GDC trends we're looking out for in 2026

Every year the video game industry gathers in San Francisco for the Game Developers Conference, a week of panels, demos, and closed-door meetings that can determine who gets funding to make their next project. This year the show is at a meta crossroads: GDC has expanded a public-facing "Festival of Gaming," shifting more attention to fans and prompting questions about whether the event will remain primarily industry-focused or become as much about the public as it is about developers.

Generative AI is set to dominate conversations on the show floor and in sessions. Panels and booths will push the tech while skeptical developers raise concerns in Q&As; the push to manufacture acceptance for AI echoes past hype cycles, and how strongly that resistance is voiced will be a key bellwether.

Hardware costs are also clouding the week. As AI workloads drive up demand for memory and tariffs make overseas tech more expensive, PCs and consoles are getting pricier.

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