Gamescom 2025: What to expect, how to livestream
Gamescom 2025 is right around the corner, and it’s set to be one of the biggest gaming events of the year. Over the course of several days, Cologne will once again become the center of the gaming universe, with publishers, developers, and fans all gathering for a week packed with world premieres, hands-on demos, and more livestreamed showcases than you’ll reasonably have time to watch.
Whether you’re in it for the AAA blockbusters, the indie darlings, or just the chaos of live event surprises, this year’s lineup looks stacked. Last year saw the reveal of a lot of big sequels, including Borderlands 4 and Civilization VII. To be honest, this year won't be that much different in that regard now that we know Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is the big game to start of the festivities.
Even still, Gamescom will have a little something for everyone. Here’s how to watch and what you can expect once the show kicks off.
You May Also Like
Gamescom 2025: How to watch
Opening Night Live
Gamescom kicks off with Opening Night Live, setting the tone for everything that follows during the event. The showcase will stream on YouTube and be headlined by the worldwide reveal of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. Yes, that’s right — seven of them. We used to be a proper country.
The livestream starts at 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT / 11 a.m. PT, so clear your schedule if you want to see it all unfold in real-time.
Xbox @ Gamescom
Xbox will stream for two days straight at Gamescom, kicking off on August 20 and running again on August 21. Both broadcasts start bright and early — 9 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. CT / 6 a.m. PT — and will be available to watch on YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, and Facebook.
Gamescom 2025: What to expect
As mentioned up top, the big headliner for this year’s event is the reveal of Black Ops 7. But for anyone whose interests go beyond the annual big shooty-shooter, Microsoft has something special: a playable build of Silksong, the long-awaited sequel to 2017’s sleeper hit action-platformer Hollow Knight.
Xbox’s showcase will also deliver fresh updates on several announced titles, including Grounded 2, Keeper, Ninja Gaiden 4, The Outer Worlds 2, and Overwatch 2.
We might also finally hear pricing details for the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X handheld systems — Microsoft’s first serious push into handheld PC gaming. Based on leaks, these things likely won’t come cheap. One leak pegs the high-end Xbox Ally X at €899 (around $1,047 USD), making it a full $100 more expensive than the 2TB version of the Xbox Series X.
Beyond that, Gamescom will be packed with reveals, trailers, and even live performances. Here’s the full schedule so far:
Opening Night Live — August 19, 1:30 p.m. ET (pre-show), 2 p.m. ET (main show)
Xbox @ Gamescom 2025 Broadcast — August 20, 9 a.m. ET
Future Games Show — August 20, 2 p.m. ET
Xbox @ Gamescom 2025 Broadcast — August 21, 9 a.m. ET
Bethesda — streaming on Twitch August 22–25
Topics Video Games
Chance Townsend is the General Assignments Editor at Mashable, covering tech, video games, dating apps, digital culture, and whatever else comes his way. He has a Master's in Journalism from the University of North Texas and is a proud orange cat father. His writing has also appeared in PC Mag and Mother Jones.
In his free time, he cooks, loves to sleep, and greatly enjoys Detroit sports. If you have any tips or want to talk shop about the Lions, you can reach out to him on Bluesky @offbrandchance.bsky.social or by email at [email protected].
