What you need to know
- Gamescom is a major, annual convention that brings together thousands of people to celebrate video games.
- Now, Xbox has detailed its Gamescom 2024 plans, including showcasing over 50 Xbox games alongside Activision Blizzard.
- There will be hands-on demos, live shows and guided previews, the opportunity to win free prizes, and much more.
- Confirmed games include Avowed, Starfield, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Towerborne, Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred, and many more first and third-party Xbox titles.
It was basically a given that Xbox would have a huge presence at Gamescom 2024, as the major publisher is rarely missed at the biggest video games conventions and shows (and, also, Xbox already confirmed it'd be at Gamescom). Now, we know exactly what to expect from Xbox in Cologne, Germany this year, with the company joining forces with its new subsidiary Activision Blizzard for the first time to offer players at the show and abroad a ton of fun experiences.
Xbox's Gamescom presence later this year will boast over 50 new and upcoming Xbox and Windows PC games, split between Xbox's first-party studios and third-party partners. There will be plenty of hands-on demos, theater shows (that are also livestreamed worldwide), opportunities for fans to win assorted prizes, all the Xbox and Activision Blizzard merch you could ask for, and much more. It's looking to be a big year for Xbox, with accessibility being a priority to allow as many people as possible to experience it.
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So, we already knew that Xbox was planning its 'biggest booth ever' for Gamescom 2024, but we finally know what that actually looks like. The Xbox and Activision Blizzard booth will let attendees and fans go hands-on with a ton of games, including (but certainly not limited to) Age of Mythology: Retold, Ara: History Untold, Towerborne, Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred, Fallout 76: Milepost Zero, and The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road.
Don't forget the third-party studios, as many of Xbox's partners are also excited to let attendees go hands-on with their games, including Star Wars Outlaws, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, Atomfall, and a ton of various ID@Xbox titles. There will be dozens of games to play, but Xbox is showing off even more beyond the hands-on demos for the best upcoming Xbox games.
Xbox will also be hosting exclusive presentations in a dedicated theater (which will also be livestreamed globally) with new information and previews of Obsidian Entertainment's fantasy RPG Avowed, Bethesda Softworks' Starfield: Shattered Space expansion, and MachineGames' Nazi-punching Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Blizzard will have its own showings, with an interactive experience for World of Warcraft: The War Within, a tournament for Diablo Immortal, and even a life-sized D.VA from Overwatch 2 (shown alongside a new all-electric Porsche, for some reason).
One great bit of news from all these announcements is the fact that Xbox is focusing on accessibility at Gamescom 2024. Each booth will be wheelchair accessible, Xbox Adaptive Controllers will be available for each demo if requested, ASL and DGS sign language interpreters and audio description guides will be on site, Xbox will provide accessory aids and a "quiet room" for anyone who needs them, and Xbox's "Here to Help" staff will be readily available to answer questions and provide guidance.
That still isn't everything, though. The next few sections will be dedicated to Xbox's fan-centric events at Gamescom 2024, when you can expect Xbox to go live worldwide, and what you need to know about Gamescom itself.
For the Xbox fans @ Gamescom 2024
Aside from the demos and live shows, Xbox will have various areas set aside for fans with unique events, experiences, and opportunities. Here's a quick rundown of what to expect:
- Xbox Game Pass will have its own section at Gamescom 2024 teaching players about all the different ways Game Pass can make gaming more fun for you. On top of that, Game Pass will be hosting giveaways and rewarding prizes through various games, with attendees able to win prizes like:
- Xbox Game Pass tokens
- NVIDIA GeForce Now tokens
- PC and console storage
- Xbox Cloud Gaming devices
- HP OMEN and HyperX monitors, headsets, microphones, mice, and keyboards
- The Xbox Gear Shop will have a physical booth set up at Gamescom 2024 for attendees to buy merch and accessories for Xbox, Bethesda, Call of Duty, and more.
- Xbox will maintain a dedicated Community Area at Gamescom 2024 to let attendees get away from the hustle and bustle of the main show, and will feature special activities like cosplay meetups, trivia games, and meet-and-greets with developers, voice actors, and more.
- Xbox FanFest will also be making a return, bringing together Xbox's biggest fans for an exclusive event. If you're planning to attend Gamescom, you can sign up at the Xbox FanFest site and use code FANFEST for a chance to win tickets to this event.
Three days of Xbox and Bethesda livestreams
You don't have to go to Gamescom directly to learn more about the Xbox's upcoming games lineup, as both Xbox and Bethesda will be hosting daily livestreams. You'll be able to find the streams on Xbox's Twitch, Xbox's Facebook, and Xbox's YouTube. The livestreams will be English, but will also be available to stream in German, Arabic, Traditional Chinese, Czech, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, Castilian Spanish, Mexican Spanish and Turkish, and ASL and English Audio Descriptions.
Xbox and Bethesda both will be streaming on Aug. 21, 22, and 23 for Gamescom, with Xbox's daily stream starting at 6:00 a.m. PT / 9:00 a.m. ET / 2:00 p.m. BST / 3:00 p.m. CEST, with each day being focused on a different collection of upcoming Xbox games. Bethesda will have its own daily stream starting at 5:00 a.m. PT / 8:00 a.m. ET / 1:00 p.m. BST / 2:00 p.m. CEST.
You can read more about all of this on the Xbox @Gamescom 2024 site.
What is Gamescom 2024 and when does it start?
Gamescom is one of the oldest (still-running) video games conventions, bringing together gamers, fans, and companies from around the world for an annual event in Cologne, Germany. Since 2009, Gamescom has been a huge source of new games announcements and reveals, the opportunity for hands-on demos and previews, and more. Xbox has historically had a huge presence at Gamescom, and it'll be bigger than ever this year.
If you want to attend Gamescom or live around Cologne, Germany, Gamescom 2024 officially kicks off on Aug. 20, 2024 with an opening ceremony, with the main event taking place across Aug. 21-25, 2024. Even if you can't attend yourself, plenty of Gamescom 2024 will be streamed worldwide via various streaming services, especially direct from companies like Xbox.
