The second edition of the KRAFTON India Awards will be held in Goa in January 2027. KRAFTON India announced it live on stage at the BGMI International Cup (BMIC) 2026 in Mumbai, right after the 15th match of the tournament. It moves KRAFTON India’s own gaming awards out of Mumbai, one year after the inaugural ceremony at JW Marriott, Juhu.
Here is everything confirmed so far, what we can expect based on the first edition, and what is still to be announced.
When and where are the KRAFTON India Awards 2027?
The second KRAFTON India Awards ceremony is set for January 2027 in Goa. KRAFTON India has not yet shared the exact date, venue, presenting partner or category list. The publisher only confirmed the month and the state during the on-stage reveal at BMIC 2026.
The timing matches the first edition. That ceremony took place in early January too, which suggests KRAFTON India wants the awards to work as a season-ending celebration for the previous year of BGMI esports and content.
How was the announcement made at BMIC 2026?
The reveal came on the main stage at the Dome, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (SVP) Indoor Stadium in Mumbai, after the 15th match of BMIC 2026. It went out live on the tournament broadcast.
It also follows a pattern. The inaugural awards were first revealed at BMIC 2025 in New Delhi, when KRAFTON India CEO Sean Hyunil Sohn unveiled them alongside the 2026 BGMI esports roadmap. BMIC has now become the stage where KRAFTON India talks about the year ahead.
BMIC 2026 itself runs from October 30 to November 1, 2026, with 16 teams from India, South Korea and Japan fighting for a ₹1 crore prize pool and two PMGC 2026 slots. You can follow the full field in our BMIC 2026 rosters and qualifiers list and the BMIC 2026 prize pool breakdown.
Why is KRAFTON moving the awards from Mumbai to Goa?
KRAFTON India has not given a reason for the switch. Goa is a natural fit for a destination-style event, though, and it is not new territory for the publisher’s marketing team. KRAFTON India picked up several creative honours for its BGMI campaigns at the Abby Awards, a festival that has been held in Goa.
Goa also has a direct link to the first edition’s biggest winner. Jonathan Amaral, who won three titles at the inaugural ceremony, was born in Verna, Goa.
What happened at the first KRAFTON India Awards?
The first KRAFTON India Awards were held on January 9, 2026, in Mumbai as an invite-only event. iQOO was the presenting partner and Flipkart was the co-powering partner. The show was live-streamed inside BGMI and on YouTube.
The inaugural edition had 17 categories spread across five pillars:
- Esports
- Influencers (creators and streamers)
- Media
- CSR
- KRAFTON India Gaming Incubator (KIGI)
Winners were picked through a dual model that combined jury selections with community voting. Jonathan was the standout name of the night, winning Influencer of the Year along with the fan-voted Favourite Creator of the Year (Male) and Favourite Esports Player of the Year awards. Our full KRAFTON India Awards 2025 winners list has every category, and the nominations and categories post shows who was in the running.
First edition vs second edition: what we know
We put the two editions side by side so you can see what is confirmed and what is still open.
| Detail | KRAFTON India Awards (1st edition) | KRAFTON India Awards (2nd edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Announced at | BMIC 2025, New Delhi | BMIC 2026, Mumbai (after Match 15) |
| Ceremony date | January 9, 2026 | January 2027 (exact date TBA) |
| City | Mumbai | Goa |
| Venue | JW Marriott, Juhu | TBA |
| Categories | 17 across 5 pillars | TBA |
| Voting | Jury plus community voting | TBA |
| Partners | iQOO (presenting), Flipkart (co-powered) | TBA |
| Streamed on | BGMI in-game and YouTube | TBA |
One thing worth noting from our own timeline: the first edition’s nominations and fan voting opened on November 26, 2025, roughly six weeks before the ceremony. If KRAFTON India follows the same gap, nominations for the Goa edition could arrive in late November or early December 2026. That is our estimate, not a confirmed date.
Who could be in contention this time?
The 2026 BGMI season gives the jury plenty to work with. Team SouL won BMSD 2026 and reached BMIC 2026 as India’s top seed, alongside Gladiators Esports, 8Bit, K9 Esports, Blitz and Team Outrage. Results from BMIC 2026 itself will also be fresh in voters’ minds, since the final day lands only weeks before the nominations window would likely open.
On the creator side, expect the usual big BGMI names to return, but KRAFTON India has not said whether the category list will change. We will update this post once nominations are out.
