The best gaming events for founders in 2027 are the ones where a small studio can pitch, meet publishers and talk to investors who fund games. These are the ten worth planning around, from London, Lisbon, Kraków, Malmö, Brighton and Cologne to San Francisco, São Paulo and a game jam in your own city.
Games are a hit-driven business where most studios live on publisher deals, platform support and a few investors who know the sector, so we chose events with an investor or publisher matchmaking track, an indie showcase or a pitch. Europe comes first, with the best of the rest of the world. We checked every date on the organiser's own website and mark each one as Confirmed (date on the official site), Announced (reliable second source only) or Expected (based on past editions only). All ten below are Confirmed.
This article is regularly updated with new events. Do you know about an event that needs to be added? Send us some info and we will see if it's a fit.
🔗 Add an awesome event
Top 10 Gaming Startup Events of 2027 at a Glance
The 10 best gaming startup events of 2027
1. Pocket Gamer Connects London: 18–19 January 2027, London
The first big European games business event of the year, with about 3,000 attendees in 2026. For founders, the useful parts are the Investor Connector (Monday 18 January, 10:00–12:00; enter by 5 January 2027), Publisher SpeedMatch and the Big Indie Pitch, where indie teams pitch for a promotional package worth thousands of dollars and get live feedback from the judges.
2. Global Game Jam: 25–31 January 2027, worldwide
Teams make a game around one theme in a weekend. The organisers count more than 110,000 games made in 132 countries. It is the cheapest way to test a team, find a co-founder or build a prototype. Site registration opens on 1 November 2026 and jammer registration on 1 December 2026.
3. GDC Festival of Gaming: 1–4 March 2027, San Francisco
GDC has a Start-Up pass for early-stage companies, so a small studio can join the full programme at a lower price. Use the week to book publisher and investor meetings in the Business Hall, and look at the Independent Games Festival if you have a game to show.
4. gamescom dev leadership summit: 23–25 March 2027, Lisbon
Held under NDA so leaders can talk openly about hard questions away from the public. It is expensive, so it fits founders who already run a studio with a team and want to learn from peers.
5. London Games Festival: 12–19 April 2027, London
Run by Games London. The Games Finance Market is a business event where studios meet investors and publishers. Games London also runs the Game Changer Accelerator for founders, which makes the festival a good place to meet the London games funding scene.
6. gamescom latam: 22–25 April 2027, São Paulo
The BIG Festival is now part of gamescom latam, with its indie awards and the BIG Starter and BIG Highlight programmes for independent developers. Proposals for the 2027 business programme can be sent until 18 January 2027. Go if Latin America is one of your markets.
7. Digital Dragons: 23–25 May 2027, Kraków
Run by the Krakow Technology Park. In the Indie Zone, teams present their games to media, investors and publishers. The organiser also runs the DD Accelerator and Pitch Odyssey, a pitch training format.
8. Nordic Game: 25–28 May 2027, Malmö
The Games Capital Summit connects venture-ready studios with investors who back games. Indie demo packages include the Publishers & Investors Day, a mentorship programme, a live pitch and the People's Choice Awards, which makes Nordic Game one of the best-value events in Europe for a small studio.
9. Develop:Brighton: 13–15 July 2027, Brighton
More than 5,800 people came in 2026. The Indie Showcase is for unpublished games and has a jury award and a People's Choice Award, and Meet@Develop helps you book meetings. Good for practical talks on making, funding and selling games.
10. gamescom and gamescom dev: 23–29 August 2027, Cologne
The biggest week of the year for meeting publishers, platforms and press in one place. Before the fair opens, gamescom dev runs its developer conference, and in 2026 it had a call for indies and a pitch it! mixer where indie teams had 3 minutes to pitch to publishers. Watch for the 2027 calls.
Also worth a look
- Umeå Game Conference, Umeå, Sweden, 26–28 January 2027 (Announced): curated pitching sessions between studios and publishers or investors.
