gamescom 2026 drew a total of 368,000 visitors to Cologne, surpassing the previous year’s figure. It fell just short of the all-time high set in 2019.
“gamescom 2026 has solidified its position as the largest event in the gaming world,” said game Managing Director Felix Falk in a statement. He cited figures from the trade show, which concluded on Sunday.
According to official figures, a total of 368,000 general and trade visitors attended the event. While this surpassed the previous year’s figure of 357,000 visitors, it fell just short of the all-time high set in 2019 with 373,000 visitors.
Sharma, Klingbeil, and Steinmeier
Among the more than 36,000 industry professionals were top executives, including Microsoft Gaming CEO Asha Sharma and Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot. From the political sphere, North Rhine-Westphalia Minister-President Hendrik Wüst, Federal Minister of Research Dorothee Bär, and Vice Chancellor and Minister of Finance Lars Klingbeil attended the political opening of the expo. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier was also in attendance. The European Commission was represented by Vice President Henna Virkkunen.
With 368,000 visitors, gamescom also ranks second among Germany’s largest trade fairs. The frontrunner is the IdeenExpo with 400,000 visitors. Ranks 3, 4, and 5 are held by Berlin Green Week (350,000), the Leipzig Book Fair (313,000), and the CMT Caravan, Motor, Tourism Stuttgart (268,000).
