Gamescom 2025 opens with ONL and hands-on previews

A preview of Gamescom 2025 covering Opening Night Live and early hands-on demos from major publishers.

Gamescom 2025 opens with ONL and hands-on previews

Gamescom 2025 opens in Germany with Opening Night Live, followed by a week of show-floor demos. Microsoft, Nintendo, Ubisoft, Warner Bros. and other publishers are on site to showcase new titles for PC, PS5, Switch 2 and Xbox Series X. Several long-awaited games will be playable for the first time, giving fans a concrete sense of what to expect this year and beyond.

Polygon will report live from ONL and the show floor as previews roll out and hands-on sessions begin. The lineup blends big-budget releases with indie titles, and the appearance of Switch 2 signals a broader hardware strategy that could shape how developers optimize for multiple platforms.

The pacing hints at how the industry talks to fans in the age of rapid reveals. ONL acts as a fast-moving reel of announcements, while on-floor demos turn trailers into tangible experiences for players and journalists.

Platform strategy matters. The Switch 2 presence shifts the calculus for developers who must balance performance across devices, and it could widen gaps between major tentpoles and smaller projects as teams navigate budgets and timelines.

Highlights

The coming days will show which titles stand the test of hands-on play.