Festival Hall
The Heart of the Festival
Three high-impact days where momentum lives.
Wednesday, March 11 | 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Thursday, March 12 | 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Friday, March 13 | 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
What you’ll get:
- Faster discovery: Five themed neighborhoods guiding you to the right people and products.
- Real conversations: Lounges and stages designed for high-value chats.
- Immersive insight: Live demos, micro-talks, and interactive play spaces to learn by doing.
- Festival vibe, all day: Pop-up bites, meet-ups, and a steady rhythm of headline moments.
Take a look at what is happening throughout the week! View the Festival-At-A-Glance
Marquee Experiences
GDC Play
Discover tomorrow’s breakout titles from independent developers worldwide. Hands-on demos, real feedback, and conversations that lead to what’s next.
alt.ctrl.GDC
An experimental playground for imaginative controllers and boundary-pushing interaction. Meet the makers redefining how we play.
IGF Pavilion
Celebrate creativity at the source. Play selections from the Independent Games Festival and meet the developers shaping the medium.
Festival Hall Theater
The Hall’s main stage. Fast-cut microtalks, spotlights, and live moments that draw the entire floor. Plus, the home of GDC Pitch!
GDC Commons
Make yourself at home in our industry living room. Drop in, play indie games, watch a live interview, and swap ideas with comfy seating.
GDC Pitch
Indie teams pitch live to publishers and investors under the lights. Watch bold ideas take shape or step up and put your vision in front of decision-makers.
Neighborhood Stages
Micro-talks, Q&As, and demos exactly where discovery happens, plus complimentary pop-up lite bites and lounge seating
Buyer Tours
Guided routes for decision-makers. See the most relevant demos for your goals and meet the teams behind them.
Live Interviews
Pull up a seat and tune in! From the Commons Stage to the Side Quest Podcast Studio, hear real conversations with industry voices, community hosts, and surprise guests.
The Jam @ GDC
The Global Game Jam (GGJ) and GDC are partnering together for a two-day game jam! 100 jammers, 20 games, 1 epic-game making sprint. Take your turn to play these freshly made games onsite, plus previous standouts from past jams. Find out how you can be one of the 100 jammers.
Indie Arcade
From coast to coast, indie collectives and organizations are coming together to celebrate diverse creators and fresh perspectives. Stop by each day of the Festival Hall to play a rotating lineup of games.
[indie games]
Check out some games you'll get to play:
Who You'll Meet
International Pavilion
A global stop on the show floor. Explore games, studios, and programs from creators and organizations across the globe, such as Austrian Play Arcade: Spielschön, Brazil Games, ProChile, German Pavilion, Spanish Pavilion, and more.
The Neighborhoods
Game Development
Your build zone. Get hands on with engines, tools, pipelines, and production craft. Home to the Festival Hall Theater (with GDC Pitch) and the brand-new, interactive Game Development bar & lounge.
Future Tech
What’s next for the industry? Explore AI/ML, cloud, infrastructure, and emerging platforms. Stage & lounge for quick hits and deeper dives.
Indie & Education
Where future classics are born. Discover the IGF Pavilion, GDC Play, and alt.ctrl.GDC, plus a dedicated stage & lounge with tips & tricks geared towards Indies.
International
Global dealmaking in one place. Country pavilions, export agencies, and studios from around the world, with a stage & lounge for regional spotlights.
Monetization & Player Engagement
Retention, revenue, and community. See how teams grow games responsibly. Stage & lounge for playbook shares and demos.
Partner Activities
Join in on the excitement and participate in activities our Partners are bringing to the show floor. Check back for more!
Dev Stream Labs
Booth# 558
Think you've got the skills? Step up to Dev Stream Labs' one-of-a-kind, custom-built arcade claw machine. Sang exclusive swag and prizes!
Basis Theory
Booth# 764
Cast a line & test your luck. Stop by to fish for prizes & discover how smart strategy & solid infrastructure protect sensitive data from turning into a payment disaster.
OVHcloud
Booth# 1555
Enter the OVHcloud (gamified) Data Center Arena & throw down in their custom-built fighting game! Win prizes & learn what keeps the cloud behind today's top games fast, reliable, & ready.
Hyper3D
Booth# SL1-2
Step into Hyper3D's platform and design your very own 3D figurine. Select creations will be transformed into real, 3D-printed keychains, to take home.
Faces of the Festival
