Gamescom 2026 recap: The news and previews from the biggest gaming event of the year
Your one-stop hub for everything happening at Gamescom.
This coverage brought to you by Fable, out February 23, 2027 for PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5.
In this E3-less world, Gamescom is the biggest gaming convention of the year, and we had multiple reporters on the scene in Cologne, Germany to check out as many games as they could.
I've also heard tell of a "horse controller" appointment. That's all the detail on that I currently have, and if you also want to know more, check back here for updates as our attendees continue to publish stories from the event.
Gamescom events
Opening Night Live
Gamescom kicked off with the Opening Night Live showcase hosted by Geoff Keighley. Here's our recap of all the big ONL trailers and announcements.
Future Games Show
Our friends at the Future Games Show put on three shows at Gamescom this year; see everything announced here.
The GTA 6 reveal
The GTA 6 reveal wasn't technically part of Gamescom, but it's the biggest thing happening this week. We've picked out a bunch of details from the "extended look" here.
Top Gamescom news and previews
Our first deep look at Guild Wars 3
"Guild Wars 3's approach to combat and movement is like nothing I've ever seen in an MMO before," says Fraser. We also learned a bit more about the scale of Guild Wars 3, which sits between GW1 and GW2 on the 'co-op multiplayer to MMO' scale.
The Expanse: Osiris Reborn preview
Owlcat "turns the best Mass Effect mission into an entire game" with its Expanse RPG, says Fraser.
Persona 4 Revival "feels just as good as its predecessor did 16 years ago"
Mollie was worried that Persona 4 Revival wouldn't feel true to the beloved original, but says she was relieved to discover that "it absolutely does."
"Silent Hill: Townfall is the most Scottish game I've ever played"
So says PC Gamer's resident "middle-aged Scot," Fraser Brown, who previewed Townfall at Gamecom.
"I was simultaneously nervous and excited about the rare opportunity to play a game that's so close to home," Fraser wrote. "What a relief, then, that Townfall not only feels incredibly Scottish, its Scottishness also perfectly matches Silent Hill's brand of unsettling psychological horror. And it's not such an unlikely pairing. Scotland is a brilliant fit for this kind of game.."
'Rainbow Six XCOM' was one of our favorite demos
Surprise: There's a turn-based Rainbow Six game coming, and it looks quite good. Josh got a look at Rainbow Six Tactics during Gamescom, and despite not being a "Rainbow Six guy," it ended up becoming one of his most-anticipated games of the show.
Total War: Warhammer 40,000 feels like the future of strategy games
Fraser got to spend an hour playing Total War: Warhammer 40,000, and he might have fallen in love.
"After the demo ended, one thing felt clear to me: I'd just played the future of strategy games. There were just so many 'holy shit' moments. I may have only played for an hour, but I got a day's worth of fun out of it. My predilection for cynicism has been stomped by hefty Space Marine boots."
The Witcher 3 Remastered announced
In September, Witcher 3 owners will get another huge free update called The Witcher 3 Remastered. It's not just graphics: the patch will touch combat, traversal, and more. We also saw the new Witcher 3 expansion that's coming next year.
Nodusfall isn't what we expected from HoYoverse
Fraser's had a go at Nodusfall, the next game from Genshin Impact publisher HoYoverse. Another gacha game? Doesn't look that way: It will be free-to-play, but not with randomized character draws. It's aesthetically similar to Elden Ring, and shares some features with Monster Hunter, but there's more to it than that.
"Nodusfall's scraps are energetic, dramatic spectacles and I really appreciate the pure focus on the simple joy of whacking big monsters," says Fraser. "I suspect the full game will be a lot more dense with systems—even if HoYoverse is trying something new, it's still HoYoverse—but it's got an extremely fun, straightforward core and a low barrier for entry."
Finally, a Lego city builder
It just makes sense, doesn't it? Lego Skylines was revealed at Opening Night Live, and is described as a "cozy, customizable city-builder." Chris also played a brief demo of the game, and says that "it seems like a city builder for people who care less about traffic jams and more about decorating."
Paradox's next grand strategy game revealed
Instead of history, Paradox is exploring post-history with its next strategy game, Afterworld, which is set in a post-apocalyptic North America.
