The nominees for the gamescom Award 2026 are out, and METRO: 2039 heads into the show as the most nominated game on the list. 4A Games and Deep Silver's upcoming post-apocalyptic shooter picked up five nominations ahead of gamescom 2026, spanning Best Visuals, Most Epic and the three regional Best Game categories for Xbox, PC and PlayStation.
An international jury made up of games journalists, content creators and other industry professionals selected the nominees from the lineup of titles being presented on the show floor this year. Alien: Isolation 2 and Denshattack! sit just behind METRO: 2039 with four nominations each, and SEGA ends up as one of the most visible publishers across the whole list, with eight nominations spread across Alien: Isolation 2, Total War: WARHAMMER 40,000 and STRANGER THAN HEAVEN.
METRO: 2039 Leads, Alien: Isolation 2 and Denshattack! Follow
Alien: Isolation 2, developed by Creative Assembly and published by SEGA, picked up nods for Best Visuals, Best Audio, Best Gameplay and Best PC Game. Denshattack!, from developer Undercoders and publisher Fireshine Games, is up for Best Audio, Best Gameplay, Most Entertaining and Best Nintendo Switch 2 Game.
With those three games leading the count, they head into gamescom 2026 as some of the most heavily recognized titles on the show floor this year, though the jury and public vote still have the final say on who actually takes a trophy home.
Also Read: Gamescom 2026: Dates, Opening Night Live and Where to Watch
How the Gamescom Award Is Structured
The gamescom Award is split into three groups. The Arts group covers craft categories like visuals, audio and gameplay. The Platform group breaks Best Game down by console and PC. The Global group recognizes exhibitors, booths, merchandise and announcements rather than individual games. Winners in the Arts and Platform groups come from a combination of jury and public voting, while the Global group splits further into dedicated jury awards and consumer awards.
Arts Group Nominees
Best Visuals
| Nominee | Developer / Publisher |
|---|---|
| Alien: Isolation 2 | Creative Assembly / SEGA |
| DEPERSON | Error Thing / Parco Games |
| Forza Horizon 6 | Playground Games / Xbox Game Studios |
| Inkblood | HeyBird! / Critical Reflex |
| METRO: 2039 | 4A Games / Deep Silver |
Best Audio
| Nominee | Developer / Publisher |
|---|---|
| Alien: Isolation 2 | Creative Assembly / SEGA |
| Cairn | The Game Bakers |
| Denshattack! | Undercoders / Fireshine Games |
| Forza Horizon 6 | Playground Games / Xbox Game Studios |
| There are No Ghosts at the Grand | Friday Sundae |
Best Gameplay
| Nominee | Developer / Publisher |
|---|---|
| Alien: Isolation 2 | Creative Assembly / SEGA |
| Cairn | The Game Bakers |
| Denshattack! | Undercoders / Fireshine Games |
| Onimusha: Way of the Sword | Capcom |
| The Blood of Dawnwalker | Rebel Wolves / Bandai Namco Entertainment |
Most Entertaining
| Nominee | Developer / Publisher |
|---|---|
| Bad Magpie | Milktooth |
| Denshattack! | Undercoders / Fireshine Games |
| Escape from Duckov | Team Soda / bilibili |
| There are No Ghosts at the Grand | Friday Sundae |
| Wanderburg | Randwerk / Sidekick Publishing |
Most Epic
| Nominee | Developer / Publisher |
|---|---|
| Crimson Desert | Pearl Abyss |
| METRO: 2039 | 4A Games / Deep Silver |
| STRANGER THAN HEAVEN | RGG Studio / SEGA |
| Tides of Annihilation | Eclipse Glow Games |
| Total War: WARHAMMER 40,000 | Creative Assembly / SEGA |
Most Wholesome
| Nominee | Developer / Publisher |
|---|---|
| Age Twisters | Piccolo Studio / KRAFTON |
| Book Nook | Malapata Studios / Wings |
| Finding Polka | lidlocks / Parco Games |
| Garden Ink | Kranich Games |
| OPUS: Prism Peak | Sigono / Shueisha Games |
Games for Impact
| Nominee | Developer / Publisher |
|---|---|
