Our calendars say so, and the Christmas markets confirm it. Another year has passed, and what an incredible year it’s been! From regular events to exciting new formats, we’ve seen it all. Let’s have a look at everything we, and the game industry in Hamburg, got up to in 2025. 

Events 2025 

Pitch Level Up 

In February, we returned with the fourth edition of the Pitch Level Up. The event allowed founders, developers, students, and other participants to show their game pitch in 1:1 sessions to games industry experts and receive valuable and honest feedback. In between, there was the opportunity to listen to enriching talks on all things pitching and financing your game. Pitch Level Up will return on February 17, 2026! Get your ticket now! 

Portside Game Assembly

2025 saw the premiere of our newest conference — the Portside Game Assembly! In June, we took to the waters of the Hamburg Harbour to bring together directors and managers of successful indie studios from over 15 countries for talks, roundtables, and valuable discussions. The two conference tracks provided numerous opportunities for input, exchange, and insights from speakers like Philomena Schwab (Stray Fawn Studio), Søren Lundgaard (Ghost Ship Games), Benjamin Laulan (Evil Empire), Mauricio García (The Game Kitchen), Kevin Zuhn (Young Horses), René Habermann (Bippinbits), and many more. At the same time, Portside brought together the participating indie studios with the Hamburg games industry for a networking brunch and a games industry party on the MS Stubnitz, a stunning location on the water. 

The Portside Game Assembly returns for a second edition June 25 & 26, 2026. Registration is open. Ticket sales for the brunch and party will start in early 2026. Find out more via the official website. 

XP Boost, Gamecity Impulse, and Game Starter 

Alongside our offline meetups and events, we also had a series of returning online formats. The XP Boost on Self-Publishing with established industry professional Victoria Tran held a great opportunity for devs to learn about why self-publishing doesn’t have to be scary and how to approach it. Two editions of the Gamecity Impulse, focusing on the relation between games and democracy as well as games and history, dove deep into how games shape real-life social change and remembrance culture. And the Game Starter also returned with three new panel editions to shine light on all things Software Development, Marketing Management, and Game Scouting to people interested in working in the industry. Head over to our Gamecity YouTube channel for all videos. 

Gamecity Treff

Good things last, and that’s why the Gamecity Treff remains one of the best ways to connect with the local industry over some snacks and drinks. In 2025, we gathered twice at Grüner Jäger to hang out and even speed-meet new people. We were especially happy to welcome both local and international guests to the annual special edition of Gamecity Treff on October 10 during the POLARIS Convention. The Gamecity Treff will return in 2026! 

Game Playtest Night

In 2025, we decided to take unreleased games to gamers in Hamburg together with XPERION! For two editions of the Game Playtest Night, developers and gamers came together at XPERION for a one-of-a-kind opportunity to peek behind the curtain of game development. Gamers get to try out exciting new games while developers get to gather firsthand feedback! We can’t wait to see how all the games included this year evolve — and we’re already looking forward to hosting Game Playtest Nights in 2026! 

FLINTA* Meetups 

Uplifting and bringing together FLINTA* (female, lesbian, intersex, non-binary, trans, and agender) members of the games industry remains one of our main objectives. For that, we organized three meetups with mingling and good networking for anyone from a student to a CEO this year, including a special FLINTA* mentoring dinner to celebrate two years of our FLINTA* Games meetup series.   

Pixel & Popcorn

It seems we had a thing for exciting new events this year because on October 1, we gathered at Savoy Cinema for Pixel & Popcorn. Together with Nerdic and journalist and podcaster Dom Schott we presented three indie games from Hamburg on the big screen, including live gameplay and an interview with the developers. The games showcased at the inaugural edition of Pixel & Popcorn were Map Map - A Game About Maps by Pipapo Games, Lou’s Lagoon by Tiny Roar, and IKUMA: The Frozen Compass by Mooneye Studios. Pixel & Popcorn is set to return in 2026! Get your ticket now!