The countdown to the biggest gaming showcase of the year has officially begun. Gamescom Opening Night Live 2025— the high-profile kick-off show hosted by Geoff Keighley — will air globally on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, delivering two hours of new game reveals, exclusive trailers and live developer appearances streamed live from Cologne, Germany.
According to Game Informer, the pre-show is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. PT / 1:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. CEST, followed by the main show at 11:00 a.m. PT / 2:00 p.m. ET / 8:00 p.m. CEST. The event will be available to watch free of charge via YouTube and Twitch on the official Gamescom and The Game Awards channels, and internationally through the Gamescom Now digital platform.
Fans watching from home can expect a tightly curated lineup of announcements and gameplay premieres across PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch and PC, along with updates from top indie studios. Multiple outlets are already reporting confirmed appearances, including the world gameplay premiere of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and a full cinematic and gameplay showcase for the next major World of Warcraft: Midnight expansion .
Historical start times place Opening Night Live firmly in European prime time, which means afternoon viewing in the United States and late-night viewing in Asia-Pacific. TrueAchievements notes the same timing, confirming the keynote will begin at 11:00 a.m. PT / 2:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. BST / 8:00 p.m. CEST. The showcase typically runs for around two hours, not including the pre-show.
While the full list of participating publishers has not yet been announced, previous years have included appearances from Xbox Game Studios, Ubisoft, Bandai Namco, SEGA, EA, Square Enix and Larian Studios, making ONL one of the most reliable venues for major late-year release announcements and early 2026 previews. Fans hoping to attend in person may have the opportunity through Gamescom’s limited ticket allocations and partner giveaways, although the majority of the global audience will tune in online.
More details — including the full lineup and confirmed game list — are expected to be revealed in early August, but if history is any indicator, Gamescom Opening Night Live 2025 will once again set the tone for the rest of the week with high-impact announcements and tightly edited reveals.