Gamescom 2026 runs August 26-30 in Cologne, Germany. Organizers Tim Endres and Stefan Heikhaus told Denfaminicogamer the event is pursuing a hybrid model, citing growth in digital views from over 200,000 in 2022 to over 1.1 billion by 2025. New programs include the first gamescom GDQ speedrun event and an IGN-produced indie showcase.
Gamescom 2026 will run from August 26 to 30 in Cologne, Germany, with the opening night event scheduled for August 25 at 3:00 AM Japan time (August 26 local). The German Games Industry Association (game) and Koelnmesse report that this year's exhibition space sold out entirely through reservations for the first time, despite last year's expansion, making it the largest gamescom to date. Exhibitors include Japanese companies Nintendo, Bandai Namco, Capcom, Sega, and Konami, alongside EA, Ubisoft, Xbox, CD PROJEKT RED, Deep Silver, Focus Entertainment, KRAFTON, NC, HoYoverse, NetEase, and Tencent Games. Several titles will offer their first public playable demos, including Capcom's Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen, Konami's Castlevania: Belmont's Curse, and Sega's Stranger Than Heaven. The event will also feature a dedicated Games Done Quick speedrun stage, with live programs running about ten hours daily from Friday to Sunday. Opening Night Live, hosted by Geoff Keighley and Eefje "sjokz" Depoortere, will include new trailers, gameplay reveals, and information on Metro 2039 and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt expansion "Melody of Memories."
KRAFTON announced on August 5, 2026 that it will exhibit five titles at gamescom 2026, including an unannounced new project from PUBG STUDIOS based on the PUBG IP. The new title is an action FPS set in the deep forests and small towns of the American Pacific Northwest, against what the company calls an important era in American cultural history. KRAFTON positions the game as inheriting the DNA of the PUBG series and aims to provide a game experience where new stories are born each time the player plays. The company's special page for gamescom 2026 states that a world premiere will take place at the event. The other four titles in the lineup are NO LAW, an immersive open-world FPS RPG set in the cyber-noir port city Port Desire; Project ZETA, a multi-team tactical arena where three-person teams of four compete; Age Twisters, a two-player cooperative narrative adventure about a grandfather and granddaughter in near-future Barcelona; and TARAE: The Unbound, an original Eastern dark fantasy action RPG inspired by the worldview of the Six Paths of Reincarnation. gamescom 2026 will be held in Cologne, Germany, from August 26 to August 30 local time.