Gamescom 2026 records attendance, The Witcher and other games become main events

The results of the Gamescom Awards 2026 were revealed this Friday, the 28th, highlighting various games, exhibitors, and companies participating in Gamescom 2026, held in Cologne, Germany.

CD Projekt Red and Sega were the main winners, each securing three awards. Additionally, Capcom and Ubisoft also stood out, taking two categories each.

In total, the awards ceremony covered 19 categories, with decisions made by both a jury and the vote of the public present at the event.

The Witcher 3 Awards

CD Projekt Red received three awards related to the updates for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt presented during Gamescom. The release of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered and the expansion Songs of the Past were awarded in the Best Trailer/Announcement category, determined by popular vote.

Furthermore, the stand dedicated to Songs of the Past won the Best Booth award, chosen by the jury, and the collectible items (pin and medallion) distributed there received the Best Merchandise award, also by public vote. With these achievements, CD Projekt Red concluded the awards with three trophies.

Sega's Victories

Sega achieved the same number of wins as CD Projekt Red, totaling three awards. Alien: Isolation 2, developed by Creative Assembly, was honored with the Best Audio award, while Total War: Warhammer 40,000, also from Creative Assembly, was selected as Best PC Game.

Sega itself secured the Best Game Line award, a category that evaluates the set of attractions and games offered by a company during Gamescom.

Capcom and Ubisoft Highlights

Capcom took home two victories at the Gamescom Awards 2026 thanks to the title Onimusha: Way of the Sword. This game won the Best Gameplay category, surpassing competitors such as Alien: Isolation 2, Cairn, Denshattack!, and The Blood of Dawnwalker. Moreover, the new Onimusha was elected Best PlayStation Game.

Ubisoft also won two awards. Rayman Legends Retold was awarded Best Nintendo Switch 2 Game, and the Ubisoft Business Lounge received the Best Commercial Booth award.

Other Notable Winners

Although Metro 2039 had the highest number of nominations, it finished with a win. The new title from 4A Games and Deep Silver won the Best Visuals category, beating Alien: Isolation 2, DEPERSON, Forza Horizon 6, and Inkblood.

Tides of Annihilation, produced by Eclipse Glow Games, was awarded in the Most Epic category. Among platform games, Forza Horizon 6 was chosen as Best Xbox Game, and Where Winds Meet received the Best Mobile Game award.

Special Award and Closing

Games Done Quick (GDQ) received the special Heart of Gaming award, granted by the jury. Known for promoting speedrunning events to raise funds for charities, GDQ has already raised over US$ 50 million through its activities. At Gamescom 2026, the project will hold its first European edition of Gamescom GDQ between August 28th and 30th.

The awards concluded an edition where major productions shared the stage with smaller titles among the winners. Games like Metro 2039, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, and Alien: Isolation 2 won technical categories, while projects such as Finding Polka, Wanderburg, and SOKO 1977 were also awarded.

Gamescom 2026 began in Cologne, Germany, marking its largest edition to date. The event completely filled an area of 233 thousand square meters, an unprecedented feat in the fair's history, bringing together developers, companies, industry professionals, and gamers.

In this edition, participation exceeded the mark of 1,700 exhibitors, representing 67 countries and regions, surpassing the previous record of 1,568. A notable aspect of Gamescom's international growth is that over 70% of the participating companies are not German.

The organization anticipates the arrival of over 350 thousand visitors by the closing of the fair, scheduled for August 30th. In addition to exhibitors, Gamescom features 47 national and regional pavilions, setting another record for the event, and hosts everyone from industry giants to global independent developers.

Major corporations such as Xbox, Sega, and Nintendo are present, using the event to showcase new titles and allow the public to test their games. Visitors have the opportunity to experience titles like Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds and Mario Kart World, as well as other releases presented during the week.

A point of great interest for the public was The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which gained prominence after announcements made during the Opening Night Live. CD Projekt Red released the The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Remastered version, which offers visual, performance, and gameplay improvements to the RPG, and also presented the first details of the new expansion Songs of the Past, reigniting interest in the title.

In addition to future releases, artificial intelligence emerged as a prominent theme at Gamescom 2026. Developers and companies are discussing how to integrate new AI-based tools into creation and production processes within the video game industry, reflecting a broader shift in game development due to increasing costs, complexity, and scale of major productions.

Gamescom 2026 remains open until August 30th, having started general public access this Thursday (27th). Despite the expanded area, the main focus of the event remains the connection between players, developers, and communities. With expectations of over 350 thousand visitors by Sunday, the 2026 edition consolidates Gamescom as one of the world's leading showcases in the video game sector.

The Gamescom organization has released the games nominated for the Gamescom Awards 2026, a ceremony that celebrates some of the most relevant titles presented at this year's fair in Cologne, Germany.

Among the competitors, Metro 2039, produced by 4A Games and distributed by Deep Silver, stands out as the main highlight, accumulating five nominations. These mentions include the Best Visuals and Most Epic categories, as well as awards related to the game's release platforms.

Following them are Alien: Isolation 2, from Creative Assembly and SEGA, and the independent title Denshattack!, developed by Undercoders and Fireshine Games, both with four nominations each.

Despite being presented during Gamescom 2026, Metro 2039 received the highest number of nominations in this edition. In addition to competing for Best Visuals, it competes in the Most Epic categories and the respective platform categories.

SEGA also shows strong participation in the awards. In addition to the four nominations for Alien: Isolation 2, the games Total War: WARHAMMER 40,000 and STRANGER THAN HEAVEN received two awards each. In total, the publisher achieves eight nominations, according to the organization.

The awards are segmented into several groups. In the ARTS Group, aspects such as visuals, audio, gameplay, entertainment, and the overall impact of the games are analyzed.

In addition to the evaluation conducted by an international panel composed of journalists specialized in games and content creators, certain categories allow public participation. The popular vote began on August 26th and ends this Thursday (27th) at 2:00 PM Central European Time (CEST).

Participants can vote for their favorites in the ARTS and PLATFORM group categories, as well as in Best Booth, Best Merch, and Best Trailer/Announcement. Votes can be registered through the official Gamescom website or in person at the event using QR Codes.

The winners of the Gamescom Awards 2026 will be selected from the titles exhibited during the event, and the awarded games will be accessible to the public in the fair's entertainment area.