gamescom 2026: Germany plays more than it develops
Why Europe's largest games market is falling behind as a development location and funding has so far barely countered this
gamescom 2026 runs from August 26 to 30 in Cologne and online, the world's largest event for computer and video games. The political assembly around the opening is extensively described. The economic calculation behind it is less so. It states: Germany is Europe's largest games market and at the same time a weak development location. And the most important tool to close this gap has so far only worked halfway.
A Billion Market That Produces Little
Germany, with an annual turnover of around 9.4 billion euros, is the largest games market in Europe. The balance sheet looks different when it comes to development. A large part of the titles played here are created abroad; value creation and well-paid jobs often arise elsewhere. This very imbalance is the reason why the state provides support at all: The market is growing, but the location is not keeping up. For founders, investors, and technology companies, therefore, it matters less which blockbusters are shown in Cologne. What matters is where they will be developed in the future.
125 Million Euros, One Third Planned
The government is trying to counteract, so far with mixed success. For 2026, the federal government has budgeted approximately 125 million euros for the games sector, the majority of which will go into games funding. By mid-year, according to the GamesWirtschaft service, only about a third of that had been planned, with more than 80 million euros still unutilized. So, the money is there. It's just slow to reach the studios. This points to a structural problem: A project funding system that needs to be applied for and approved in advance is ill-suited to an industry that needs to quickly scale up or pause.
The actual goal is a tax credit
The industry thus seeks a different tool: tax incentives for game projects, similar to those known in countries like the UK, France, or Canada. A tax credit automatically applies, scales with actual production, and provides studios with planning security over several years. Such support is agreed upon as an intention in the coalition agreement, but it has not been implemented. The fact that Lars Klingbeil, the Federal Minister of Finance, is coming to the opening in Cologne is no coincidence in this context, but rather the signal that the studios are waiting for.
The location is not decided on stage
This year, gamescom showcases the demand side at its best. In 2025, 357,000 visitors from 128 countries came, joined by over 34,000 trade visitors and 1,568 exhibitors from 72 countries covering 233,000 square meters. However, a location does not emerge by itself. It depends on capital, skilled workers, and reliable framework conditions, and exactly those are not yet in place. As long as the tax credit remains an announcement, Germany continues to be an excellent place to sell games, and a mediocre one to develop them.
Thus, the sequence of signals is clear. The attention of policymakers is there, as is the size of the market. What is missing is the tool that turns demand into a production site. gamescom 2026 highlights this gap. It must be closed by the legislature.