canadian Heritage
- SR&ED Tax Incentive Program, Canada Revenue Agency
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