The esports and gaming industry is constantly growing and evolving each year. A key method to stay up to date and invested in industry developments is attending conferences to collaborate, network, and educate yourself on the newest happenings.
Keeping track of the vast array of conferences throughout the year can be daunting, so here at Streams Charts, we have created a list of some of the most exciting and leading conferences in the industry. Wherever you are in the world, there is a conference near you.
January
Pocket Gamer Connects London 2024. Starting off the list Pocket Gamer Connects London is an international conference for the global games industry, covering all formats from mobile, PC, and console, to exciting new technology like AI and VR. With a decade of history and tens of thousands of attendees, the 2024 conference promises a unique industry overview.
January 22-23
Taipei Game Show 2024. On the other side of the globe, the Taipei Game Show is an annual event with over two decades of history. It is Taiwain’s largest gaming exhibition and a platform for both domestic and foreign parties to showcase their work.
January 25-28
February
ICE London. Held in London, this conference offers a bespoke immersion in the gaming industry they have been developing for over 20 years. ICE London has a professional-orientated drive which promises to reward those looking to expand their opportunities in the industry.
February 6-8
D.I.C.E. Summit 2024. The annual D.I.C.E Summit event has been held since 2002 and featured some of the biggest names in the gaming industry as keynote speakers: Gabe Newell, Todd Howard, Hideo Kojima, Jeff Kaplan, and many more. Held in Las Vegas, the conference has a strong emphasis on business, production, and highlighting new trends and innovations in the industry.
February 13-15
Gamemasters Summit 2024. The first-ever Gamemasters Summit will be held in Leamington Spa in the United Kingdom. The inaugural convention focuses on the mobile gaming industry and offers a rewarding experience for both veterans of the industry and emerging talent. It is one of the few gaming conventions with such a strong focus on the mobile gaming industry.
February 21
Meta Esports Show. Held in Shenzhen, China, the MES is the premiere convention for industry development of VR devices, OEM, and various other hardware. The event is designed to go hand-in-hand with the emerging Metaverse industry of China and create strong international bonds.
February 26-28
MWC Barcelona 2024. The Spanish convention is a leading tech convention for manufacturers, content owners, vendors, or all interested in emerging technology. In 2019, over 100,000 attendees visited the MWC, solidifying the convention as one of the key tech events of the year. With 6 days of events planned, the MWC has something for everyone in the industry.
February 26-29
GAMES GATHERING 2024 LVIV. Held in Lviv, Ukraine, the Games Gathering conference is the largest B2B conference in the country. Attendees can schedule meetings with market leaders, network at informal parties, or set up a free stand at the Indie Blast to showcase their passion projects.
February 29
March
Hamburg Games Conference 2024. This German convention has been a permanent stay on the gaming conference calendar for almost 15 years, providing insights from international speakers and professionals from around the globe. The conference also allows attendees to sign up for a networking program where attendees can converse with one another and get to know each other before the conference even begins.
March 5-6
The Hamburg Games Conference hosts professional-orientated panels
ESI NEXT GEN OXFORD. This Oxford-based convention takes place across two days for industry professionals, students, or fans, with a significant focus on video games and esports in education. One of the only education-orientated conferences of the year, this is a key event for those combining education and esports.
March 6-7
SXSW 2024. South by Southwest has been active for more than three decades and continued to evolve over time. Primarily a film and music festival, the conference has expanded into the tech industry over time and gradually become a premiere location for those involved in the interactive media industry.
March 10-16
Game Developers Conference. The San Francisco-based conference for video game developers was inaugurated 35 years ago. It hosts a wide variety of events, from expos, networking, and award shows, to tutorials, lectures, and roundtables. Professionals can level up their skills and network with like-minded individuals at one of the largest video game development conferences of the year.
March 18-22
PAX East 2024. PAX East is a self-described celebration of gaming and gaming culture. The conference is filled to the brim with activities for casual fans, as well as tournaments and areas for fans to check out new games and technology.
March 21-24
PRAGUE GAMING & TECH SUMMIT. This Czechian conference is a crucial part of the Central and Eastern European region, with a focus on emerging and developing technologies such as blockchain, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality.