| Fishbowl | imissmyfriends.studio / Wholesome Games Presents |
| Media Circus | Papercoda Games |
| OPUS: Prism Peak | Sigono / Shueisha Games |
| SOKO 1977: Anti-Terror Task Force | Paintbucket Games / Bundeszentrale fĂźr politische Bildung |
| The Regreening | Positive Impact Games / ByteRockers' Games |
Platform Group Nominees
Best Microsoft Xbox Game
| Nominee | Developer / Publisher |
|---|---|
| Forza Horizon 6 | Playground Games / Xbox Game Studios |
| Gears of War: E-Day | The Coalition / Xbox Game Studios |
| Halo: Campaign Evolved | Halo Studios / Xbox Game Studios |
| METRO: 2039 | 4A Games / Deep Silver |
| STRANGER THAN HEAVEN | RGG Studio / SEGA |
Best PC Game
| Nominee | Developer / Publisher |
|---|---|
| Alien: Isolation 2 | Creative Assembly / SEGA |
| Crimson Desert | Pearl Abyss |
| Guns of Eschaton | Eschatology Entertainment / 4Divinity |
| METRO: 2039 | 4A Games / Deep Silver |
| Total War: WARHAMMER 40,000 | Creative Assembly / SEGA |
Best Sony PlayStation Game
| Nominee | Developer / Publisher |
|---|---|
| Dragon's Dogma 2 Dark Arisen | Capcom |
| METRO: 2039 | 4A Games / Deep Silver |
| Onimusha: Way of the Sword | Capcom |
| The Blood of Dawnwalker | Rebel Wolves / Bandai Namco Entertainment |
| Tides of Annihilation | Eclipse Glow Games |
Best Nintendo Switch 2 Game
| Nominee | Developer / Publisher |
|---|---|
| Denshattack! | Undercoders / Fireshine Games |
| Mega Man: Dual Override | Capcom |
| Nintendo Switch Sport Resort | Nintendo |
| OPUS: Prism Peak | Sigono / Shueisha Games |
| Rayman Legends Retold | Ubisoft |
Best Mobile Game
| Nominee | Developer / Publisher |
|---|---|
| Arknights: Endfield | Hypergryph |
| Genshin Impact | HoYoverse |
| Silver Palace | Elementa |
| Where Winds Meet | Everstone Studio / NetEase Games |
| Zenless Zone Zero | HoYoverse |
Global Awards
The Global group doesn't nominate individual games. Instead, it recognizes the overall gamescom experience, covering exhibitors, booths, merchandise and announcements across these categories:
- Best Lineup â Jury Award
- Best Booth â Jury Award
- Best Business Booth â Jury Award
- HEART OF GAMING Award â Special Jury Award
- Best Booth â Consumer Award
- Best Merch â Consumer Award
- Best Trailer / Announcement â Consumer Award
The HEART OF GAMING Award stands apart from the rest. It's a special jury prize that can go to anything from a game or expansion to a piece of technology, an individual, a company or even a concept, as long as it stood out at gamescom this year.
How and When to Vote
Public voting for the gamescom Award 2026 runs from Wednesday, August 26, through Thursday, August 27, at 2:00 p.m. CEST. Fans and gamescom visitors can vote online through the official gamescom website, and on-site voting is also available through QR codes at the venue.
Public voting applies to the Arts and Platform categories, plus the Best Booth, Best Merch and Best Trailer / Announcement consumer awards in the Global group. Winners in those categories are decided through a mix of jury and audience voting, while the remaining Global categories are jury-only.
When the Winners Will Be Announced
The gamescom Award 2026 winners will be revealed during the ceremony on August 28, running from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. CEST at the gamescom Studio stage in Hall 7.
With METRO: 2039 currently out in front and Alien: Isolation 2 and Denshattack! trailing close behind, the nominee list gives a good early read on which games are expected to draw the most attention on the show floor. Forza Horizon 6, Gears of War: E-Day, Halo: Campaign Evolved, The Blood of Dawnwalker, Crimson Desert and Onimusha: Way of the Sword all show up across multiple categories as well, and gamescom 2026 runs from August 26 through August 30 in Cologne, Germany.
