GDC Festival of Gaming 2027 moves to four-day format to “create a higher quality, more focused and more valuable experience”

The GDC Festival of Gaming will move to a four-day format for its 2027 edition, which will take place Monday through Thursday, March 1-4.

Organizers said the change is “a deliberate step toward creating a better, more focused and valuable experience” for attendees.

“After exploring the data and listening to our community, we are focusing programming and opportunities during days when the community is most active, while making it easier for participants to balance their time at GDC with their professional and personal commitments.”

“In 2027, expect robust conference programming, larger session rooms, more hands-on workshops, interactive experiences and expanded networking across all four days. »

The new Moscone West Business Hall and all conference programming will be available throughout all four days. Festival Hall at Moscone South will operate Tuesday through Thursday.

The addition of the Business Hall was announced earlier this year, along with new passes, enhancements to established programming such as the GDC Summit and other calendar updates for 2027.

“We’re always looking at how GDC can better serve the video game industry, and listening to our community is a crucial part of that,” Mark DeLoura, GDC’s vice president of content strategy, previously explained. GamesIndustry.biz.

“Having introduced the Festival of Gaming and making significant changes to the GDC experience in 2026, it was especially important that we listened carefully to what worked, what could work better, and how people want to participate in GDC in the future.”

DeLoura added: “GDC 2027 aims to give people more choice in how they participate in the show, making the week work better based on how the industry uses GDC today. The changes are intended to make the event more accessible, make it easier to make meaningful connections, and accomplish what you came to GDC to do. »

Yesterday, the Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA) announced that they would be accepting submissions from publishers and developers for the first time.

The GDCA previously used a voting system based on nominations through the International Choice Awards network.

Games released on PC or console between January 1 and December 31, 2026 are eligible. The submission deadline is November 1, 2026.