Cologne, Germany, will be transformed again from August 20 to 24, 2025, into the world center for interactive entertainment as Gamescom makes a return. The event starts with Opening Night Live on August 19, featuring the newest trailers and announcements prior to the showfloor opening its doors.
In 2024, Gamescom broke records by attracting over 335,000 visitors from about 120 nations, making it the largest gaming convention globally. More than 310 million digital interactions were recorded, and the Opening Night Live livestream alone was viewed over 40 million times, twice as many as the year before. Expectation is rife that Gamescom 2025 will record equally impressive participation from fans as well as professionals in the gaming sector.
Hosted at the vast Koelnmesse convention facility, Gamescom blends public showcases with business-oriented conferences. In 2024, some 32,000 trade visitors attended the event, emphasizing its status as a B2B platform. The sibling conference Devcom, aimed at game developers, also increased in size, attracting approximately 5,000 attendees in 2024.
Aside from sheer size, Gamescom 2025 has in store a rich narrative of content: from independent showcases and cosplay areas to esports competitions and immersive side events throughout the city. The Gamescom City Festival, which attracted some 80,000 visitors in 2024, will be back to provide free concerts, meetups, panels, and street atmosphere.
A star lineup of developers and publishers, ranging from top-tier international brands to emerging studios, will feature in the event. To date, the following names and their expected titles have been announced:
- Capcom, with titles such as Resident Evil Requiem and Onimusha: Way of the Sword
- GRYPHLINE, Hypergryph’s recently established international publishing arm, with Arknights: Endfield
- Astragon Entertainment
- KRAFTON, with InZOI, PUBG: Battlegrounds, and PUBG: Blindspot teasers
- Microsoft / Xbox, backed by Bethesda and Blizzard, with World of Warcraft: Midnight included in their showcase among other titles
- Nintendo
- Ubisoft, which is set to feature Anno 117: Pax Romana
- Wargaming, whose Steel Hunters will be showcased
- Team17
Other companies like The Pokémon Company will also make an appearance in the board game area, bringing popular experiences such as the Pokémon TCG.
Gamescom is a platform by nature that combines consumer enthusiasm with professional interest. Its mixture of hands-on gameplay experiences, developer sessions, live esports, and industry networking makes for an energetic environment for gamers, creators, and businesspeople alike.
Global reach and online participation are also important to the convention. In past years, livestreams and online coverage allowed millions to join in virtually, giving the event’s reach much further than Cologne.
In addition, the fact that 2024 features sessions that address games’ overlaps with AI, democracy, and climate change indicates that education and relevance to society will remain prominent themes this year.