Thousands of fans celebrate new games at Gamescom opening show

Around 5,000 people gathered in the western German city of Cologne on Tuesday for the opening of Gamescom, the world's largest gaming trade fair, where trailers for a string of upcoming titles were unveiled.

The gaming industry is changing and evolving, host Geoff Keighley said during the opening show at the Cologne exhibition centre. "On one level, that's exciting, but on another it's kind of scary," he added.

He pointed to the closure of numerous studios and a chip shortage that has pushed hardware prices to record levels. The huge demand for chips from artificial intelligence data centres has tightened supplies and made gaming hardware more expensive.

"But in spite of all that, developers around the world are pushing forward to build new games. Big teams, small indie teams and teams all around the world," Keighley said.

More than 1,600 exhibitors are taking part in Gamescom until Sunday, a record number, with at least 350,000 visitors expected.

Two-thirds of exhibitors come from outside Germany, with Asian companies strongly represented.

Revenue from games, hardware and related services in Germany totalled around €4.2 billion ($4.9 billion) in the first half of 2026, down 3% from a year earlier, according to industry association Game, with higher hardware prices weighing on consumer demand.

Germany still plays only a minor role globally, with an estimated 5% of domestic gaming spending going towards German-made productions.

Senior German politicians are expected to attend on Wednesday, with planned tax breaks for gaming companies likely to be a key topic.