Call of Duty, Lego Batman, and unsettlingly-realistic tigers: the news from Gamescom 2025

Big hitters get their grand unveiling alongside some surprise announcements as gaming's biggest event arrives in Germany

If you are in Cologne this week, you will find the place overtaken by cheerful nerds, as Gamescom, the world's biggest gaming event, descends upon the city once again. (I first went in 2009 - before that it used to be held in Leipzig, a city home to a famous absinthe bar; perhaps this is why my memories of it are somewhat hazy.) Over 300,000 people are expected to visit the Koelnmesse to play upcoming games and enjoy each other's company, to the extent that it's possible to enjoy anyone's company in a giant crowded convention hall with woefully insufficient food options.

The event began, as is now tradition, with a showcase of games (pdf) whose publishers could afford the hundreds of thousands of euros necessary to show a trailer on an official livestream. (There was also a live performance of a piece of music from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the big, weird French hit of the year so far, as a welcome interlude.) As ever, I am here to spare you from watching a full two hours of trailers and pick out the most interesting stuff. Without further ado: