Gamescom unveils Gears of War and Final Fantasy previews
Developed over time first seen 2 months ago
Gamescom's Opening Night Live, hosted by Geoff Keighley, wrapped up a two-hour showcase featuring major reveals across gaming's biggest franchises, including Gears of War: E-Day, Silent Hill: Townfall, and a Final Fantasy VII Revelation trailer spotlighting the game's giant "Weapons" bosses. The Witcher 3 also featured prominently, with CD Projekt Red confirming a free Remastered upgrade arriving 29 September and the previously teased Songs of the Past expansion landing next year, with the first two DLC campaigns offered free to owners.
Beyond the headline franchises, the show delivered a broad spread of announcements: Path of Exile 2 confirmed its 1.0 launch for 11 December, Soma developer Frictional Games unveiled a new sci-fi horror title called Ontos for 2027, and Cities: Skylines publisher Paradox Interactive revealed Lego Skylines. Other trailers included the near-future Seoul-set shooter Cinder City, dystopian survival FPS Like or Die, the puzzler There Are No Ghosts at the Grand (early access in December), and the surreal Pony Island 2: Panda Circus, due 27 April 2027. The Game Awards was also confirmed for 10 December this year.
- Gamescom Opening Night Live showcased Final Fantasy VII, Gears of War and Silent Hill trailers.
- Witcher 3 Remastered arrives free on 29 September; Songs of the Past expansion lands next year.
- Path of Exile 2 hits 1.0 on 11 December; Frictional Games unveiled new horror title Ontos.
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Gamescom is one of the world's biggest gaming trade fairs, held each August in Cologne, Germany, and its Opening Night Live show has become the industry's traditional curtain-raiser for the year's remaining big releases. The livestreamed event is put together and hosted by Geoff Keighley, a games journalist well known for running similar showcases such as The Game Awards, and typically features a run of trailers and announcements from major publishers and studios.
This year's edition is expected to include updates on several anticipated titles, spanning established franchises like Final Fantasy, Gears of War and The Witcher, as well as newer or niche games from smaller studios. Coverage of the event, including Engadget's live blog, tracks these reveals as they happen, giving fans and industry watchers an early look at what is coming to shelves and storefronts in the months ahead.
These showcases matter because they shape public expectation and marketing momentum for games well before release, and they give smaller or lesser-known developers a rare platform alongside blockbuster franchises.
Full account
Gamescom's Opening Night Live showcase opened this year's edition of the German games fair, with host Geoff Keighley leading a broadcast lasting a little over two hours across YouTube and Twitch. The show began at 7pm UK time (8pm in Germany, 2pm on the US east coast and 11am on the west coast), preceded by a half-hour pre-show, and was pitched by organisers as a season-closing burst of premieres before the autumn run of award-season coverage begins.
Among the biggest items previewed were new looks at Gears of War: E-Day and the next instalment of the Final Fantasy VII remake trilogy, Final Fantasy VII Revelation, alongside further footage of the horror title Silent Hill: Townfall ahead of its looming release. CD Projekt used the stage to give a first proper glimpse of Songs of the Past, an expansion for The Witcher 3, while other returning franchises featured included a Dungeons & Dragons action game called Warlock and an expanded demo of the upcoming Onimusha.
The evening also carried updates on Path of Exile 2, the post-apocalyptic shooter Metro 2039 and Valor Mortis, a zombie-tinged period title from the studio behind Ghostrunner, plus word of a new grand strategy game from Paradox Interactive. Smaller and original titles had a showing too, among them the mariachi-themed Mariachi Legends, a Disney-backed painting adventure called Murals, the otter-and-monster game Aniimo, a first-person 'blinking simulator' named perceptum and Worms: Galactic Tactics. Organisers were explicit that no Grand Theft Auto VI material would appear, that reveal having been reserved for a separate, Netflix-exclusive broadcast later in the week.
Coverage in the run-up to the show diverged on what else might surface. Some previews flagged hopes for footage of Alien: Isolation 2, a possible unveiling of Guild Wars 3, and speculation that Blizzard could confirm a Switch 2 version of Diablo 4, alongside a wish for release dates on Nintendo's The Duskbloods and its Ocarina of Time remake, though none of these was guaranteed to appear given Nintendo's traditional absence from the show. It remained unclear from the available reports how many of these hoped-for reveals actually materialised once Opening Night Live got under way.
Where outlets differ
Engadget's liveblog focused heavily on the pre-show's run of smaller and indie titles (Mariachi Legends, Murals, Aniimo, perceptum, Worms: Galactic Tactics) and explicitly noted that GTA VI would not feature, saving it for a later Netflix-exclusive event.
The second source (an anticipation/preview piece) emphasised what viewers were hoping to see rather than confirmed content — The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past, Alien: Isolation 2, Guild Wars 3, a possible Diablo 4 Switch 2 port, and release dates for The Duskbloods and the Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake — much of which was speculative.
GamesRadar+'s coverage centred on practical viewing details (start times, how to watch) rather than game content, and added a light-hearted aside about a possible Muppets appearance.
PC Gamer framed its coverage as a live tracker of 'world premieres' and singled out anticipation for The Witcher 3 DLC trailer specifically.
More coverage
- Eurogamer — Gamescom Opening Night Live 2026 report – all the news and announcements as Witcher 3 expansion Songs of the Past shown for first time
- GamesRadar+ — Gamescom Opening Night Live 2026 Live Coverage – All the news as it happens
- PC Gamer — Gamescom Opening Night Live 2026: every announcement as it happens
- Push Square — Live: Watch Gamescom Opening Night Live 2026 Here, Featuring FF7 Revelation and The Witcher 3 DLC
- The Verge — Gamescom Opening Night Live 2026: The biggest announcements and trailers
- GameSpot — Final Fantasy 7 Revelation Gamescom Trailer Is All About The Weapons
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Originally published by Engadget as “Gamescom Opening Night Live: Updates from the showcase including Final Fantasy and Gears of War previews”.