GDC Festival of Gaming draws 20,000 attendees as industry gathers in San Francisco

• More than 700 sessions from 1,100 speakers explored topics across the full game development pipeline.
• Valve shared new information about its upcoming Steam Machine Verified compatibility programme.
• The event’s expanded Festival Hall featured more than 300 exhibitors showcasing technologies and services for the games industry.

GDC Festival of Gaming has concluded in San Francisco after drawing around 20,000 attendees from more than 85 countries.

Held at the Moscone Centre, the event featured more than 700 sessions delivered by 1,100 speakers covering topics across the full game development pipeline, including design, QA, marketing and publishing.

Organisers claimed that the new Festival Pass structure broadened access to programming, with many sessions reaching standing-room-only capacity.

More than 300 exhibitors showcased technologies and services across the event’s Festival Hall, which was organised into themed areas covering game development, future technology and player engagement.

Global turnout

The conference also marked the return of the GDC keynote, where former Blizzard Entertainment chief creative officer Rob Pardo discussed the vision behind his independent studio, Bonfire Studios. 

“This was the first year of a bold new concept for GDC,” said GDC president Nina Brown.

“We are thrilled that 20,000 unique attendees representing our global community showed up from over 85 countries and trusted us with this evolution. This transformation was built directly from community feedback, and we’re excited to continue listening, learning and evolving the GDC Festival of Gaming as we look ahead to 2027.”

The next GDC Festival of Gaming will take place from March 1st to March 5th, 2027, in San Francisco.