📅 Gamescom returns for another year this week in Cologne
🔜 Proceedings kick off on Tuesday night with Opening Night Live with Geoff Keighley
🆕 The show is expected to bring news on The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past expansion, Final Fantasy VII Revelation, and more besides
🎮 More events are happening across the week, including two Xbox livestreams and daily streams from CD Projekt Red
Gamescom is back for 2026 and begins this week in Cologne, Germany.
As was the case with Summer Games Fest back in June, it’s another big video games industry trade show, although it lacks as many livestream showcases as SFG.
Gamescom 2026 is also open to the public and trade folk (like me!), with the event opening its doors on August 26 and running through August 30.
Here, we’ve rounded up what you can expect from this year’s Gamescom event, as well as where you can watch it and the full schedule we know so far.
How to watch Gamescom 2026
The main Gamescom show, Gamescom Opening Night Live, falls under the stewardship of Geoff Keighley – the man behind Summer Games Fest – and acts as the bridge between Summer Games Fest in June and The Game Awards in December.
We already know some small tidbits of what’s coming, including news on both The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past expansion and Final Fantasy VII Revelation, with more big news expected.
There is also set to be a new trailer for Gears of War: E-Day, a new peek at Silent Hill: Townfall and more details on the likes of Metro 2039 and Monster Hunter Outlanders.
The show is broadcasting at 8pm CEST on August 25, but here are the other time zones you might want:
11 am PT, August 19 (Los Angeles)
2 pm ET, August 19 (New York)
7 pm BST, August 19 (London)
3 am JST, August 20 (Tokyo)
4 am AEST, August 20 (Sydney)
Gamescom 2026: what to expect
As well as the main Opening Night Live event on Tuesday evening, there are multiple other events going on across the four days.
For instance, Microsoft is hosting an Xbox broadcast across two days of the event, while the latest edition of the Future Games Show is also expected alongside daily live streams from CD Projekt Red with special guests, interviews and more.
Gamescom 2026: schedule and start times
Alongside the Opening Night Live showcase, there is plenty more to get stuck into, as you’ll see below:
Gamescom Opening Night Live - August 25
Time: 8pm CEST / 11am PT / 2pm ET / 7pm BST
Xbox @ Gamescom Day 1 - August 26
Time: 4pm CEST / 7am PT / 9am ET / 3pm BST
RedStreams – August 26-30
Time: 10am-7pm CEST / 1am - 10am PDT / 4am - 1pm EDT / 9am - 6pm BST /
Future Games Show - August 26
Time: 7pm CEST / 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm BST
Xbox @ Gamescom Day 2 - August 27
Time: 4pm CEST / 7am PT / 10am ET / 3pm BST
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Reece Bithrey is a journalist with bylines for Trusted Reviews, Digital Foundry, PC Gamer, TechRadar and more. He also has his own blog, UNTITLED, and graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in International History and Politics in 2023.