FAQ

GDC Festival of Gaming 2026 takes place from March 9 through March 13, 2026.

GDC Festival of Gaming 2026 is to be held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California.

GDC is for the entire games ecosystem at every stage of their career, looking to learn, grow, play, and network. These include publishers, developers, programmers, creators, producers, game designers, service providers, audio professionals, QA, business leaders, and more.

Head over to our Passes & Pricing page for more details.

Registration for GDC Festival of Gaming is now open! Grab Your Pass >>

GDC group registration discounts apply for 10 or more registrations. Group discount cannot be combined with any other offers or promotions, including the alumni rate. For more information, please visit our Passes & Pricing page.

GDC Festival of Gaming collaborates with select organizations to empower and uplift game developers from marginalized communities, offering them opportunities to attend the event and a platform to showcase their work. Visit the Get Involved page for the complete list of scholarships and other assistance opportunities after 2026 registration opens.

Becoming a Conference Associate is a fantastic way to experience GDC and meet other developers in the industry. Head to our Get Involved page for more information.

To upgrade an existing pass, simply log into your registration to make the change. You can also reach out to our Registration Customer Service desk at GDC Registration for assistance.

To cancel, change, or substitute your pass, please email gdcregistration@informa.com.

Requests for registration cancellations, substitutions and downgrades must be received on or before February 20, 2026. Cancellations will incur a $300.00 cancellation fee for conference passes or a $100.00 cancellation fee for expo passes. Refunds are not available after this date for downgrades or cancellations and are not available for no-shows.

Pass upgrades can be purchased by sending an email to GDC Registration gdcregistration@informa.com.

Credit card issuers may impose a fee for credit card charges issued to international registrants. Please contact your card issuer if you have further questions about their fee schedule.

You can request an invitation letter to accompany your visa application to attend GDC during the registration process. Your registration must be paid in full before your letter of invitation can be issued.

Please note that requesting a visa invitation letter does not guarantee that your local authorities will grant a visa to attend the event. Additionally, you are responsible for submitting your visa application to your local embassy/consulate; conference management will not submit it on your behalf. All requests are subject to review and approval.

GDC and Convention Housing Partners (CHP) have secured discounted rates on hotels near the event for attendees. Hotel blocks are open for GDC 2026. Please visit our Plan Your Trip page for more details.

If you are contacted by companies aside from CHP offering to make hotel reservations for you, we urge you not to book with them because they are not affiliated with GDC and therefore are not authorized to make reservations on GDC’s behalf.

The Moscone Center does not have on-site parking, but here’s a list of parking options around Moscone.

Luckily, several GDC partner hotels are within walking distance of the Moscone Center, and there are many excellent public transportation options for those staying farther away. Check out our list of ways to get to GDC 2026.

Dates and times for GDC Festival of Gaming 2026 conference sessions will be added to this website about four (4) weeks before the event. 

Every year, GDC partners with Swapcard to help attendees feel engaged and prepared. The event app typically opens three (3) weeks before the event. Stay tuned for more information.

The GDC Code of Conduct outlines expectations for participant behavior and consequences for unacceptable behavior. We are committed to providing a friendly, safe, and welcoming environment for all regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity, or religion. Please read the Code of Conduct before joining us at GDC Festival of Gaming 2026.

Our top goal is to make sure all of our attendees feel safe. We’ve partnered with local authorities and city organizations to ensure a secure and pleasant experience for everyone at our event. Our Health & Safety page has everything you need to know, including travel options and how to access round-the-clock support during the event.

• When you leave Moscone, remove your attendee badge and put it away.
• Always be aware of your surroundings and what is happening around you-- especially in crowded situations. Staged distractions are a favorite ploy of pickpockets.
• Carry your wallet in the inside front pocket of your pants or your jacket. Shoulder bags or other handbags should be carried under your arm, not by the handle. While attending GDC sessions, or going out to eat or socialize, keep your bag in your lap.
• Keep your eyes up, your ears open, and your phone put away on city streets and on public transportation. This will lower the chance of theft and keep you safe on San Francisco’s busy streets.

More tips and initiatives from GDC Festival of Gaming can be found on our Health & Safety page.

GDC Festival of Gaming 2026 Call for Submissions closed on August 7, 2025, at 11:59 PM PT.

GDC is transforming. The 2026 program has been refreshed with new formats, a unified structure, and a stronger focus on the full gaming ecosystem. Learn More >>

If you have any questions, please contact Kysa Korosi for inquiries on speaking at GDC Festival of Gaming.

Make sure you stay up to date on submitting for future GDC events by subscribing to our Call for Submissions mailing list!

Please complete this request form and one of our team members will contact you directly with more information.

The Exhibitor Portal will be available in the coming months. All sponsors and exhibitors will receive an email prompting them to log in.

If you have any questions, reach out to GDC Customer Success.

Registration is located in South Hall, Street Level. Enter at Howard Street. Check back for the registration hours.

We do have Wi-Fi in the lobbies and session halls of the Moscone Center during the event, but not in the GDC Festival Hall. There is no technical support for Wi-Fi at GDC.

Coat check is located in the South and West halls.

If you require special assistance, auxiliary aids, interpreters or other reasonable accommodations while at the conference and/or expo please get in touch with GDC Event Operations. Please also see more detailed accessibility information here.

Moscone Center does not have onsite accessible parking. Head here for more information on parking around Moscone or alternative forms of accessible transportation.

Each of our conference rooms, as well as the Main Stage, have reserved seating for people with disabilities and their companions. They are on a first come, first served basis.

Moscone Center welcomes service animals to accompany people with disabilities in all areas of the facility where the public is normally permitted access. 

For those requiring extra assistance or space to register or collect their badge onsite, GDC has an ADA dedicated registration area which will be clearly signposted upon arrival at South Hall, Moscone Center. Please contact GDC Event Operations if you have any questions.

As much as we love our GDC Kids, GDC does not allow anyone under the age of 18 (including infants in strollers) to attend the conference, unless they're part of our supervised Student Day event. However, GDC has partnered with KiddieCorp to provide on-site childcare services for our attendees and exhibitors.

Please visit the KiddieCorp website for more information or click here to register. Registration closes February 16, 2026.

Two (2) Mamava nursing pods will be located on the Moscone South Lower Mezzanine next to Room 50. One of the pods is ADA-accessible. We also have (1) Mamava nursing pod on Level 2 of Moscone West by Room 2024.

Download the Mamava app to book an appt, and you will receive an access code to open the pods.

There isn’t a refrigerator inside the pods to store milk, but we’re happy to store milk for caregivers in the Show Office fridge (Room South 105).

We have a quiet room for our attendees available during conference hours, Monday through Friday.

Attendees can access a quiet prayer and meditation room onsite during conference hours, Monday through Friday.

You can record the first five minutes of a GDC session, but anything beyond that is not allowed. All GDC attendees, including exhibitors, press, and passholders must follow our GDC filming guidelines.

Most of our sessions are recorded and available to watch online throughout the year on GDC Vault, our online content library. Most of our recent content requires a subscription, but we always have sessions available to watch for free as part of our commitment to the game community.