The organizers of gamescom announced that the show's entire available exhibition area has been completely booked up for the first time ever, making this year's event the most in-demand in its history. After new records were set last year, gamescom has now fully sold out its floor space, underlining its status as the world's largest event for computer and video games and the central meeting point for millions of fans both on location in Cologne and digitally.
Quote From Tim Endres, Director of gamescom That gamescom is completely booked up is a strong signal for the entire industry. We only just expanded the area last year, so are all the more pleased with the increasing demand. At the same time, we are continually developing gamescom further and investing in new formats for fans and communities. It is precisely this connection of business and community-experience that distinguishes gamescom
Who is exhibiting at gamescom 2026?
A fresh batch of well-known names has been confirmed to join the show. The newly added exhibitors are aerosoft, Embark Studios, Giants, Konami, Level Infinite, NC, and Tencent Games, and they complement an already stacked roster of previously announced exhibitors, partners, and sponsors.
Those already confirmed include, among others:
astragon, Bandai Namco, Bilibili, Capcom, CD PROJEKT RED, Daybreak Games, Deep Silver
Douyin, Electronic Arts, Fandom, Focus Entertainment, GameMeca, Google Play, heise jobs, HoYoverse
INVEN, Krafton, marqet agency, Nazara Technologies Ltd., NetEase, Nintendo, Republic of Gamers
Ruliweb, SEGA, The LEGO Group, ThisIsGame, TikTok, Ubisoft, and XBOX
According to the organizers, the growing lineup reflects the great diversity of the international games industry.
What can we expect from the shows and reveals?
The big streaming showcases are back, and gamescom is once again leaning into international show highlights with global digital reach. The event is investing in the gamescom awesome indies show, which will in future be developed further together with IGN to give independent developer studios additional international visibility.
The headline event, gamescom Opening Night Live, will once again be hosted by Geoff Keighley alongside co-host Eefje "sjokz" Depoortere, officially opening the festival on the evening of August 25, 2026. Millions of viewers worldwide can look forward to new announcements, world premieres, and updates from across the games industry.
On the reveal front, the organizers confirmed that the show will include news on METRO 2039 and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Songs of the Past, both of which are expected to release in 2027.
How is gamescom celebrating the community?
Beyond the business side, gamescom is expanding its community offerings with new and established formats built for fans, content creators, cosplayers, and international gaming communities.
The gamescom event arena becomes the social stage across four days, with program points including the gamescom cosplay contest, a DidYouKnowGaming panel quiz, and further community highlights.
With gamescom GDQ, Games Done Quick is coming to Europe for the first time and getting its own stage. From Friday to Sunday, visitors can expect a live program of nearly ten hours each day, which can also be streamed on the GDQ channels, with the community collecting donations for the "Gaming for Democracy" initiative.
The cosplay village returns as the meeting point for cosplayers and fans, with revised costume design rules and simplified accreditation guidelines drawn up together with industry and community representatives.
An improved location finder now lets attendees display their own location and exhibiting companies, plus helpful spots via extra filters, including accessible toilets and free water dispensers.
When and where is gamescom 2026?
gamescom 2026 takes place from August 26 to 30, 2026 in Cologne, with August 26 serving as the trade visitor and media day. The wider gamescom week kicks off even earlier, on August 24, with the gamescom dev developer conference.
Quote From Felix Falk It is already clear now that gamescom 2026 will be bigger than ever. Exhibitor demand is higher than it has ever been. Fans can look forward to a full program - on location in Cologne and in livestream everywhere in the world. gamescom Opening Night Live, the expanded gamescom awesome indies show, or gamescom GDQ, which is celebrating its premiere this year: those are only a few of the highlights that raise anticipation for the world's largest games event many weeks prior to the start
Are you planning to make the trip to Cologne this year, or will you be tuning in to Opening Night Live from home? Let us know in the comments which reveals you are most looking forward to.
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