Gamescom Will Have More Exhibitors Than Ever Before

Gamescom Sells Out Exhibitor Spots For The First Time Ever Published Jul 23, 2026, 9:56 AM EDT Sam Woods is TheGamer’s Senior Reporter. He’s been in games journalism since 2020 and has undertaken a variety of roles in that time. These have included roles such as SEO Editor, Managing Editor at DualShockers, and Global Head of Gaming, and he's also been seen on the BBC. He was promoted to the Senior Reporter position in 2025 following a series of high-quality reports and exclusives for TheGamer. Since 2020, Sam has written over 2,500 articles and specializes in telling the stories of the people behind the games. He’s interviewed the biggest game directors, some of the industry’s top talents, told the stories of how indie games came to be, and spoken to players about what really makes them tick. He’s also interviewed some of the world’s biggest musical artists to find out how the medium has inspired their work, and TV and Film actors about their roles in video game adaptations. He even hosted a PAX panel in 2021 and made a documentary in 2024 surrounding the creation of a Disney game. Alongside this, Sam focuses on breaking news. He got the scoop on Perfect Dark’s cancellation, got context around some AI drama, and revealed how Lady Dimitrescu’s actress would love to step back into the character’s giant shoes. These articles have been picked up by the biggest gaming sites, including IGN, GameSpot, and PC Gamer. He also loves to dive into the numbers behind the games. Sam’s journey in games journalism has taken him all over the world. He’s covered Gamescom in Germany, Summer Game Fest in Los Angeles, and Tokyo Game Show in Japan, each on more than one occasion. He’s been learning Japanese since 2024 with the intention of identifying and translating Japanese-language news and bringing it to English-language audiences first, something he’s done countless times. Sam’s first review was 2020’s Battletoads reboot, and he’s since reviewed games in The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario, and Pokemon franchises. Sign in to your TheGamer account Gamescom is a little over a month away. Gaming's biggest public event is often a hive of activity, featuring tons of demos and big game reveals. Alongside Summer Game Fest and The Game Awards, it's one of the most exciting times of the year. It's always a big one, with over 357,000 visitors descending on Cologne in 2025, and 2026 is only set to get bigger. Announced by Gamescom itself, this year's event will be the first time ever that the show is fully booked, with no more exhibitor spaces available to those looking. Gamescom is sending TheGamer to Cologne as part of the Gamescom Ambassador Program. "That gamescom is completely booked up is a strong signal for the entire industry. We only just expanded the area last year, so are all the more pleased with the increasing demand. At the same time, we are continually developing gamescom further and investing in new formats for fans and communities. It is precisely this connection of business and community-experience that distinguishes Gamescom,“ says Tim Endres, Director of gamescom," says Felix Falk, Managing Director of game – The German Games Industry Association and co-organizer of Gamescom. "It is already clear now that gamescom 2026 will be bigger than ever. Exhibitor demand is higher than it has ever been. Fans can look forward to a full program – on location in Cologne and in livestream everywhere in the world. gamescom Opening Night Live, the expanded gamescom awesome indies show, or gamescom GDQ, which is celebrating its premiere this year: those are only a few of the highlights that raise anticipation for the world's largest games event many weeks prior to the start," TheGamer will have two members of staff at this year's event, and we're fully booked with tons of exciting opportunities. We look forward to bringing you our coverage from the show floor. Location Koelnmesse, Cologne, Germany Dates August 21-25, 2024