About gamescom
gamescom in Cologne is one of the largest events in the world for computer and video games, bringing together the international games industry and its players each August. It is organised by Koelnmesse together with game, the German Games Industry Association, and takes place at the Koelnmesse exhibition grounds.
The event serves two audiences. A large entertainment area is open to the public, where publishers, developers and hardware makers show upcoming titles and products to players in their hundreds of thousands. A separate business area brings together publishers, developers, investors, service providers, platform holders and media for meetings and deal-making.
Around the exhibition sits a week of related activity. Opening Night Live, a globally streamed showcase of trailers and announcements, marks the start of gamescom and drives a large share of the media coverage. gamescom dev, the developer conference, runs immediately beforehand and draws industry professionals from around the world.
Exhibitors range from the largest console and PC publishers to peripheral and hardware brands, technology companies, regional pavilions and independent studios. For consumer-facing brands, the attraction is reach: direct contact with a huge public audience and the online coverage that follows. For businesses, the trade area offers an efficient way to meet partners, publishers and investors from across the international industry in a single week. That dual role, consumer festival and trade fair at once, is what makes gamescom distinctive.
Next edition
gamescom 2027: what to expect
gamescom 2027 opens to trade visitors and media on Wednesday 25 August and to the public from Thursday 26 to Sunday 29 August at Koelnmesse, Cologne. Opening Night Live takes place on the evening of 24 August, and gamescom dev runs on 23 and 24 August.
game reported 368,000 visitors from 131 countries and 1,743 exhibitors at gamescom 2026, when the exhibition space sold out for the first time.
Exhibitors in the entertainment area should plan for heavy queues, crowd management and sturdy demo stations, while business area stands are built around private meeting rooms. Hotels in Cologne fill early for gamescom week.