2026 Gaming Calendar: Germany, Austria & Switzerland’s Biggest Event Dates

Germany, Austria, and Switzerland are set to host a packed slate of consumer gaming shows, indie showcases, esports stops, and developer-focused conferences across 2026—ranging from major industry events in Berlin and Cologne to smaller regional LAN and community festivals. Here’s a consolidated look at the dates and locations for the year’s biggest public-facing gaming calendar moments, as tracked through late July 2026.

Major gaming events across 2026 (Germany, Austria, Switzerland)

1. January 2026

   • Spielwarenmesse 2026 — 27–31 January 2026 — NürnbergMesse, Nuremberg.
   • MAG-C Erfurt 2026 — 31 January to 1 February 2026 — Messe Erfurt, Erfurt.

2. February 2026

   • MAG-C Erfurt 2026 — 31 January to 1 February 2026 — Messe Erfurt, Erfurt.

3. March 2026

   • GG Bavaria 2026 (Gaming festival) — 6–8 March 2026 — Kleine Olympiahalle, Munich.
   • GDC Festival of Gaming 2026 (Developer conference) — 9–13 March 2026 — Moscone Center, San Francisco (USA).
   • Gamescom LAN 2026 — 20–22 March 2026 — Koelnmesse, Cologne.
   • Massif Games Convention (Conference + expo) — 26–28 March 2026 — Frankfurt am Main.

4. April 2026

   • Nerdicon LE — 16 April 2026 — Leipzig (held as part of Caggtus Leipzig) — cancelled.
   • Caggtus Leipzig 2026 — 17–19 April 2026 — Leipziger Messe, Leipzig.
   • Virtual Bundesliga 2025/26 Finale (Esports tournament) — 18–19 April 2026 — Xperion Hamburg.
   • Baltic Games Fest 2026 — 24–25 April 2026 — Holstenhallen, Neumünster.
   • Maimarkt Mannheim feat. Games for Families — 25 April to 5 May — Mannheim.
   • GG Business Day 2026 — 28 April 2026 — Die Gamerei, Munich.
   • Deutscher Computerspielpreis (DCP) 2026 — 29 April 2026 — Herkulessaal in the Residenz, Munich.

5. May 2026

   • Maimarkt Mannheim feat. Games for Families — 25 April to 5 May — Mannheim.
   • OMR Festival (Digital marketing conference) — 5–6 May — Messe Hamburg.
   • Learntec (Education conference) — 5–7 May — Messe Karlsruhe.
   • Indie Game Fest 2026 (Expo + B2B formats) — 8–9 May — Wasserturm Hotel Cologne, Cologne.
   • 20. Lange Nacht der Computerspiele — 9 May 2026 — HTWK Leipzig.
   • A MAZE / Berlin 2026 (Indie/arthouse festival) — 13–16 May 2026 — Berlin.
   • Fantasy Basel: The Swiss Comic Con (Pop culture festival) — 14–16 May 2026 — Messe Basel (Switzerland).
   • GameCamp Bayreuth 2026 — 16–17 May 2026 — University of Bayreuth.
   • Republica 2026 (Digital conference) — 18–20 May 2026, with an “On Screen” format on 19 May — Station, Berlin.
   • Level Up 2026 (Gaming, pop culture, esports festival) — 23–24 May 2026 — Messe Salzburg.
   • LFG-Con 2026 (Gaming and pop culture festival) — 24 May 2026 — Freiheitshalle Hof.
   • GGG Games Games Gathering 2026 (Networking event) — 28 May 2026 — Assemble Entertainment, Wiesbaden.
   • DoKomi 2026 (Pop culture festival) — 29–31 May 2026 — Messe Düsseldorf.

6. June 2026

   • Womenize! 2026 (Industry conference) — 3 June 2026 — Institut Francais, Berlin.
   • Game Sommerfest 2026 — 9 June 2026 — Zollpackhof, Berlin (invitation-only).
   • Serious Play Conference Europe 2026 (Industry conference) — 18–19 June 2026 — Mainz.
   • Global Esports Industry Week 2026 (Esports conference) — 18–21 June 2026 — Cologne.
   • IEM Cologne 2026 (Esports tournament) — 18–21 June 2026 — Lanxess Arena, Cologne.
   • Gamers Heaven (Gaming festival) — 20–21 June 2026 — Sportzentrum Telfs, Tirol (Austria).
   • BRANDmania 2026 — 24–25 June 2026 — Zeche Zollverein, Essen.
   • Portside Game Assembly 2026 (Networking/conference format) — 25–26 June 2026 — Hamburg.

7. July 2026

   • Esports Festival 2026 — 11–12 July 2026 — Austria Center Vienna, Vienna.
   • GDD German Dev Days 2026 (Developer conference) — 22–23 July 2026 — Saalbau Gallus, Frankfurt am Main.
   • Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival 2026 — 25–26 July 2026 — Messe Berlin.

8. August 2026

   • FarmCon 26 — 1–2 August 2026 — Volvo Construction Equipment, Konz.
   • Gaming & Kids Weekend (including Nintendo “Sommertour”) — 14–16 August 2026 — Olympiapark Munich.
   • Gamescom Dev 2026 — 24–25 August 2026 — Koelnmesse, Cologne.
   • Gamescom: Opening Night Live (ONL) — 25 August 2026 — Koelnmesse, Cologne.
   • Gamescom 2026 — 26–30 August 2026 — Koelnmesse, Cologne.
   • Gamescom Congress 2026 — 27 August 2026 — Koelnmesse, Cologne.
   • Worlds of Play (exhibition) — 27–29 August 2026 — Wassermannhalle, Cologne.
   • Gamescom City Festival 2026 — 29–30 August 2026 — Cologne city center.

9. September 2026

   • IFA 2026 — 4–8 September 2026 — Messe Berlin.
   • Nexus Nerd Rock Festival 2026 — 18–20 September 2026 — Agra Park Leipzig.
   • Zurich Pop Con & Game Show — 26–27 September 2026 — Messe Zurich (Switzerland).

10. October 2026

    • HeroFest 2026 — 2–4 October 2026 — BERNEXPO, Bern (Switzerland).
    • Polaris Convention 2026 — 9–11 October 2026 — Hamburg Messe und Congress, Hamburg.
    • SimRacing Expo 2026 — 16–18 October 2026 — Messe Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main.
    • FrankenLAN — 23–25 October 2026 — Friedensforum, Bayreuth.

11. November 2026

    • Games Ground Berlin 2026 — 5–8 November 2026 — Berlin.
    • PLAY! Con 2026 — 7–8 November 2026 — Trier.
    • PLAY 26 Creative Gaming Festival — 18–21 November 2026 — Urbaneo, Hamburg.
    • Comic Con / CCON Stuttgart 2026 — 28–29 November 2026 — Messe Stuttgart.

12. December 2026

    • Deutscher Entwicklerpreis 2026 — 8 December 2026 — Gürzenich, Cologne.

What this calendar says about 2026’s gaming scene

Across the year, the schedule shows a clear split between large national anchors and more specialized community events: major public weeks in Cologne around Gamescom (including Dev, ONL, Congress, and the City Festival), major industry and tech-adjacent gatherings like IFA in Berlin, and dedicated esports blocks in June and beyond. It also highlights developer and creative industry touchpoints—from German Dev Days to awards and indie-focused expos—alongside fan festivals such as the Final Fantasy XIV event in Berlin.