In August 2026, Gamescom, the world's largest gaming exhibition, is being held on a grand scale on the banks of the Rhine in Cologne, Germany. As the bellwether and premier annual event of the global gaming industry, this year's edition has drawn intense attention from top game developers, media, and players worldwide. Notably, China's gaming industry has delivered a stellar performance on this international stage. A record 60 Chinese gaming companies have gathered here, creating a powerful "Chinese wave" along the Rhine.
Historically, the international image of Chinese games "going global" was often confined to simply packaging and translating domestic hits for direct launch in overseas markets. However, at this year's Gamescom, this traditional paradigm has undergone a fundamental shift. According to on-site observations and reports by Wei Qi, Dragon TV's special correspondent in Europe, Chinese-made games have now transcended the export of individual products to deliver a comprehensive output of culture, technology, and aesthetics. This deep-level export model has gradually familiarized the European mainstream gaming market with Chinese games and won its acceptance, marking a new phase in the internationalization of China's gaming industry.
The exhibition floor buzzed with energy, with long queues forming at multiple domestic Chinese game booths for playable demos, fully demonstrating the immense popularity of Chinese games among European players. Leading Chinese gaming companies such as Hypergryph, miHoYo, Tencent Games, and NetEase Games made a splashy entrance with their flagship titles. These companies showcased not only exquisite game development technologies but also integrated profound Eastern cultural heritage into their works, delivering a feast for the senses for global players and creating successive show-stealing moments for the "Chinese wave" within the Cologne exhibition halls.
In the highly anticipated awards ceremony, Chinese game titles stood out with their exceptional quality. NetEase's highly anticipated blockbuster "Where Winds Meet" swept the "Best Mobile Game" award at this year's Gamescom, fully demonstrating China's global leadership in mobile game R&D and the strong appeal of traditional Chinese Wuxia culture in the international market. Meanwhile, "Tides of Annihilation," an action-adventure game developed in Chengdu, also performed outstandingly, successfully winning the "Most Epic Game" award. The accolades for these two titles not only affirm the hard work of Chinese game developers but also serve as compelling evidence that Chinese games have reached the pinnacle of international standards in narrative, art, and gameplay design.
Beyond the game awards, Chinese gaming companies also achieved a historic breakthrough in booth design and player interaction. Shanghai-based Hypergryph brought its flagship title "Arknights: Endfield" to the exhibition. With a booth space exceeding 1,400 square meters, it featured stunning visual presentations and captivating interactive experiences, successfully clinching the "Best Booth" award through audience voting. Notably, this marks the first time in the award's history that it has been given to a booth hosted by a Chinese company. Fan Rundong, co-founder of Hypergryph, expressed his excitement in an interview, saying, "Being here overseas, halfway across the world, and seeing so many players who love our games is incredibly thrilling." He emphasized that as game developers, they have always hoped to bring joy to as many people as possible, dedicated to creating the freshest and most engaging content and mechanics in cutting-edge content fields. These innovations draw inspiration from the essence of overseas cultures while integrating the originality of domestic culture. Fan firmly believes that players worldwide will embrace such original content.
The collective surge and outstanding performance of Chinese gaming companies have also been highly praised by the event organizers and international industry organizations. Felix Falk, Managing Director of game – The German Games Industry Association, pointed out that this year's exhibition has welcomed numerous partners, gaming enthusiasts, and high-quality titles from China, which he considers a highly positive trend. Falk noted that the increasing presence of Asian gaming elements has greatly enriched the cultural diversity of the event, and players are eager to experience a wider variety of creativity and gameplay. Looking ahead, as China's gaming industry continues to deepen its efforts in technological R&D, cultural exploration, and global operations, Chinese games are bound to shine even brighter on the global stage, contributing greater Chinese wisdom and strength to the diversified development of the world's gaming industry.