March 26-27
Insomnia Gaming Festival #i72. The Insomnia festivals are known for their LAN events, tournaments, and carefree atmosphere. But, the festival also is a unique opportunity for publishers and developers to showcase upcoming games and receive direct feedback from fans, whilst also spreading word of their upcoming title.
March 29-31
The expo hall at the Insomnia Gaming Festival
April
London Games Festival 2024. This festival, which is backed by the Mayor of London, hosts a variety of events and programmes for industry professionals but also highlights some of the most exciting innovative and original games from across the world in an online showcase and in-person demos.
April 9-27
Reboot Develop Blue 2024. Reboot Develop Blue is a premiere location for boutique developers and professionals from the games industry. With over 155+ speakers planned for the event, everyone can find something that interests them at this event held in Croatia.
April 22-24
W.A.S.D 2024. This London-based conference is one of the fastest-growing in the industry; 2023 saw the event see more than double the attendees of the previous year visit the expo, and is a premiere location for games fans to keep up to date on the newest games and developments. The event coincides with the London Games Festival to create a city of gaming culture in 2024.
April 25-27
May
Game Music Festival 2024. The Game Music Festival is one of the only festivals of the year dedicated to celebrating the audio wonders which make video games come to life. The 2024 festivals will serenade listeners with renditions of the original scores of The Last of Us parts I and II and Baldur’s Gate 3.
May 4
Digital Dragons 2024. Hosted in Krakow, the Digital Dragons event promises to support all game developers and industry professionals in their journey to explore one of the largest B2B conferences in Europe. The company also assists game development studios in finding their footing in the old Polish city of Krakow.
May 19-21
Nordic Game Spring 2024. Nordic Game is celebrating its 20th anniversary in Malmö, Sweden. The event features speakers from the global industry, as well as local Nordic professionals. With a heavy focus on allowing developers to showcase their work, as well as many opportunities for informal networking, the Nordic event is promised to be one of the most important European conferences.
May 21-14
June
Summer Game Fest. Created in 2020 amid the pandemic, this event is organised by Geoff Keighley and takes place through multiple live streams and broadcasts. Fans can tune in to keep up to date on the newest games, and developers are given a unique opportunity to broadcast their upcoming titles to a wide and diverse audience, as well as network in person.
June, dates TBD
Central Asia Game Show 2024. Held in the capital of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Central Asia Games Show is a leading conference for the region, also featuring game developers, publishers, investors, and speakers from around the globe. The event also hosts a pre-party on June 6th for informal networking opportunities for business professionals.
June 6-8
Gamescom Latam 2024. The Latin American iteration of one of the most well-known games trade fairs in the world. Gamescom Latam event welcomed over 50,000 fans in 2023, and 2024 promises to be even greater, with 250 games to test and 50 yet unreleased games for fans to test out for the first time.
June 26-30
MWC Shanghai 2024. Although not as large as its Spanish counterpart, the MWC Shanghai is a leading conference for the Chinese tech industry. In 2023, tens of thousands of professionals and fans attended from over 100 different countries, creating a uniquely international opportunity for networking, exposure, and professional development.
June 26-28
TwitchCon Rotterdam 2024. Although thought of as a live streaming event, TwitchCon is a unique opportunity for gaming and technology companies involved in the gaming industry to interact with a diverse audience of gaming fans, as well as potentially collaborate with celebrity streamers and have their brand and products broadcasted to audiences online.
June 29-30
July
BitSummit 2024. BitSummit is Japan’s leading independent game development conference hosted in Kyoto. A decade ago, the inaugural industry-only event saw only 200 attendees but reached over 10,000 attendees only 5 years later. Along with industry leaders like Sony, Nintendo, and Valve, BitSummit is a premiere location for indie developers to showcase their talents.
July 19-21
San Diego Comic Con. The world’s leading comic book convention has expanded to many other forms of media, video games included. The event regularly fills the San Diego Convention Center capacity at 130,000 attendees and is an ideal location for game developers to showcase their new titles.
