gamescom 2026: How to Watch and Daily Schedule of the Biggest Gaming Event
Gamescom is back for 2026! IGN is the official partner and will be broadcasting live from Cologne, Germany August 25–30 with live coverage of everything from developer interviews to show floor demos to exclusive trailers and gameplay from incredible upcoming games, along with so much more. Read on below for all the information you need to get excited for the big event!
When Is gamescom 2026?
gamescom takes place Tuesday, August 25–August 30 in Cologne, Germany.
gamescom Schedule
Tuesday, August 25
gamescom Opening Night Live (with Official Pre-Show and IGN Post-Show) - 10:30am PT / 1:30pm ET / 7:30pm CEST
Opening Night Live (ONL) is back for 2026. This in-person event will be livestreamed and kicks off the beginning of gamescom! Tune in and check out big trailers, gameplays, and tons of news reveals throughout the night.
ONL will have a 30-minute pre-show prior to the main show, which will run for about two hours. Immediately following Opening Night Live, IGN will be breaking down all the biggest reveals from the show in our own deep-dive ONL post-show!
Wednesday, August 26
IGN gamescom studio Day 1 - 6am PT / 9am ET / 3pm CEST
Day 1 of IGN’s live coverage will feature developer interviews, exclusive reveals, and much more.
Xbox Day 1 livestream - 7am PDT / 10am EDT / 3pm BST / 4pm CEST
Xbox will have special guests on their livestream, gameplay reveals, trailers, and more.
Thursday, August 27
IGN gamescom studio Day 2 - 6am PT / 9am ET / 3pm CEST
Day 2 of IGN’s live coverage will feature more developer interviews, exclusive trailers and reveals, and more.
Xbox Day 2 livestream - 7am PDT / 10am EDT / 3pm BST / 4pm CEST
Xbox’s livestream will have more interviews and special guests, new trailers, and gameplay.
Friday, August 28
gamescom award show and gamescom studio Day 3 6am PT / 9am ET / 3pm CEST
The gamescom Award Show is back for 2026 and IGN is hosting it once again! We will be celebrating all the winners, and full list will be published on IGN.com, along with more reveals in the livestream.
Saturday, August 29
IGN gamescom studio Day 4 - 6am PT / 9am ET / 3pm CEST
Day 4 of IGN’s live coverage will feature more exclusive reveals and developer interviews.
Sunday, August 30
IGN gamescom studio Day 5 - 6am PT / 9am ET / 3pm CEST
Day 5 of IGN’s live coverage will feature fun conversations and deep-dives with IGN's podcast crews.
How to Watch gamescom
Here’s the full list of places you can watch the gamescom livestreams:
- IGN.com (homepage)
- IGN's Twitter
- IGN's Twitch Channel
- IGN's YouTube Channel
- Eurogamer
- VG247
- Rock Paper Shotgun
- IGN's gamescom studio Steam Page
- IGN's iOS App
- IGN's Android App
What Reveals to Expect at gamescom
Fans can look forward to seeing live developer interviews, exclusive reveals, gameplay, and deep-dives, from Control Resonant, Dune: Awakening, Crimson Desert, Fable, Persona 4 Revival, Alien: Isolation 2, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, and many more!
Xbox will have have a huge booth at gamescom, with 140 gaming stations featuring 25 upcoming games, including Fable, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, Alien: Isolation 2, Stranger Than Heaven, Gears of War: E-Day, Minecraft Dungeons II, Metro 2039, and more. Developers will also be there to meet players and make the experience that much better.
Stay tuned to IGN for everything gamescom 2026 as all the reveals drop!
Jessie Wade is Associate Director of Editorial Programming at IGN. You can find her playing cozy games on her Switch these days or getting way too into Elder Scrolls Online.