Seven reasons why Barcelona is a rising star in the games industry

• Barcelona’s games industry is a thriving ecosystem of startups, major studios, and talent that drives its rise as a global games hub.
• Pocket Gamer Connects Barcelona 2026 brings them all together on June 15th-16th.

On June 15th–16th Pocket Gamer Connects returns to Barcelona, looking to build upon a triumphant debut in 2025.

Here are seven (plus one) reasons the Catalan capital matters to the games industry in 2026, and why you absolutely have to join the 1,200+ games professionals in the city this June.

1. Spain’s largest, most diverse and growing games hub

The Spanish games market grew to an all-time high of $2.8bn (€2.4bn) in 2024 (final 2025 data is expected to show further growth), and Barcelona represents the lion’s share of that income, as well as the biggest concentration of studios and services. The city that gave us Gaudí, Messi, and Miró is also now home to a thriving games ecosystem that has become a key centre for the European games industry. 

Alongside the game studios developing, launching, and managing their titles, Catalonia’s capital is a hub for live operations, user acquisition (UA), product, and backend teams, as well as providers of tools and infrastructure, capable of supporting the full production cycle for live games across mobile, PC, console and more.

2. A ‘secondary growth market’ [The State of Video Gaming in 2026 report]

Barcelona has also been identified as a location with growing strategic significance in the global market. Matthew Ball’s much-lauded 2026 industry report counts Spain (and its key hubs) among the secondary-growth markets expected to drive industry expansion in coming years.

3. International attractions – big name publishers

Major companies such as Scopely, Ubisoft, Gameloft, Bandai Namco, King, Rovio, Zynga, and Tilting Point all have significant operations in the city, and more are coming!

Alongside them are new studios founded by alumni of publishers including Supercell, King, Social Point, and Ubisoft – all contributing to an experienced local hiring pool.

In addition, newer teams and service providers are emerging, with AI-assisted productions, live ops support, and cross-platform IP. 

You can connect with all of the above at our conference. 

4. Local indie excellence

As well as the international mega-companies, the city is also home to a thriving indie scene, with hundreds of small and start-up creative studios covering every format and conceivable game genre.

PGC Barcelona 2025 hosted our biggest ever indie expo with over 40 incredible devs (many from the region). This year, we’re expecting even more.

5. Maturing, competitive talent fed by universities, incubators and groups

The city continues to support the production of top-tier tech, art, and product talent through educational institutions such as UPC, UPF, and ENTI.

Like many of the great gaming hubs, there are active and engaged local groups, such as DevCat, incubators and accelerators, including GameBCN, working with local studios to ensure a steady flow for the next wave of talent.

6. Favourable tax incentives and government support

The regional government, including the Generalitat de Catalunya, is very keen to support the growth of games in Barcelona. You’ll likely have seen their booths at events around the world, whilst organisations like Barcelona & Partners are on hand to facilitate those setting up. 

And there are solid business reasons to do so. Spain’s national audiovisual tax rebate (AVS) offers up to 30% on qualifying production spend, whilst bespoke government-backed funding through Catalonia’s creative tech programmes also continues to attract investment.

7. A vibrant, culturally rich and fun city

Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Barcelona is also one of Europe’s most desirable cities to visit. 

There are countless sightseeing attractions on down days (check out the nearly-finished Sagrada Familia cathedral, the historic Gothic Quarter, beautiful beach fronts, and Las Ramblas), and the social life is second to none – expect to visit some outstanding restaurants or friendly bars, and enjoy the vibrant party scene with your fellow delegates.

If you want to make the most of your stay, you could also extend a day or two either way, and try to catch the Barcelona-Catalunya F1 Grand Prix (June 12th–14th) or the legendary Sónar Music festival (18th–20th).

8. A place where games industry events thrive

Okay, bonus reason. As its ecosystem advances, Barcelona’s games event calendar has become an essential meeting point for both the regional and international industry.

PG Connects Barcelona brings all of these together for two days of focused business-making, partnership building, and crucial investment conversations.

• Connect with global investors to discuss funding via MeetToMatch or dedicated Investor Connector sessions
• Learn from a multi-track content programme offering the latest market insights, practical industry know-how, AI practices in games and beyond
• Get business done with indies, developers and publishers – last year over 65% of delegates were game-makers
• Discover one of the world’s most vibrant indie scenes
• Access the industry’s decision-makers (26% of 2025’s attendees were C-Level and 62% in senior management)

Last year’s attendee list gives an idea of the calibre of companies you can meet: King, Rovio, Epic Games, FunPlus, Bandai Namco, Garena, Gameloft, Playgama, Nazara, Kingsoft, Netflix Games, Scopely, Socialpoint, Ubisoft, Xbox, and many more

Pocket Gamer Connects Barcelona takes place June 15th–16th. Register your ticket via the official website.