gamescom 2026 ran August 26 to 30 in Cologne with nearly 370,000 visitors from 131 countries and about 1,600 exhibiting companies. Organizers say the exhibition area sold out entirely and are planning venue expansions for 2027 and beyond.
gamescom 2026 closed with nearly 370,000 visitors from 131 countries across its five days, August 26 to 30 in Cologne, and about 1,600 exhibiting companies. The exhibition area had already sold out entirely through reservations, a first for the event, and exhibitor registrations at the end of the early-bird period were up 15 percent year on year, a record for the third consecutive year. Organizers are planning venue expansions for 2027 and beyond.
This edition also folded the B2B side into the main brand. The former devcom Developer Conference, held since 2017, was renamed gamescom dev and absorbed as the event's official developer conference, opening at Koelnmesse with more than 220 sessions, an expected 2,500 participating companies and around 5,400 attendees. Its opening session argued that Europe's large-scale in-house AAA model has plateaued, with no AAA-level projects announced from Europe this year and smaller studios and freelance senior talent forming a decentralized ecosystem.
The hybrid push continued: organizers Tim Endres and Stefan Heikhaus pointed to digital views growing from over 200,000 in 2022 to over 1.1 billion by 2025, alongside a first European Games Done Quick speedrun event and an IGN-produced indies program. Publisher lineups included KRAFTON's five titles, among them an unannounced PUBG STUDIOS action FPS, and 2P Games exhibiting for the first time with playable versions of Sultan's Game and Girls and Academy Castle. Opening Night Live, hosted by Geoff Keighley and Eefje "sjokz" Depoortere, carried new trailers and gameplay reveals.
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gamescom 2026 ran for five days from August 26 to 30 in Cologne, drawing nearly 370,000 visitors from 131 countries. Some 1,600 companies exhibited, including many Japanese game firms. Automaton staff on the ground reported long lines for playable demos, merchandise, widespread cosplay, a streamed cosplay contest, and a calmer business area, while noting the venue's vast scale made scheduling difficult.
gamescom 2026 exhibitor registrations rose 15% year-on-year at the end of the early-bird period, setting a record for the third consecutive year. Organizers say the exhibition area will be completely full for the first time in 2026, and they are already planning venue expansions for 2027 and beyond.
Europe's largest developer conference, gamescom dev, opened at Koelnmesse in Cologne ahead of gamescom 2026. Formerly the devcom Developer Conference since 2017, it was renamed and absorbed into the gamescom brand as the event's official B2B conference. The two-day event features over 220 sessions, with an expected 2,500 participating companies and around 5,400 attendees.
Publisher 2P Games announced it will exhibit for the first time at gamescom 2026, running August 26 to 30 in Cologne, Germany. The booth, Hall 10.1 | B078 C079, will feature playable versions of released hits including Sultan's Game and Girls and Academy Castle, plus a lineup of upcoming titles like the daughter-raising sim How to Raise a Beloved Daughter in Immortal Village.
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.