Gamescom 2026: Biggest announcements, trailers and release dates from Opening Night Live

This year’s Gamescom Opening Night Live 2026 packed more than 50 announcements, new trailers, release dates, and gameplay premieres into its two-hour runtime, along with a few surprises that very few people saw coming. Geoff Keighley once again hosted one of the biggest gaming showcases of the year live from Cologne, with a lineup that covered almost everything — from Final Fantasy VII Revelation and Gears of War: E-Day to entirely new projects from HoYoverse, Ubisoft, and Paradox.

As expected, the biggest surprise was saved for the very end. CD Projekt Red closed Opening Night Live with the announcement of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered, a free upgrade arriving this September. It was followed by a new look at content from the upcoming Songs of the Past expansion.

Players will not have to wait long for many of the games shown during the event. The Blood of Dawnwalker launches on September 3, while Control Resonant and Silent Hill: Townfall are both scheduled for September 24. Gears of War: E-Day arrives on October 6 for Xbox Series X|S and PC.

Even sooner, Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy launches on August 27, while Rayman Legends Retold is set for October 1. Aion 2 arrives on October 5, and Path of Exile 2 will finally leave Early Access and launch its 1.0 version on December 11.

Although there are only a few months left until the end of the year, attention is already beginning to shift toward 2027 — a year that will, among other major releases, bring the long-awaited next entry in the Grand Theft Auto franchise.

Sci-fi RPG Exodus is set to launch on April 7, 2027, while Final Fantasy VII Revelation, the final installment in the remake trilogy, has been confirmed for spring of the same year. The showcase also featured Rainbow Six Tactics, Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons, and Metro 2039, which is currently scheduled for release in February 2027.

Gamescom also delivered several projects that had barely been on players’ radar before the event. HoYoverse introduced Nodusfall, a dark fantasy action game focused on co-op gameplay, while Ubisoft surprised viewers with the announcement of a Heroes of Might and Magic III Remake.

Paradox, meanwhile, revealed two intriguing new projects — the post-apocalyptic strategy game Afterworld and LEGO Skylines, a fresh take on the city-building formula set in the LEGO universe.

Krafton unveiled PUBG: DED.NET, a new PvP FPS featuring roguelite elements, with registration for its closed beta already open.

One of the more unexpected moments of the night came from a new collaboration for Hitman World of Assassination. Snoop Dogg is joining the game as a Celebrity Elusive Target known as The Herbalist, making it one of those Gamescom announcements that would have been nearly impossible to predict beforehand.

Opening Night Live kicked off Gamescom with more than 50 different announcements, but the event itself is only getting started. The Cologne trade show runs until August 30, meaning the next few days will bring even more trailers, gameplay presentations, interviews, and new details about the games we will be playing throughout the rest of 2026 and into 2027.

Release dates for games announced at Gamescom 2026

These are the games and updates that received confirmed release dates or release windows during the event: