25 Games, 140 Stations: Xbox Turns Gamescom Into a Playable Festival

Xbox has revealed its plans for Gamescom 2026, confirming one of its largest public gaming showcases of the year. The company will celebrate 25 years of Xbox with 25 upcoming games spread across 140 playable stations in Cologne, Germany.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 will be one of the main attractions, allowing visitors to experience its Core 6v6 multiplayer on Xbox Series X. Gears of War: E-Day will also offer the first public hands-on opportunity with its campaign ahead of the game’s October release.

Fable will receive its first live public demo theater presentation. Playground Games will demonstrate how players can combine melee attacks, ranged weapons and magical abilities to create personalized combat styles during their journey through Albion.

Minecraft Dungeons II will be playable by the public for the first time, introducing tougher enemies, cooperative dungeon exploration and a new hunt for powerful loot. Visitors will also get their first hands-on experience with Metro 2039, the next post-apocalyptic shooter from 4A Games.

Stranger Than Heaven will showcase its unusual combat system, which allows players to control the protagonist’s left and right sides independently. The demonstration will feature locations drawn from three of the five Japanese cities and historical eras included in the complete game.

Halo: Campaign Evolved, Forza Horizon 6 and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 will also appear at the event. Forza Horizon 6 will feature its new Drift Attack activity, while Flight Simulator players can try the National Championship Air Races.

The wider lineup includes Alien: Isolation 2, The Blood of Dawnwalker, Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, Crowsworn, Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy, Star Wars Zero Company, Turok: Origins and several other upcoming releases.

Xbox will broadcast live from Gamescom on August 26 and August 27, beginning at 4 PM CEST on both days. The streams will feature developer interviews, gameplay presentations, new trailers, special guests and additional announcements for viewers unable to attend the event.

By placing major unreleased games directly in players’ hands, Xbox is using Gamescom 2026 as both a celebration of its history and a preview of the platform’s next generation of releases.