More news and previews
- Dwarf Fortress co-creator says his life as a millionaire is 'basically like reattaining what my parents could do with regular jobs'
- Age Twisters is a simple yet charming spin on the co-op adventure, says Mollie
- Warlock, the next big D&D game, got a lengthy gameplay trailer
- Rainbow Six Tactics revealed: the first singleplayer R6 game in a long time
- There's a new PUBG game and it's set in the '90s
- Nodusfall is the next game from Hoyoverse
- Metro 2039 devs say the ongoing war in Ukraine has changed how they write morality: 'The franchise's very nature is getting too close to reality'
- Path of Exile 2 will arrive at its 1.0 launch in December
Live blog
The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past interview
PC Gamer's Josh Wolens is presently at Gamescom in Cologne, but before the convention, he travelled to Warsaw, Poland to talk to CD Projekt all about The Witcher 3's new expansion. Check out that interview above.
"Is it AI?"
Whether or not you care about the giant argument playing out over generative AI, the discourse is pretty inescapable during big videogame reveal events like Gamescom. Alongside "when's it out" and "can you pet the dog," the internet now also wants to know: Is it AI?
Sometimes, it is AI. But false positives happen, too. One trailer accused of being AI-generated on social media—and I admit that it also triggered my mental AI detector—was the live action announcement trailer for Humankind 2.
But the studio says that, actually, the trailer was filmed with "real actors, practical sets, and custom-made props."
A 'gacha' question
The just-announced Nodusfall from Hoyoverse looks cool, but prospective players who aren't into the gacha scene the company is known for—games that are monetized primarily through loot box-like random rewards—may be put off by the assumption it'll be more of the same.
This game will be different, though, according to the developers, though the only specific commitment made is that characters won't be unlocked by random draws.
"Nodusfall will be a free-to-play, long-term game," the devs tell us. "What we can share at this time is that characters are not obtained through random draws. We hope to allow players to unlock this core gameplay experience through continued play. Cosmetic monetization is an important avenue we will be considering."
Metro 2039 looks great, but my GPU is sweating
As Morgan pointed out, the new Metro game looks fantastic—fun, yes, but also in a literal, visual way—and those of us with aging PC hardware might finally be reaching the point where putting off an upgrade is no longer viable if we want to keep playing the latest and greatest at frame rates we're happy with.
I bought a new GPU right before the big crypto-driven GPU price hike, and then missed the brief window where the tech industry started behaving at least somewhat normally again before the AI boom once again drove up prices. The next time I hear a rational statement from someone in Silicon Valley, I'd better take the opportunity to pounce. Could be a long time, though.
Total War: Warhammer 40k reveals its campaign structure—also you can stuff Space Marine heroes in Dreadnoughts if they get banged up
As part of its special Gamescom livestream, Creative Assembly has dropped a tonne of new info about Total War: Warhammer 40k, including:
- Each star system will make up a campaign, with about ten potential campaigns in a Crusade Theatre, letting you carry characters and armies between them.
- Heroes will have 'followers' they can equip to change the unit composition of their bodyguard. Imagine something like the Imperial General's retinue in Dawn of War.
- All unit weapon loadouts are fully customisable.
- There are planetary governors who you'll have to appease to unlock certain diplomatic actions and support.
- Space Marines can co-opt Planetary Defense Armies from the Imperial Guard to follow them as backup.
- The Imperial Guard have a variety of structures they can build on planets (similar to forts or watchtowers in Medieval 2 and Rome Total War), including artillery batteries and deathstrike missile launchers.
My favorite new reveal is that 'almost dead' Space Marine heroes can now be turned into Dreadnoughts and keep fighting for The Emperor—a much-requested feature from the community.
Warlock's take on D&D magic might make me willing to sell my soul
Invoke gave us an even deeper look at its upcoming D&D game, Warlock—and it's looking stellar enough to have Fraser consider some pacts of his own. You can read his full impressions in the article I just linked, but just for your sake, here's a quote while he's off roaming the Koelnmesse. Don't say I never gave you nothin':
"After the methodical, measured chaos of Baldur's Gate 3, I find myself really in the mood for this more action-dense, almost DMC or Bayonetta-style approach to D&D magic. It's flashy and over the top, but there's still this tactical grounding. Invoke's got something pretty cool brewing here, and I'm keen to see more as it gets closer to its 2027 launch."
Former id Software co-owner talks generative AI
Speaking to PC Gamer's Joshua Wolens, former id Software co-owner and current Saber Interactive CCO Tim Willits suggested that "someone needs to come up with the 'Half Life 2 of AI', something that's so amazing that it just launches some type of killer app."
Saber was recently in the news after its CEO insulted a writer who claimed she'd been fired in favor of AI writing, and later apologized.
As for Saber's general policy on AI, Willits said, "We at Saber want to figure out how we can use this technology, so we're doing it at a small scale to try to learn. We're like everyone else, we're just trying to figure this out. But there is no generative AI in our big titles. No Hellraiser, no Turok, none in Stuntman."
