Summary
- Join us for the gamescom 2021 Xbox Stream on August 24 at 10:00am PT/6:00pm BST/7:00pm CEST.
- Tune in to gamescom: Opening Night Live on August 25 at 11:00am PT/7pm BST/8:00pm CEST.
- Connect with friends and special guests at Xbox FanFest.
Gamescom 2021 is only a week away and like E3 2021, it’s going to be an online-only event. While the game conference won’t quite be the same without the big show floor, at least we’ll be able to watch all the exciting trailers and gameplay from the comfort of our homes.
So far, we have a list of Gamescom 2021 attendees. With names like Xbox, Bethesda, Activision, and EA it’s looking like an exciting show already. Additionally, we expect to see plenty of indie games from the Awesome Indies show. Stay tuned for all the latest Gamescom news as we’ll be updating this page with all the info on the virtual games conference up to its start in late August.
When is Gamescom 2021?
Gamescom 2021 will take place from Wednesday, August 25 to Friday 27 August 27.
Gamescom 2021 Schedule
How to watch Gamescom 2021?
- Xbox Stream – Tuesday, August 24 at 10am - 12pm PT
- Gamescom Day 1 – Wednesday, August 25 at 10:30am - 3pm PT
- Gamescom: Opening Night Live – Wednesday, August 25 at 11am PT
- Gamescom Day 2 – Thursday, August 26 at 10am - 4pm PT
- Awesome Indies – Thursday, August 26 at 11am PT
- Future Games Show at Gamescom – Thursday, August 26 at 1PM PT
- Gamescom Day 3 – Friday, August 27 at 10am - 3pm PT
Like last year Gamescom 2021 will be an online-only event. Gamescom was originally announced as a hybrid digital and physical event earlier in the year. However, the event organizer Koelnmesse later announced it would be all-digital after all. IGN will be carrying all of Gamescom so you can catch all the events, showcases, and announcements right on our homepage.
Here’s the full list of places you can watch the Gamescom 2021 Streams:
Gamescom 2021 Partners
- IGN.com (homepage)
- IGN's Twitter
- IGN's Twitch Channel
- IGN's YouTube Channel
- IGN's iOS App
- IGN's Android App
- IGN's Xbox One App
- Roku
- IGN App for Android TV
- IGN App for Amazon Fire TV
- Apple TV
- IGN1 on Samsung TV Plus
- Pluto TV
So far Gamescom has confirmed it will have 19 game studios and publishers in attendance for its virtual gaming conference. On top of that, there's a long list of indie studios including Akupara Games, Draw Distance, and Numskull Games just to name a few. Here's a list of the big hitters we'll see at the show so far.
Gamescom 2021 Predictions
- 505 Games
- Activision
- Aerosoft
- Assemble Entertainment
- Astragon Entertainment
- Bandai Namco Entertainment
- Bethesda Softworks
- Electronic Arts
- Gameevil COM2US Europe
- Headup
- Indie Arena Booth
- Koch Media
- Next Studios (Tencent)
- Sega Europe
- Team17
- Techland
- Thunderful Games
- Ubisoft
- Wargaming
- Xbox
While we know who will and won't be at Gamescom, what these companies actually have planned remains a mystery though. That said, we can take an educated guess on what Xbox, Bethesda, and the other attendees might announce based on what they revealed at E3 and any outstanding games we’ve yet to see.
Opening Night Live
Opening Night Live, which is hosted by The Game Awards' Geoff Keighley, airs on August 25 at 11am PT / 2pm ET / 7pm BST or Wednesday, August 25 at 4am AEST for those in Australia. Geoff Keighley’s previous Kick Off Live! event blew the doors open for the start of E3 with the world premiere reveal of Elden Ring.
We expect this early Gamescom showcase will be just as exciting with plenty of new games and surprises.
Xbox
Even though we just got two Xbox keynotes at E3, Microsoft still has plenty left to show us with its Gamescom 2021 Xbox Stream on August 24 at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm BST or August 25 at 3am AEST. Even a new trailer for the cadre of new games coming to Xbox this and next year would easily fill up a two-hour showcase. We may see more footage of Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 5. But what we’d really like to see is more of Contraband and A Plague Tale Reqieum since both games were just revealed with teasers at E3.
Sony
Sony was notably absent from Gamescom’s attendee list so we doubt there will be a PlayStation livestream as an official part of Gamescom. However, Sony could surprise us with a State of Play event ahead of the European games conference. Just days before E3 started, Sony dropped extended gameplay of Horizon: Forbidden West. We’ve got our fingers crossed to see something from God of War Ragnarok, Lost Judgement, or an entirely new property for PlayStation.
Nintendo
Nintendo wasn’t part of last year’s Gamescom’s lineup and it doesn’t seem like it’ll be showing up this year's either as it has not appeared on the event list of attendees. It’s a real shame since we were hoping to see more of Metroid Dread and Breath of the Wild sequel. We’ve got our fingers crossed that the company still announces a surprise Nintendo Direct.
Bethesda
Besthesda is basically an extension of Xbox’s own official game studios and it has a huge collection of upcoming games we’re hoping to see again at Gamescom. The last Xbox and Bethesda showcase kicked off with a Starfield teaser trailer, that may have also included an Elder Scrolls 6 easter egg, and we’re hoping to see more footage of the game soon. Redfall, the co-op vampire hunting game, could be another Bethesda game will see at Gamescom, too.
Ubisoft
Ubisoft is one of the major game publishers that have announced its Gamescom attendance. We’re likely to see some Far Cry 6 gameplay and hopefully more details about the game’s DLC that will let you play as the series’ villains. Hopefully, there will also be more footage of the upcoming Avatar Frontiers of Pandora, the Avatar game we never thought we’d see.
Future Games Show at Gamescom
Future's self-titled gaming show from the GamesRadar staff is making its Gamescom debut. The show promises over 40 games from companies like Team17, Koch Media, Tripwire Interactive, and Frontier Developments. It'll also be co-hosted by the voice actors who played Lady Dimitrescu and the Duke, Maggie Robertson and Aaron LePlante, respectively. The Future Games Show will air on Thursday, August 26 at 1pm PT / 4pm ET / 9pm BST or August 27 at 6am AEST.
Konami
Konami has been relatively absent in the video game world for the last few years, but now the publisher is teasing some new announcements for Gamescom 2021. So far Konami has promised new announcements for its recently announced eFootball, the free-to-play football simulation platform, and Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel, which the company calls the most complete Yu-Gi-Oh! game yet.
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