Thailand has been designated an official "Partner Country" at Gamescom 2025, held from 20 to 24 August at Koelnmesse in Cologne, Germany.

The distinction enabled the debut of a Thailand Pavilion, featuring 15 Thai game developers showcasing titles infused with Thai cultural elements.

The pavilion was situated in a prime location at the fair.

Thai officials, including the Minister attached to the Prime Minister’s Office and the chairman of the National Soft Power Development Committee, along with relevant agencies, attended the event.

The opening ceremony was presided over by Germany’s Federal Minister of Research, Technology and Space.

Business networking was facilitated through the Cologne Business Mixer, a B2B platform co-hosted by the Thai government.

Gamescom 2024 drew over 335,000 visitors and more than 1,400 game studios from around the world.

The global gaming market was valued at approximately US $272.86 billion in 2024 and is projected to expand to US $426 billion by 2029, driven by advances in gaming technology, rising popularity of e-sports, and growth in mobile gaming.

Thailand’s gaming industry was valued at 34.288 billion baht (around US $979.66 million) in 2023, accounting for 77.5 percent of the overall digital content industry.

For the first time, Thailand will host Asia’s largest gaming exhibition—"gamescom asia × Thailand Game Show 2025"—from 16 to 19 October 2025 at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre in Bangkok.

The event results from the merger of gamescom asia, previously held in Singapore, and the Thailand Game Show, creating a combined B2B2C platform described as one of the largest in Southeast Asia and globally.

The exhibition will include dedicated business-only days for October 16–17 and public entertainment days from 17 to 19 October.

The venue will cover a wide area, integrating both business and consumer zones.

The event’s programme will include an industry gaming conference featuring over 70 speakers from 20 countries.

The keynote speaker will be Glen Schofield, creator of Dead Space, along with participation from international gaming companies including Bandai Namco, Capcom, Ubisoft, Xbox and Razer, as well as indie studios such as Toge Productions, Super Evil Megacorp and HoYoverse.

The public component will include live e-sports tournaments, the Thailand Game Awards, a cosplay competition, developer and voice-actor meet-and-greets, a dedicated indie game showcase, and live entertainment performances.

Tickets for the public event go on sale from 1 September.

In the broader global context, industry forecasts vary.

One market valuation estimated the global gaming market at US $272.67 billion in 2024 with a projection to reach US $656.21 billion by 2033, implying a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 10.25 percent.

Other reports anticipate more conservative growth: up to US $292.34 billion by 2029 based on a 7.24 percent CAGR, or up to US $300 billion in the gaming segment of the entertainment and media industry by 2029.

Meanwhile, regional developments include growing global influence from Asian game developers.

Companies from China, South Korea, Indonesia and Malaysia are gaining traction internationally.

Mobile gaming remains dominant: for example, Chinese mobile gaming revenue across regions exceeded US $40 billion in 2024 and accounted for over 31 percent of global mobile gaming revenue.

This emerging landscape underscores Thailand’s strategic positioning through its role at Gamescom 2025 and hosting of gamescom asia × Thailand Game Show 2025.