The final gaming expo of the summer is finally here. Gamescom 2021 will bring us the latest and greatest from many of the industry’s top studios and publishers, including Xbox, PlayStation, Ubisoft, and Electronic Arts. You can expect brand-new trailers, first look gameplay footage, and even a few surprise reveals.
Here is everything you need to know about Gamescom 2021:
Gamescom 2021 will run from Aug. 24 to 27, and while Europe’s premier games expo doesn’t host as many conferences as E3 does, there are still some big showcases you won’t want to miss. Here’s a schedule of the conferences you’ll want to watch this week:
Destiny 2 Showcase: Tuesday, Aug. 24 – 12 pm ET
Xbox Conference: Tuesday, Aug. 24 – 1 pm ET
Opening Night Live: Wednesday, Aug. 25 – 2 pm ET
Awesome Indies: Thursday, Aug. 26 – 2 pm ET
Future Games Show: Thursday, Aug. 26 – 4 pm ET
Want to catch all of the big Gamescom 2021 announcements, reveals, and trailers? You can tune in to all of the events below:
With Bungie and Xbox set to present during Gamescom 2021, there are a few games you should expect to see at this year’s show. Destiny 2 is getting its very own showcase where it’s rumored fans will finally get a look at the game’s next big expansion, The Witch Queen, and the DLC’s new big bad Savathun.
Meanwhile, Xbox could use Gamescom to show off more of Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 5 as well as some of the first-party games it didn’t bring to E3 2021. We’d love to see more of Obsidian’s new fantasy RPG Avowed, for example, although it’s possible that release has been bumped down the schedule so that the team can work on The Outer Worlds 2. And where is Ninja Theory’s Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II? It’d be great to see some new footage from that highly-anticipated sequel.
And could the Xbox showcase be a good time for Bethesda to drop a few surprises? It seems unlikely at the moment considering the publisher just made some announcements at QuakeCon 2021 earlier this month. But you never know!
Geoff Keighley’s Opening Night Live is the main event, though. Featuring a stacked lineup of games, this showcase will be where most studios participating in Gamescom will reveal their latest and greatest. Keighley recently dropped a trailer for the showcase that teased quite a few heavy hitters, including Far Cry 6, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, Death Stranding Director’s Cut, Battlefield 2042, Call of Duty: Vanguard, Back 4 Blood, and many more games.
One big rumor surrounding Opening Night Live involves Hideo Kojima. For months, he’s been linked with another project, Blue Box Game Studios’ upcoming survival game Abandoned, which many on the internet believe is secretly a new Silent Hill game from the Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding creator. While it’s a long shot, there are a few strange coincidences between Blue Box’s mystery project and Kojima that lend some credibility to the countless fan theories. Some gamers believe all will be revealed at the end of Opening Night Live. We’ll fin out soon enough!
You don’t need to fly all way to Cologne, Germany to experience everything Gamescom 2021 has to offer. This year’s expo is completely digital and free to the public, which means you can watch all the big announcements and check out all the cool new games from the comfort of your living room. That said, attendees still have the option to register for the digital convention for a few additional perks:
- Secure the chance for great prizes via gamescom EPIX
- Benefit from exclusive promo codes and discounts on the pages of gamescom partners
- Create your personal watchlist with your gamescom highlights
- Don’t miss any updates on your favorite games
You can register for Gamescom 2021 here.