GDC at a Glance
GDC will take place at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, March 20-24, 2023 with conference sessions will be taking place each day, Monday – Friday.
This year’s event will deliver the industry’s greatest source of content and connections—with plenty of exciting talks, sessions, and networking events and is strongly dedicated to health and safety.
Attendees can tour the GDC Expo to check out companies’ latest products and solutions, head to the GDC Play area to try the newest indie sensations before they come out, attend career development talks about networking and building your portfolio, and so much more.
Check out the GDC programs defined below for more details and visit the Passes & Prices page if you're ready to join!
GDC Programs Defined
Conference Content
Summits Sessions | GDC Summits are deep dives into specific game dev disciplines or markets, designed to foster learning and connection among specific communities. Summit sessions provide actionable takeaways you can immediately incorporate into your career. Topics include Level Design, Art Direction, AI , UX and more. Pass Access: All Access, Summits, Audio (Audio Summit only), IGS (IGS Summit only) |
Core Concepts Sessions | The Core Concepts program focuses on six key pillars of game development: Audio, Business & Marketing, Design, Production & Team Leadership, Programming, and Visual Arts, along with specialty tracks like the Classic Game Postmortem series and Advocacy Sessions. Core Concepts sessions cover tried-and-true techniques, important lessons learned, and present new ways of working and thinking about game development. Pass Access: All Access, Core, Audio (Audio Sessions only) |
Core Concepts Roundtables | 60-minute interactive peer-to-peer discussions on open-ended topics facilitated by experienced moderators. Constructive controversy and debate are welcome. Roundtables have a limited capacity and attendance is first-come, first served. Pass Access: All Access, Core, Audio (Audio Sessions only) |
Independent Games Summit (IGS) Content | Hear from innovative indie game creators sharing key learnings in the Independent Games Summit. Attend lectures and postmortems presented by diverse voices, including many former and current Independent Games Festival finalists and winners. Pass Access: All Access, Summits, IGS |
Sponsored Content | Hear from leading game technology companies in sponsored sessions throughout the week to learn firsthand about their latest products, tools, services, and techniques. Sponsored Summit sessions and Web3-Forum sessions are Monday and Tuesday. Sponsored Core Concepts, Partner Stage, and Industry Stage sessions are Wednesday through Friday. Pass Access: Available for all GDC pass holders |
Advocacy Sessions | Address topics ranging from diversity to censorship to quality of life within the realm of social advocacy in the game industry. Pass Access: Available for all GDC pass holders |
Game Career Development Content | Discover strategies for pitching your game, effective communication, how to land an investor/publisher, business development, and how to build your career in the game development directly from industry experts. Attend sessions on the Industry Stage on the Expo floor Wednesday – Friday, and the Game Career Seminar, happening Friday, designed for students and others interested in starting a game development career. Pass Access: Available for all GDC pass holders |
Meetings & Networking
| One-on-one meetings | Attendees can request meetings with any fellow attendees through our event mobile app. Search other attendees by job title, professional interest, and other filters, then send them a meeting request with a proposed date, time, and location. |
| Speed Networking | GDC will offer Speed Networking for on-site attendees. These will be one-hour sessions with attendees rotating around the room. |
| Expo Hall Happy Hour | Join us in the GDC Expo Wednesday, March 22 from 5:00-6:00pm to mingle with exhibitors and sponsors and grab a free drink. |
| Awards | Meet the winners after the awards on Wednesday, March 22 for a networking opportunity from:
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| Xsolla Game Night with Mattel | Join Mattel, Deconstructor of Fun, and Xsolla for a fun-filled game night on Tuesday, March 21! And we're not talking video games... we're going analog! Enjoy Mattel classics like UNO, Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots, and many more. Play with fellow game enthusiasts, meet great people, and socialize early ahead of GDC! Doors at 6 pm, with snacks and soft drinks to keep you powered up. Games wrap up at 8:30 pm. We'll save you a seat! Tuesday, March 21 from 6:00-9:00 pm located in South Hall – Esplanade Rooms 153/155 |
| Web3 Mixers | Monday, March 20
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Expo
| GDC Expo (Weds-Fri) | Expand your network and join leading companies in game development ready to provide solutions to your business challenges. Dedicated sponsor pages and meetings are available during all event hours on the official mobile app. Pass Access: Available for all pass holders (Friday Only Expo Passes grant access to the GDC Expo on the Fri of the event) |
| GDC Play (Weds-Fri) | Learn about innovative projects from emerging and independent developers and meet the people who created them. Visit the studio’s dedicated pages and don’t miss their game demo sessions! Pass Access: Available for all pass holders (Friday Only Expo Passes grant access to the GDC Expo on the Fri of the event) |
Special Events
| GDC Main Stage Content (Weds) | GDC Main Stage hosts sessions & talks from prominent industry leaders sharing their experiences around important game industry themes. Pass Access: Available for all GDC pass holders |
| IGF Awards & GDCA Ceremonies (Weds) | Celebrate the game industry at this vibrant two-part awards ceremony which kicks off with the IGF Awards, recognizing the best indie game developers, and follows up with the Game Developers Choice Awards, the premier accolades for peer recognition in the video game industry. Pass Access: Available for all GDC pass holders |
