The India Game Developer Conference (IGDC) is India’s oldest and largest conference for people who make games. It began in 2009 as the NASSCOM Game Developer Conference (NGDC), run by the NASSCOM Gaming Forum, and was renamed IGDC for its tenth edition in 2018. It describes itself as “by the industry, for the industry”: it is run by industry volunteers, and since 2024 by the Game Developer Association of India (GDAI). The conference moved from Pune to Hyderabad in 2016 and from Hyderabad to Chennai in 2025. The 18th edition is on 28 and 29 October 2026 at the Chennai Trade Centre.
Editions
| Edition | Dates | City | Venue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18th: IGDC 2026 | 28–29 Oct 2026 | Chennai | Chennai Trade Centre | 10,000+ attendees expected |
| 17th: IGDC 2025 | 5–7 Nov 2025 | Chennai | Chennai Trade Centre | First Chennai edition; 150+ sessions |
| 16th: IGDC 2024 | 13–15 Nov 2024 | Hyderabad | Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) | 150+ sessions, 250+ speakers |
| 15th: IGDC 2023 | 2–4 Nov 2023 | Hyderabad | HICC | 4,000+ attendees expected |
| 14th: IGDC 2022 | 3–5 Nov 2022 | Hyderabad | HICC | Back on the ground after two online years; 4,000+ attendees, 60+ exhibitors |
| 13th: IGDC 2021 | 16–18 Nov 2021 | Online | Virtual | Held online because of COVID-19 |
| 12th: IGDC 2020 | 17–20 Nov 2020 | Online | Virtual | Free to attend; 6,000+ check-ins from 64 countries |
| 11th: IGDC 2019 | 22–23 Nov 2019 | Hyderabad | HICC | |
| 10th: IGDC 2018 | 4–5 Dec 2018 | Hyderabad | Renamed from NGDC to IGDC; flagship conference of Telangana’s IndiaJoy | |
| 9th: NGDC 2017 | 9–11 Nov 2017 | Hyderabad | HICC | |
| 8th: NGDC 2016 | 10–12 Nov 2016 | Hyderabad | HICC | First Hyderabad edition; VR pavilion added |
| 7th: NGDC 2015 | 5–7 Nov 2015 | Pune | MCCIA Trade Tower | |
| 6th: NGDC 2014 | 2014 | |||
| 5th: NGDC 2013 | 15–16 Nov 2013 | Pune | JW Marriott | 1,000+ attendees; first NASSCOM Gaming Forum Awards |
| 4th: NGDC 2012 | 2–3 Nov 2012 | Pune | ||
| 3rd: NGDC 2011 | 11–12 Nov 2011 | Pune | ||
| 2nd: NGDC 2010 | 2010 | |||
| 1st: NGDC 2009 | 2009 |
Details for the 2009, 2010 and 2014 editions are being added.
What happens at IGDC
- Talks and workshops: sessions on game design, art, programming, production, publishing and business, with Indian and international speakers.
- Expo and Indie Expo: studios, platforms and tool makers on the show floor, plus a showcase of Indian and international indie games.
- India Game Awards: awards for games made in India, previously called the NASSCOM Gaming Forum (NGF) Awards and then the IGDC Awards.
- I/P Connect: pre-booked meetings between studios, investors and publishers.
- Build Your Own Game (BYOG): a game jam that has run alongside the conference since 2010.
Who runs it
NGDC was organised by the NASSCOM Gaming Forum. The Game Developer Association of India (GDAI), formed in 2024 out of the IGDC community, now runs the conference. Its chairperson is Sridhar Muppidi. IGDC is different from GamingCon Bharat, which is a consumer gaming convention in Mumbai.
Sources (16)
- India Game Developer Conference (official site) indiagdc.com
- About IGDC and GDAI (IGDC) indiagdc.com
- NGDC rebrands to India Game Developer Conference (PocketGamer.biz) pocketgamer.biz
- NASSCOM Game Developer Conference 2011 (iTWire) itwire.com
- NASSCOM Game Developers Conference 2012 (Digit) digit.in
- NGDC 2013 round-up (MCV) mcvuk.com
- NGDC 2015 (PocketGamer.biz) pocketgamer.biz
- NGDC moves to Hyderabad (MCV) mcvuk.com
- NGDC 2017 (PocketGamer.biz) pocketgamer.biz
- IGDC 2018 (PocketGamer.biz) pocketgamer.biz
- IGDC 2019 (PocketGamer.biz) pocketgamer.biz
- Virtual IGDC 2020 ends with 6,000 check-ins (European Gaming) europeangaming.eu
- 13th IGDC to kick off (Business Wire) businesswire.com
- IGDC 2022 returned on ground with 4,000 attendees (TechnoSports) technosports.co.in
- 16th IGDC begins in Hyderabad (All India Radio) newsonair.gov.in
- IGDC 2025 to be held in Chennai (Business Standard) business-standard.com