Gamescom 2026 Is Coming — Here’s Everything You Need to Know Before Opening Night Live

The world’s largest gaming exhibition is almost here. Gamescom 2026 runs from August 26 to 30 at the Koelnmesse exhibition centre in Cologne, Germany — and it’s arriving at one of the most interesting moments in gaming in years, with a packed late-2026 release calendar and several major 2027 projects waiting in the wings. For the first time in Gamescom’s history, all exhibition space was completely sold out well before the show opened, setting a record and signalling just how much the industry wants to be part of this year’s event.

Opening Night Live — What’s Already Confirmed

The festivities kick off on the evening of August 25 with Gamescom Opening Night Live, hosted by Geoff Keighley alongside co-host Eefje Depoortere. ONL traditionally sets the tone for the entire week and is where the biggest reveals tend to happen. Already confirmed for the show is a fresh look at Final Fantasy VII Revelation, with game director Naoki Hamaguchi appearing in person, as well as a showing for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Songs of the Past, the upcoming expansion being developed by CD PROJEKT RED. Metro 2039 and Project Bonfire have also been confirmed as part of the lineup.

Geoff Keighley has noted that this year’s ONL is less about brand-new announcements and more focused on giving fans meaningful updates on the biggest games coming over the next 12 months — which, given the packed 2026 and 2027 slate, is arguably more useful than a string of cold reveals.

Who Else Is at the Show

Ubisoft will have a major presence on the show floor with developer talks for Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced and Rainbow Six Siege community sessions, alongside new content announcements for Anno 117: Pax Romana. Xbox is attending to celebrate 25 years of the Xbox brand, with interactive experiences tied to the anniversary and appearances tied to upcoming titles including Fable. CD PROJEKT RED is running daily REDstreams across all five days of the exhibition. Games Done Quick is also making its first-ever European appearance at Gamescom, running live speedrunning sessions from August 28 to 30. Indian players can watch Opening Night Live live on YouTube and Twitch from the early hours of August 26 IST.