Gamescom returns to Cologne this summer as the largest gaming event on the calendar, and the 2026 edition is already setting records before the doors open. This year’s show runs from Wednesday, August 26, to Sunday, August 30, at the Koelnmesse exhibition grounds. For the first time in the event’s history, every available exhibition space has been booked.
Here is what is confirmed, what to expect, and how to follow along from anywhere in the world.
The dates that matter
The show floor opens to trade visitors, press, and select ticket holders on August 26. Public days begin Thursday, August 27, and continue through Sunday, August 30. If you are attending in person, the weekend days are the busiest.
The event that draws the biggest global audience happens the night before the floor opens. Opening Night Live takes place on Tuesday, August 25, hosted again by Geoff Keighley. Expect world premieres, new trailers, gameplay reveals, and updates on games slated for 2027.
Who is showing up
The confirmed exhibitor list is deep. Xbox, Nintendo, Ubisoft, Electronic Arts, CD Projekt Red, Capcom, Bandai Namco, Krafton, and Team17 are all attending, alongside simulation specialists like GIANTS Software and Aerosoft.
A few reveals are already public. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is getting new content called Songs of the Past, currently expected in 2027. Krafton’s PUBG Studios has confirmed a world premiere for a new title, and Neon Giant is bringing NO LAW, an open-world first-person shooter.
Why Sony is missing again
PlayStation will not have a consumer booth on the show floor, and this is not new. Sony Interactive Entertainment has skipped its own public presence at Gamescom for the seventh year in a row, dating back to 2019. The company is represented only in the closed business area, not where the public can see it.
Sony is instead pointing its energy at Asia. It is listed as an official exhibitor for the Tokyo Game Show, which runs September 17 to 21 in Chiba. For players hoping to see the next wave of PlayStation reveals, Tokyo is the show to watch, not Cologne.
A genuinely global event
Gamescom’s scale is easy to underestimate from outside Europe. The 2025 edition drew 357,000 in-person visitors from 128 countries, a 6.5 percent jump over the previous year, with 70 percent of attendees traveling from abroad. The strongest growth in trade visitors came from China, Canada, Japan, and the United States.
The digital reach is even larger. More than 630 million people watched Gamescom content online in 2025, and 72 million tuned into Opening Night Live alone, up 80 percent year on year.
How to watch from home
You do not need a plane ticket to follow the biggest moments. Opening Night Live streams free worldwide on YouTube, Twitch, and Steam on the evening of August 25. The major publisher showcases across the following days are typically streamed as well, so most reveals reach a global audience within minutes.