Gamescom 2026 has officially become the event’s biggest post-pandemic edition, with attendance and online viewership both climbing year over year.
Gamescom 2026 welcomed 368,000 visitors to Cologne, according to figures shared by event organiser Koelnmesse and Opening Night Live host Geoff Keighley.
Attendance increased by around 3% compared to 2025, putting this year’s event just short of the all-time record of 373,000 visitors set in 2019.
Opening Night Live also saw significant growth, surpassing 78 million views, a 7.5% increase over last year’s presentation. The wider Gamescom digital programme had already accumulated more than 624 million views by Saturday evening.
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The show floor was completely sold out, with 1,743 companies from 66 countries occupying approximately 233,000 square metres. International exhibitors accounted for 72% of the total, while more than 36,000 trade visitors attended the event.
However, the event was not without controversy. Several exhibitors reported overnight thefts involving laptops, demo hardware and other equipment. Gamescom acknowledged the incidents, stating that affected companies had contacted security and police, while its recommendation that exhibitors purchase dedicated stand security drew criticism from some attendees and exhibitors.
Despite the security concerns, Gamescom 2026 marks another strong year for the world’s biggest gaming trade show, with both its physical attendance and global digital reach continuing to grow.