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| (Image Source: Instant Gaming News/gamescom) |
gamescom continues its growth course as more companies than ever before will present their new products inside the new Confex Conference & Exhibition Center on the grounds of Koelnmesse and online at gamescom.global on August 20-24, 2025. With over 1,500 exhibitors from 72 countries, gamescom 2025 achieves a new record and thus offers the greatest diversity in its history. The gross area has grown in comparison to the previous year by 3,000 square meters to a total of 233,000 square meters, thus also marking a new record high.
Koelnmesse GmbH President and Chief Executive Officer Gerald Böse stated, "gamescom 2025 impressively underlines its economic relevance and international radiance. We are investing in a targeted fashion in expansion, infrastructure, and continuing development in order to further reinforce the economic success of our exhibitors. The growth to 233,000 square meters of area and the record registration numbers confirm the sustained success of the hybrid event concept. Together we can already look forward to unprecedented variety." Felix Falk, Managing Director of game – the German Games Industry Association, said, “Whether in the community or in the international games industry: the anticipation for gamescom 2025 is immense. And for a good reason, because the gamescom week has never had so many highlights: the gamescom Opening Night Live, the biggest indie area to date, concerts, esports competitions, cosplay, and a great variety of exhibitors, for the first time more than 1,500. It is already clear now: the gamescom year 2025 will be unforgettable!"
International presence at a high level
With 40 country pavilions from 35 nations in the business area and indie area, gamescom is solidifying its relevance for the global games industry. New this year among the represented countries in comparison with last year are Argentina, Dubai, Japan, Kirgistan, Qatar, and this year's gamescom partner country Thailand.
gamescom Opening Night Live with 5,000 seats
gamescom Opening Night Live is this year taking place in Hall 1 for the first time and offers 5,000 seats. The new location possesses a highly modern technical infrastructure and provides the show with its to-date largest stage since its first edition in 2019. In the past year, gamescom Opening Night Live registered around 44 million digital accesses worldwide.
Broad thematic diversity, also for the trade public
This year too, gamescom offers a broad program for trade visitors in addition to the varied offering for private visitors. With the devcom developer conference, the gamescom congress, and the gamescom invest circle, dedicated formats are being implemented to discuss relevant themes from development or the potential revolving around games. Young studios thereby receive the chance to present themselves to international investors.
• devcom: The devcom developer conference (August 17–19, 2025), Europe's leading developer conference, is once again taking place in the Confex of Koelnmesse. More than 300 speakers offer a broad spectrum of talks, panels, and workshops on 17 stages. The program is supplemented by its own Expo Floor, matchmaking formats, and many on-site events. Also there, among others, are studios like Avalanche Studios, Crytek, Electronic Arts, Guerrilla, Insomniac Games, Microsoft, Riot Games, Sandfall Interactive, Ubisoft, and Valve.
• gamescom congress: The programmatic orientation of this year's gamescom congress (August 21, 2025) focuses on social responsibility, well-being, and immersive technologies. With approx. 180 speakers from the economy, politics, and society, nine stages in the Confex will be filled with talks, panels, and workshops and themes revolving around the potential of games.
• gamescom invest circle: The gamescom invest circle (August 21, 2025) brings together selected young gaming start-ups with international investors, publishers, and strategic partners in the Confex. The format is supported by the Games Syndicate Cologne, the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia, and the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space. The keynote speaker is Jason della Rocca, the former Chief Operating Officer of the International Game Developer Association (IGDA) and co-founder of Execution Labs.
gamescom cares and gamescom goes green: measures for social responsibility and sustainability
With gamescom cares, gamescom offers a central platform for social engagement. Projects, campaigns, services, and events of the exhibitors, corporate partners, and gamescom acquire greater visibility here. This year, a particularly outstanding project of this category will be part of gamescom Opening Night Live for the first time and be presented on the big stage. An expanded awareness concept becomes part of gamescom cares. In addition to this, gamescom is also once again implementing targeted measures for more ecological responsibility in 2025 with gamescom goes green. These include, for example, the "Trash Galore" initiative, in the course of which around 1,880 kilograms of materials were already saved from disposal in 2024 and made available to social institutions in Cologne, as well as the "Spende Dein Pfand" (donate your deposit) campaign, and the gamescom forest, which grew this year to 29,000 square meters.
Cologne, a pulsating meeting point for gaming, music, and culture fans
On August 23 and 24, the gamescom city festival 2025 invites once again to a diverse live program right in the middle of the Cologne city center. Well-known acts like Blond, Blumengarten, and Kettcar will appear on stages at Friesenplatz and Rudolfplatz. The free open-air event will be complemented by DJ music, food trucks, and experience offerings with, among others, Lego and EA. The "TOGGO Tour" for younger visitors will also be guest at Picassoplatz. One atmospheric highlight is the extensive laser illumination that will set the stage for the Cologne skyline at twilight over the entire event week – a strong signal for the charisma of gamescom as an urban and economic event.
gamescom latam BIG Festival opens submissions for 2026 edition
gamescom latam 2026, the Latin edition of the world's biggest games event, has already started its work for next year with the announcement of the opening of submissions for gamescom latam BIG Festival, the world's largest independent games competition. Local and international independent developers, studios, collectives, and publishers can submit for free on gamescom.global until January 9, 2026. As always, participation is free of charge for indies. gamescom latam CEO Gustavo Steinberg comments, "Year after year, gamescom latam BIG Festival has established itself as an important space not only for showcasing incredible games from around the world, but also for connecting with the audience. Last year, we received more than 950 games from 71 different countries, which shows the strength of this competition. That's why the opening of submissions and the massive participation of developers is always one of the most important points for us." The games submitted will be selected in 17 categories for the gamescom latam BIG Festival Awards when they will be available to be tested by the gamescom latam audience during the 5-day event. Among the main categories are Best Game, Best Game: Brazil, and Best Game: Latin America as well as technical categories such as Best Art, Best Narrative, and Best Gameplay. At the event, the public also has a say and can vote for the winner of Best Game: Popular Vote. The finalists are selected by the Festival's Selection Committee and the winners are chosen by an international jury of big names from the games industry. The celebration will take place at gamescom latam in São Paulo, Brazil on April 29-May 3, 2026.
