The 2026 edition of gamescom congress, held on August 27 in Cologne, set a new attendance record with over 1,100 international visitors.
The event, co-organized by game – the Association of the German Games Industry and Koelnmesse GmbH, featured 85 sessions across eight stages and 165 global speakers examining the impact of gaming technology across education, culture, business, science, and civic engagement.
Keynote Addresses & Institutional Focus
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier officially opened the congress, marking the first visit by a German Federal President to the event. His address highlighted the role of interactive media as a cultural driver and its contribution to modern democratic discourses.
The 2026 program focused on central editorial themes including “Democracy as a Playing Field” and “The Games Effect.” Discussions covered topics such as artificial intelligence in game development and entry-level creative roles, cybercrime prevention in educational curricula, European market competitiveness, and inclusive game design.
Participating entities included international organizations such as Europol, the Red Cross, and the United Nations, alongside commercial game studios including Razer, Paintbucket Games, remote control productions, and ROTxBLAU, as well as academic representatives from the University of Education Freiburg and the Institute for Democracy and Civil Society (IDZ).
Organizer Insights
Felix Falk, Managing Director of game – the Association of the German Games Industry, states:
“With the Federal President’s first-ever visit and a new attendance record, this year’s gamescom congress concluded more successfully than ever before. This highlights once again how the future-oriented medium of games positively shapes the important issues of our time in business, culture, education, and science, and provides important impulses.”
Gerald Böse, CEO of Koelnmesse GmbH, adds: “The gamescom congress 2026 once again demonstrates the enormous potential of games for society. The visit by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, high-profile panels featuring international organizations, and strong initiatives to promote democratic values have impressively proven this. Topics were addressed that extend far beyond the games industry.”
Official partner organizations supporting the 2026 edition included the State Government of North Rhine-Westphalia, the City of Cologne, Video Games Europe, UNICEF, USK, and the Foundation for Digital Games Culture.
Video-on-demand recordings of the sessions are available via the official gamescom congress portal (German language only).