July 25-28
SIGGRAPH 2024. Siggraph is a dedicated conference for computer graphics and interactive techniques. With over 50 years of history behind them, the conference is an industry leader for graphics technology and for professionals to explore interests and expand their horizons.
July 28 - August 1
August
Devcom 2024. Hosted in Cologne, Germany, Devcom reached a new attendee record in 2023 when more than 3,400 industry professionals attended the conference. With hundreds of speakers giving well over a hundred talks, this Germany-based conference is a perfect opportunity for developers to explore the industry and meet fellow professionals.
August 18-20
Gamescom 2024. Also hosted in Cologne, Germany, Gamescom is one of the year’s biggest events for video games. Last year, over 320,000 attendees visited the Koelnmesse where Gamescom is hosted, and professionals would unlikely find a larger live audience to showcase their work to.
August 21-25
The Koelnmesse alive with the Gamescom festivities
PAX West 2024. Sister event of PAX East, Pax West promises the same high standards, panels, and opportunities for professionals to enjoy one of North America’s leading conferences in a different location and later in the year.
August 30 - September 2
September
Gaming Istanbul 2024. Turkey’s leading games exhibit and conference returns for professionals and amateurs to celebrate their love of all games. With some industry leaders attending as exhibitors, both fans and professionals alike can network, meet veteran professionals, and enjoy the atmosphere.
September 13-15
TwitchCon San Diego 2024. The North American sister event of the TwitchCon Rotterdam event, which takes place earlier in the year, the San Diego event usually hosts a much larger audience than its European counterpart, providing exhibitors even more chances to expose their brands and products to live streaming and gaming fans.
September 20-22
TwitchCon is the premiere location for live streamers and fans to share their passions
Tokyo Game Show 2024. Japan’s largest game show returns in 2024. Last year, the event self-reported over 22M viewers for their official program and 320,000 attendees. The event is open to industry professionals exclusively for the first two days, before opening its doors to the public and letting exhibitors show their work off to the world.
September 26-29
October
PAX Aus. The Aussie iteration of the famous North American gaming festival will be held across three days featuring an expo hall full of publishers, studios, and indie developers. With much more available for fans, the event is Australia’s premiere gaming festival.
October, dates TBD
EGX 2024. Inaugurated more than 15 years ago, EGX is a London-based game trade fair and conference for all things gaming. Industry professionals, casual fans, and even school trips are encouraged to come and enjoy the world of gaming.
October, dates TBD
Brazil Game Show. BGS is a leading video game conference hosted out of Brazil. With over 300,000 attendees on average since 2015, the conference is one of Brazil’s largest events and features international industry leaders. In the past, the BGS has been home to Epic Games, Xbox, Nintendo, PlayStation, Logitech, and many many more.
October, dates TBD
Gamescom Asia 2024. The Asian iteration of the famed Gamescom conference series returns to Singapore for another year. From cosplay events to industry-focused events, the Asian trade fair has something for all members of the gaming community.
October 17-24
New Zealand Games Developers Conference 2024. A professional game development conference, the NZGDC is New Zealand’s premiere gaming conference. It is the largest game-focused conference in the country and celebrates both local professionals as well as welcoming international members of the community to its country.
October 17-19
Poznan Game Arena. One of Central and Eastern Europe’s most important gaming and multimedia conferences is back for 2024. The event showcases pre-premiere and premiere gaming titles, hosts esports events and highlights local indie developers. For industry professionals, the event will also host talks and lectures to help those starting in the industry find their footing.
October 25
November
BlizzCon 2024. After taking a long break due to the pandemic, BlizzCon returned in 2023. The event was seeing over 40,000 attendees before the pandemic disrupted its operations, and fans of Blizzard are excited to return. The gaming convention held by Blizzard Entertainment is well-loved by fans of their major franchises and is a unique opportunity for fans to celebrate their love for Blizzard’s work and enjoy the community feel.
November, dates TBD
Paris Game Week. PGW is a trade fair for video games held annually in Paris since 2010. The event regularly draws in more than 300,000 attendees and is one of the few competitors to Gamescom in Europe. PGW promises a welcoming atmosphere for families, competitive gamers, and industry professionals.
November, dates TBD