Get ready gamers: the biggest gaming event of the year is almost here! The upcoming Opening Night Live show marks the official start of Gamescom 2026, which is set to be packed with major reveals from massive publishers like Ubisoft, Bandai Namco, Krafton, Capcom, Sega, and more.

It’s the world’s largest video game event, significantly bigger than the old E3 expo that it has come to replace ever was.

Hosted by celebrity presenter Geoff Keighley, the Opening Night Live show is the main event for consumers. It’s filled with exciting trailers and reveals, with past years introducing us to Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Resident Evil Requiem, Dead Island 2, and more.

Here’s everything you need to know about the show, plus our live reactions as it happens.

Gamescom Opening Night Live 2026 date and start time

Gamescom Opening Night Live 2026 takes place today on August 25, 2026.

The show will officially begin at 2PM ET / 11AM PDT / 7PM BST / 8PM CEST.

How long is Gamescom Opening Night Live 2026?

Gamescom Opening Night Live 2026 is expected to last roughly two hours.

How to watch the Gamescom Opening Night Live 2026

The best place to watch the Gamescom Opening Night Live 2026 is via the YouTube broadcast on the Gamescom channel.

You can view the official video feed below.

The show will also be streamed on Twitch.

Gamescom Opening Night Live 2026 location

Gamescom Opening Night Live 2026 takes place in Koelnmesse, Hall 1.

The venue is part of the trade fair and exhibition center in Cologne, Germany.

Hello everyone!

Dash here to welcome you to the start of our Gamescom Opening Night Live 2026 coverage.

There’s just under an hour to go until the show, so prepare for a steady stream of updates as things get into gear.

The stream is live right now, but there’s nothing showing… Yet!

The Gamescom Opening Night Live 2026 stream is currently live, but there’s not much to see so far. There’s a simple welcome screen with a black background and a countdown until the pre-show, which starts in 15 or so minutes.

What is the Gamescom pre-show?

Opening Night Live 2026 is the main event, but there’s also a half hour pre-show that will kick off very shortly.

Although I think that it will mainly focus on the Gamescom event and general hype around the show, I expect a few trailers to appear so we might get the odd announcement or two.

Our the first Opening Night Live 2026 leaks in?

Our friends at Tom’s Guide have spotted what appears to be some cover art for an as of yet unannounced Worms game on social media.

Could this be something that is revealed at the show tonight? We’ll have to wait and see…

Another possible leak here, this time highlighted by popular gaming personality ‘Wario64’.

Apparently Humankind 2 has been listed in the Steam backend, which would presumably be a sequel to the 2021 strategy game.

Although I found it pretty derivative of Civilization, I enjoyed what I’ve played of the first Humankind and would be keen for a more ambitious sequel.

Earlier today presenter Geoff Keighley took to X to remind viewers of the show’s length.

If you need a quick refresher, it’s going to be two hours long with a thirty minute pre-show.

Tune in now for the pre-show

The pre-show is just about to begin, so I would recommend tuning in if you don’t want to miss it.

It’s not a vital part of the show by any means, but if you’re around and fancy giving it a watch there might be some neat games to catch your eye.

Here are the games that have already been confirmed

We already know eight titles that will appear at Opening Night Live 2026, courtesy of a Geoff Keighley post earlier this week – including the highly anticipated The Witcher 3 expansion.

Here they are:

• The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past
• Final Fantasy 7 Revelation
• Gears of War: E-Day
• Ananta – Tides of Annihilation
• Metro 2039
• Game of Thrones: War for Westeros
• Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons

That Worms game I mentioned earlier was just announced as part of the pre-show!

It’s coming out some time in 2027.