5 trends we'll be looking out for at GDC this year

AI tension, international anxiety, and more cloud this year's big event Every year, the video game industry gathers in San Francisco for an all-important event: Game Developers Conference. The show brings together professionals from all over the world for a week of panels, demos, and closed-door meetings that can determine who gets funding to make their next project. It may not be as consumer-facing as E3 (RIP), but it can shape the industry’s upcoming trends — and determine what games get a shot at life. This year’s GDC is especially crucial for a struggling industry. As hardware costs rise, AI seeps into the space, and uncertainty clouds major platform holders, developers will gather at the show in search of a sustainable path forward. Even GDC itself is at a meta crossroads, as this year’s show will attempt to bring in more gaming fans as part of its expanded “Festival of Gaming.” Polygon will be on the ground at GDC this week to get a sense of how creators are navigating the state of the industry in 2026. We’ll be playing games, attending panels, and talking to developers. We’ll have plenty of coverage coming from the event, but these are the five trends we’re looking to get so