Gamescom 2025: The tops and flops of the games fair
More exhibitors, more space – and highlights from Germany. Gamescom 2025 masks the industry crisis with optimism. Here's how the games fair went.
Research Minister Dorothee Bär and NRW's Minister President Hendrik Wüst at Gamescom
(Image: Koelnmesse GmbH, Uwe Weiser)
Loud, colorful and sometimes a little too much of a good thing: This can be said not only about Gamescom, but also about the gaga shooter "High on Life 2", which can be played in the somewhat less busy business halls. But first back to the trade fair: The organizers, who had confidently crowned games the "perfect entertainment" in the run-up to the trade fair, should be satisfied. In our picture gallery, we have collected the positive things we noticed at Gamescom 2025 and the things we didn't like.
Die Tops und Flops der Gamescom 2025 (8 Bilder)
Top: Deutsche Spiele im Mittelpunkt
King Art
)Put on a brave face
Although the visitor numbers are still a long way off, the industry association game and Koelnmesse are already throwing record announcements around. This year saw more records set in terms of exhibitors – 1500 from 72 countries – and exhibition space. 233,000 square meters is not much more than last year's 230,000. But it is more!
The industry urgently needs success stories, both nationally and internationally. The industry is going through tough times, thousands of employees have been made redundant, studios have closed, and entire business models have been called into question. It affects the big and the small. From the outside, this is hardly noticeable at Gamescom, but if you talk to the developers, you can hear that it is a burden. Not many are currently hiring new staff.
After all, the German games industry has had a credible ally for years in Research Minister Dorothee Bär, who opened the trade fair this year after her return to government. She seemed less out of place than some of her colleagues. She has already done German studios a favor: games funding, which has been at a standstill for two years, is picking up speed again. Studios are allowed to submit applications again, and 125 million euros in funding will be available annually from 2026. The maximum amount per funding project will increase to 8 million euros – which is also significantly more than before. This could also provide significant support for larger projects.
Two such funded projects were particularly present at Gamescom 2025: "Anno 117", which could be seen on large posters in half of Cologne and can be played at Gamescom, and "Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War", which was one of the most exciting new announcements at the games fair. Both titles make a very promising impression, even if King Art still has some work to do with "Dawn of War 4". The strategy game is due to be released in 2026.
Lighthouses, voxel cities and mech battles
In addition to these two highlights from Germany, we were able to try out other games – such as the cute "Keeper" from Tim Schafer's studio Double Fine, in which you walk through fairytale-like panoramas as a walking lighthouse. The tranquil, beautiful building game "Town To City" combines voxel aesthetics with intuitive building strategy. And the roguelite game "Morbid Metal", also from a German studio, lets players shred enemy robots in massive melee battles in a continuous loop.
Those who like things a little more conventional can look forward to the releases of "Borderlands 4" and "Resident Evil Requiem", which do not stand out too much from their predecessors. Also, a sequel, but not at all conventional, is the aforementioned "High on Life 2", in which you lay waste to absurd alien worlds armed with live guns and a skateboard. It's very wild, but surprisingly entertaining. "The Expanse" role-playing game "Osiris Reborn " has potential, but obviously still needs some time.
Videos by heise
'Silksong' surprise
Fans of VR games are not left empty-handed either: With "Reach VR" and "Deadpool VR", two upcoming titles from the top drawer were shown at Gamescom. Meanwhile, handheld enthusiasts might find the Xbox Ally from Asus and Microsoft exciting: Not only does it fit particularly well in the hand thanks to controller grips, but it also comes with several interesting software features that should also enrich other Windows devices in the future.
Saving the best for last: "Silksong", the legendarily mysterious successor to the indie darling "Hollow Knight", is alive, thriving, and surprisingly playable in Cologne – an unexpected highlight for many Gamescom visitors. But those who stayed at home won't have to wait much longer. Silksong" goes on sale on September 4. By then, the Gamescom organizers will certainly have announced their new visitor record.
(dahe)
