Gamescom’s exhibition space has completely sold out for the first time
There are already plans to expand the show’s scale further next year
Exhibitor space for this year’s Gamescom has completely sold out for the first time in the show’s history.
Last year’s Gamescom broke attendance records with around 357,000 visitors visiting the show in Cologne, Germany.
A total of 1,568 exhibitors from 72 countries also took part in the event last year, an increase from 1,462 exhibitors in 2024. This was partly thanks to the decision to expand the show by adding an extra 3,000 square metres of exhibition space.
Now the show’s organisers have announced that all available exhibition space has completely sold out for the first time due to “increasing demand”.
Gamescom co-organiser the German Games Industry Association and Koelnmesse (Gamescom’s venue) are now working on ways to expand the event further as soon as next year, to meet this demand “and to improve the visitor experience in the process”.
The event has also confirmed that more major exhibitors have confirmed their attendance this year, with the likes of Konami, Tencent Games, Embark Studios, Level Infinite, Giants and Aerosoft joining previously confirmed exhibitors such as Nintendo, Xbox, EA, Ubisoft and Capcom.
“Will be bigger than ever”
“That Gamescom is completely booked up is a strong signal for the entire industry,” Gamescom director Tim Endres said in a statement.
“We only just expanded the area last year, so are all the more pleased with the increasing demand. At the same time, we are continually developing Gamescom further and investing in new formats for fans and communities. It is precisely this connection of business and community-experience that distinguishes Gamescom.”
Felix Falk, managing director of the German Games Industry Association, added: “It is already clear now that Gamescom 2026 will be bigger than ever. Exhibitor demand is higher than it has ever been.
“Fans can look forward to a full program – on location in Cologne and in livestream everywhere in the world. Gamescom Opening Night Live, the expanded Gamescom awesome indies show, or Gamescom GDQ, which is celebrating its premiere this year – those are only a few of the highlights that raise anticipation for the world’s largest games event many weeks prior to the start.”
This year’s Gamescom Opening Night Live takes place on August 25 at 8pm CEST (11am PT / 2pm ET / 7pm BST), offering another selection of new game reveals and trailers.
As ever, VGC will be covering Gamescom with hands-on reports from the show floor.
