Where and how to watch Gamescom 2026 Opening Night Live: here's a recap of what to expect, including the premiere of The Witcher 3's next DLC expansion

A woman and a man stand on stage holding microphones in front of a screen displaying a dark, eerie scene with figures featuring glowing red eyes.

We're mere hours away from Gamescom 2026's epic Opening Night Live ceremony, set to commence on August 25, 2026, at 11:00 am PT / 2:00 pm ET / 8:00 pm CEST / 7:00 BST.

The event will be packed with all kinds of insane game announcements from the likes of CD Projekt Red, Xbox Game Studios, Capcom, Square Enix, and much more.

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Here's where and how you can watch the Gamescom 2026 Opening Night Live ceremony unfold, along with a recap of what kind of game announcements you can expect to see there.

Gamescom 2026 Opening Night Live watch times and platforms

Gamescom 2026 Opening Night Live will premiere on Gamescom's YouTube and Twitch channels and will start at the following times per time zone:

• August 25, 2026, 11:00 am PST
• August 25, 2026, 12:00 pm MDT
• August 25, 2026, 1:00 pm CDT
• August 25, 2026, 2:00 pm EDT
• August 25, 2026, 3:00 pm BRT
• August 25, 2026, 7:00 pm BST
• August 25, 2026, 8:00 pm CEST
• August 26, 2026, 2:00 am CST
• August 26, 2026, 3:00 am JST
• August 26, 2026, 4:00 am AEST
• August 26, 2026, 6:00 am NZST

What can we expect to see during Gamescom 2026 Opening Night Live?

Hunt monsters one more time as Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's third DLC expansion, 'Songs of the Past'. (Image credit: CD Projekt Red)

The games confirmed to receive new trailers and announcements during the event include:

• The Witcher 3 : Wild Hunt - Songs of the Past
• Final Fantasy VII: Revelation
• Gears of War: E-Day
• Ananta
• Tides of Annihilation
• Metro 2039
• Game of Thrones: War for Westeros
• Warlock: Dungeons and Dragons
• Silent Hill : Townfall
• Path of Exile 2
• Monster Hunter Outlanders
• Cinder City
• EXODUS
• AION2
• Pony Island 2
• Valor Mortis
• Showa American Story
• ONTOS

Of course, like all these high-profile gaming events, Gamescom 2026 will potentially feature world premieres of some unannounced video games and new trailers for upcoming Xbox and PC games and their DLC expansions still in development.

Here's hoping some of my most-anticipated games get new info and trailers at Gamescom 2026, like Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendence, Spyro: A Realm Beyond, Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy, and Persona 6.

🗨️ Over to you

Which confirmed game announcement are you looking forward to the most? Are there any surprise game reveals you want to see, no matter how unlikely they are?

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