The 2026 Game Developers Conference recorded a significant drop in attendance, losing approximately a third of its visitors. Industry watchers have cited several Trump administration policies among the key reasons for the downward trend, while noting that this year’s GDC was also burdened by some organizational decisions.
The decline was not unexpected, having been projected ahead of the latest edition of the conference, which took place in San Francisco from March 9 to 13. In the weeks leading up to the event, multiple developers said they were skipping GDC 2026 over safety concerns stemming from ICE activity in the United States and other U.S. immigration policies that they described as hostile to international visitors.
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GDC 2026 Suffers 33% Attendance Drop
Overall, GDC 2026 hosted approximately 20,000 attendees, as recently revealed by organizer Informa PLC. The figure marks a 33% drop compared to the 2024 and 2025 editions of the San Francisco event, both of which drew nearly 30,000 people, according to official post-show summaries and local reporting. Informa also said the 2026 event featured more than 700 sessions, 1,100 speakers, over 300 exhibitors, as well as attendees from over 85 countries. Compared with 2025, the number of speakers increased 10%, while sessions and exhibitors declined about 7% and 25%, respectively.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Easy (5)Medium (7)Hard (10)
According to multiple industry observers, the lower turnout reflects a mix of political, economic, and event-specific pressures. The San Francisco Chronicle tied the decline to widespread layoffs across the games business and what it described as the Trump administration’s hostility toward international visitors. Separately, PocketGamer.biz pointed to reduced exhibitor presence, the shrinking expo floor, and long-running concerns about the cost of attending the San Francisco-based show.
Iran War Reportedly Led To Last-Minute GDC 2026 Cancellations
In addition to earlier concerns over ICE activity and U.S. immigration policy, the ongoing Iran war also appears to have weighed on participation. Multiple last-minute keynote and attendee cancellations have been linked to the escalating conflict in the Middle East, as first reported by The Game Business. From a logistical standpoint, the war also disrupted travel, prompting widespread flight cancellations, regional airspace closures, and restrictions at major hubs including Abu Dhabi, Doha, and Dubai. The disruption affected international travel corridors in the weeks leading up to GDC 2026.
GDC 2026 vs GDC 2025 Comparison
|
GDC 2025 |
GDC 2026 |
YoY Change |
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
Attendees |
30,000 |
20,000 |
-33% |
|
Speakers |
1,000 |
1,100 |
+10% |
|
Sessions |
750 |
700 |
-6.66% |
|
Exhibitors |
400 |
300 |
-25% |
The industry’s weaker financial backdrop also left the conference more exposed than in recent years. The GDC 2026 State of the Industry report found that one-third of the game development professionals polled had been laid off over the prior two years, while attendees interviewed by the San Francisco Chronicle said traveling to California no longer made sense for many developers who were based far from the Bay Area, out of work, or both. A keynote talk from Metal Gear and Death Stranding creator Hideo Kojima, one of the highest-profile events on the original GDC 2026 schedule, was also canceled ahead of the conference. No reason was given for the cancellation, which was confirmed in early February.
Due to its smaller scale, GDC 2026 did not use the North Hall of the Moscone Convention Center for the first time in years. The official attendance figure of 20,000 means this year’s event was the smallest traditional show in years. GDC 2022 officially drew fewer attendees, but that was largely because it was a hybrid event, with 12,000 in-person visitors and 5,000 virtual attendees. The last traditional GDC with attendance in the ballpark of 20,000 was the 2011 edition of the trade show, which drew more than 19,000 visitors.
Sources: Reuters, GDC / Informa PLC, GDC 2026 State of the Industry