- Ukie Conference, UK, 11 February 2027: the UK games trade body's yearly conference. ukie.org.uk
- A MAZE./Berlin, Berlin, 5–8 May 2027: an international festival for independent and experimental games, with the A MAZE. Awards. a-maze.net
- Tokyo Game Show, Makuhari Messe, Chiba, Japan, 16–20 September 2027 (planned dates, per the organiser CESA): the biggest games show in Asia. tgs.cesa.or.jp
Dates not announced yet
- Pocket Gamer Connects Barcelona, Nordics, Seattle and San Francisco: the organiser takes registrations of interest for 2027, but no dates are out.
- gamescom asia x Thailand Game Show, Bangkok: 29 October–1 November 2026; 2027 dates are not out.
- PLAYCON, Malta: 18–22 November 2026 (see our startup events in Malta); 2027 dates are not out.
- Game Developers Session, Prague: 11–12 December 2026; 2027 dates are not out.
- Game Access, Brno: last held on 29–30 May 2026; 2027 dates are not out.
- Gamelab, Barcelona, and Poznań Game Arena: no 2027 dates published yet.
Why these events matter: games startups in numbers
- Private investment in games companies more than tripled year on year in the third quarter of 2026, to $2.8 billion across 137 deals, with late-stage rounds at $2.0 billion, according to InvestGame and Aream & Co..
- Players worldwide are expected to spend $213.9 billion on video games in 2026, more than ever before, according to Newzoo figures reported by Game World Observer.
- Only 24% of respondents to GDC's 2026 State of the Game Industry survey were women (64% were men), according to a summary by Game Dev Reports.
Building a games company? Read our lessons video game startups can learn from Fortnite and our guide to beginner-friendly gaming businesses.
How to choose the right gaming event
- Raising money? Go to the finance tracks. The Investor Connector at PG Connects London, the Games Finance Market in London and the Games Capital Summit at Nordic Game are built for studios that pitch to investors.
- Looking for a publisher? Book matchmaking. Publisher SpeedMatch at PG Connects, the Publishers & Investors Day at Nordic Game and the gamescom dev pitch it! mixer put you in front of publishers in short meetings.
- Show your game where indies are welcome. The Big Indie Pitch, Develop's Indie Showcase, the Digital Dragons Indie Zone and the BIG Festival awards suit small teams.
- Use the cheaper passes. GDC has an Indie or Start-Up pass, and Nordic Game has an indie demo package. Watch the early-rate deadlines.
- Plan around gamescom. Cologne in August is the busiest week of the year: book meetings weeks ahead. See more startup competitions with prize money.
List your event
Do you organise a games conference, an indie pitch, a game jam or a games accelerator demo day? Send us the name, dates, city and official link, and we'll check whether it fits this list.
This article is regularly updated with new events. Do you know about an event that needs to be added? Send us some info and we will see if it's a fit.
🔗 Add an awesome event
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FAQ
What are the best gaming events for startups in 2027?
Our top picks are Pocket Gamer Connects London, the London Games Festival, the gamescom dev leadership summit in Lisbon, Digital Dragons in Kraków, Nordic Game in Malmö, Develop:Brighton, gamescom in Cologne, GDC in San Francisco, gamescom latam in São Paulo and Global Game Jam.
When is gamescom 2027?
gamescom 2027 is on 23–29 August 2027 in Cologne, with public days on 26–29 August. The gamescom dev developer conference is on 23–24 August.
When is GDC 2027?
The GDC Festival of Gaming is on 1–4 March 2027 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. The Indie or Start-Up pass costs $299 at the early rate until 11 December 2026.
Where can indie game studios pitch to investors in 2027?
At the Investor Connector at Pocket Gamer Connects London (18 January), the Games Finance Market at the London Games Festival (15–16 April) and the Games Capital Summit at Nordic Game in Malmö (25–28 May).
Which gaming events have indie pitch competitions?
The Big Indie Pitch at Pocket Gamer Connects, the live pitch at Nordic Game, the Indie Showcase at Develop:Brighton, the Digital Dragons Indie Zone and the BIG Festival at gamescom latam.
Are there gaming events for women founders?
We found no women-only games conference with a 2027 date yet. Women were 24% of respondents to GDC's 2026 industry survey, so mixed events with indie and investor tracks are where most women founders in games meet partners. See also our list of startup events for women founders.
How much do investors put into games startups?
Private investment in games companies reached $2.8 billion across 137 deals in the third quarter of 2026, more than three times the year before, according to InvestGame.
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
