gamescom 2026 fully booked

All 233,000 square metres of exhibition space at gamescom 2026 in Cologne were taken this year, with not a single one left free for the first time. More than 1,700 exhibitors from around 70 countries took part, alongside 47 country pavilions from 40 states and over 420 companies in the Indie Area alone; the show has never been this large. North Rhine-Westphalia adjusted its games funding last year as a targeted complement to federal support, focused on smaller studios and young companies, and four million euros remain available to the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW for project funding in 2026. Together with the City of Cologne, KölnBusiness Wirtschaftsförderung and the foundation, the state is staging the first NRW Games Reception for around 1,000 leading figures of the industry.