Gamescom 2021 schedule: Dates, UK times and how to watch live from home

All the UK start times for the main Gamescom 2021 shows.

By Joe Julians

Published: Monday, 23 August 2021 at 12:00 am

The summer of gaming rages on – E3 2021 and EA Play Live have been and gone, but there is still another event on the way that gamers are eagerly awaiting. Gamescom 2021 is confirmed to be going ahead this year and, hopefully, it will bring many exciting surprises and new developments along with it.

There is no physical version of Gamescom this year, with the traditionally Cologne-based gaming industry conference taking the shape of an online-only event this year for the second August in a row.

The all-digital Gamescom 2021 promises four days filled with the biggest news that gaming has to offer, and many of the big companies are going to be in attendance. There are a couple of notable absentees, but we should have fun without them!

An Xbox panel will open up the whole event – hot on the heels of the excellent reviews for Psychonauts 2, the latest from Microsoft-owned studio Double Fine Productions – so let’s hope they have enough up their sleeves to start Gamescom 2021 in style.

But when is Gamescom 2021, and how do you watch it all? Read on to discover all of the important information about this year’s show and how you can get involved!

When is Gamescom 2021?

The Gamescom 2021 dates have now been confirmed – the official event’s main schedule of live streams is set to start on Tuesday 25th August 2021 and it will run until Friday 27th August.

That’s a good few days of fun, then, which should be ample time for the companies in attendance to show off their latest trailers with plenty of chatter in between. And here’s some good news – the show is free, so you won’t have to spend a penny to keep up with it all.

How to watch Gamescom 2021

You can watch Gamescom 2021 in a number of different places, and we’ve got all the relevant links for you right here – you can take your pick from the conference’s official channels on YouTube, Twitch, Facebook Gaming or even Twitter.

It’s also worth remembering that when a big company is hosting its own showcase as part of Gamescom 2021, you should expect to see the stream on that company’s own channels, which we’ll be sure to link for you during the schedule below.

"Geoff
Geoff Keighley will once again host Gamescom Opening Night Live.
Getty

Gamescom 2022 schedule

There are Gamescom 2021 live streams going on from Tuesday through until Friday this week, and we’ve compiled all the important start times for you below (from a UK time zone perspective). Take a look at this list and you’ll have your head wrapped around the Gamescom 2021 schedule in no time. All the mainline Gamescom shows should be viewable on the Gamescom YouTube channel, and we’ve included links below for all the others.

Tuesday 24th August 2021

Wednesday 25th August 2021

  • 6.30pm UK time: Gamescom Opening Night Live Pre-Show
  • 7pm UK time: Gamescom Opening Night Live
  • 9pm UK time: Gamescom Opening Night Live Aftershow

Thursday 26th August 2021

Friday 27th August 2021

  • 6pm UK time: Game Scoop Live
  • 7pm UK time: Gamescom Studio (updates from various companies)
  • 10.30pm UK time: Gamescom Wrap-up Show

Note: PlayStation and Nintendo will not be presenting at Gamescom this year, as far as we know. If there’s another company you’re hoping to see that isn’t listed formally on the schedule, it’s worth keeping an eye on Opening Night Live, the Future Games Show, the Awesome Indies Showcase and those ‘Gamescom Studio’ slots in the schedule – that’s where we could see surprise appearances from quite a few prominent companies in the industry. Fingers crossed for some big reveals…

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