GDC Affiliate Program

Courage XL

March 8, 2026 | 8 AM - 11:50 AM

119 Utah St, San Francisco, CA 94103, United States

Kick off your GDC week the Courage way! With 35+ developers, a drink in hand, and a night full of games, chats, and good vibes. Courage XL keeps things casual: think simple set ups, soft music, and lots of cool demos (no loud music, expensive expo booths or complicated badge scanners) 🎧🍻

Expect a friendly crowd, an indie atmosphere, and the perfect excuse to mingle before the madness of GDC begins. 🕹️🍹

Mahjong Speakeasy

March 8 & March 10, 2026 | 4 PM - 8 PM

Fermentation Lab -- 1700A Post Street, San Francisco

Open Play | Beginner-Friendly | Chinese Mahjong

Join us for an open Mahjong night designed with beginners in mind. Our hosts will run rolling guided intro sessions throughout the evening to help new players learn the basics and jump into live play.

RSVP NOW for March 8

RSVP NOW for March 10

RunDevRun

March 9, 2026 | 7:30 AM - 8:30 AM

Sister Cities sign near Market and 5th.

RunDevRun is a community-powered morning run for game developers, industry folks, and friends who want to kick off their conference days with fresh air, light movement, and good conversation.

New York State Breakfast

March 9, 2026 | 9 AM - 12 PM

149 New Montgomery, San Francisco, CA 94105

Empire State Development would like to celebrate the vast digital game development industry of our state with a breakfast networking event. It will be an opportunity to network with the amazing award winning NYS developers and learn more about New York resources for digital game companies based anywhere. RSVP prior required.

Create Your Own Game Mascot

March 9, 2026 | 10 AM - 5 PM

Right at the GDC main entrance

Design Your Own Game Mascot at GDC — See It Turned Into 3D and Printed!

The Games Industry Social

March 9, 2026 | 5 PM - 8 PM

Revealed with approved RSVP

Games Industry Gathering (GIG) presents its annual IRL party held in San Francisco during the week of GDC.

The party will be held in an exclusive outdoor undercover space with tables and board games, an allocation of vouchers for food and drink from various food trucks and carts, plus an developers showcasing some playable games.

Sumo Digital Mixer

March 9, 2026 | 5:30 PM - 7 PM

685 Folsom St, San Francisco, CA 94107, United States

Sumo Digital is hosting a private GDC mixer for our valued friends, colleagues and partners at Wine Down SF, a wonderfully relaxed and friendly bar just one block away from the Moscone Center!

Join us for drinks, snacks and a time to unwind amongst our partners and peers between 5:30pm-7:30pm on Monday, March 17.

What to expect:

• Relaxed, private affair for our close friends and partners
• Drinks and Food provided

Game For A Laugh

March 9, 2026 | 7 PM - 8:15 PM

446 Valencia Street San Francisco, CA 94103

A game developer tells true stories. Comedians turn them into chaos. Live.

Run Time: San Francisco 5km Social Run

March 10, 2026 | 7 AM - 8 AM

Ferry Building, San Francisco

A casual 5k run with no hard sell, no pressure, no PB's, just a nice run to start your day, and your networking off along San Francisco's famous sea front.

Games [4Diversity] Showcase

March 10, 2026 | 8 AM - 11 AM

993 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94103, United States

Join us for a night filled with playful perspectives, unexpected stories, and bold experiments in inclusion, representation, and identity.

Expect a colourful crowd, games that make you think (and feel), and a space that’s open, relaxed, and inclusive!

BIG Fest

March 10, 2026 | 9 AM - 4 PM

221 Fourth St, San Francisco, CA 94103

BIG FEST is more than an event, it’s a movement. A full day of programming including: networking, an indie game showcase, curated music, a gaming longue, and community-building and more -- all leading up to the annual Black in Gaming Awards.

Elevate Play

March 10, 2026 | 9 AM - 5 PM

Ritz Carlton Hotel

Elevate Play SF 2026 is the signature summit by the National Association of Minorities & Women in Mobile and Tech (NAMWMT), bringing together seasoned leaders, innovative startups, mobile experts, and enterprise trailblazers for panels, keynotes, and curated networking designed to accelerate both innovation and inclusivity.

Early Career Games Meetup

March 10, 2026 | 12 PM - 1:15 PM

Yerba Buena Gardens

A chill park meetup for early career folks who are working in games to meet other people in the same boat, swap notes, and make connections. Swing by and look for the "Early Career Games Meetup" sign!

GameDev Mixer

March 10, 2026 | 5:30 PM - 10 PM

714 Montgomery St. San Francisco, CA. 94111

Come celebrate a night of Networking and Game Demos on Tuesday night inside Barbarossa Lounge!

Vertical Slice

March 10, 2026 | 6 PM - 10 PM

The Lost Church - 988 Columbus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133

Vertical Slice is an annual talent show and game trailer showcase during GDC that highlights new indie games, (not so) secret developer's talents, and local comix artists - bringing together our community all while raising money for charity.

This year, we are again partnered with our friends at AbleGamers! Featuring local comix artists Avijit Singh, Pouya Alaee, and Konstantine Soldatos.

The Future of Intelligent Gameplay: Voice AI Gaming Mixer

March 10, 2026 | 5:30 PM - 9 PM

220 Montgomery St, Suite 148, San Francisco

Agora, a pioneer in real-time engagement and voice AI, is hosting a networking happy hour and demo session where game developers and enthusiasts will explore how the future of gaming is moving away from scripted characters to real-time conversational intelligence that shapes gameplay, retention, and player immersion.

JetBrains GameDev Night

March 10, 2026 | 6 PM - 9 PM

SPIN San Francisco, 690 Folsom St #100, San Francisco, CA 94107, United States

Celebrate, connect, and build the future of play at JetBrains' exclusive evening event for game development leaders at SPIN San Francisco during GDC.

Society for Game Cinematics 1st Annual Cinematic Awards

March 10, 2026 | 7 PM - 9 PM

AMC Metreon 16: 135 4th St #3000, San Francisco, CA 94103

Join us in honoring the visionaries shaping the future of cinematic storytelling in the game industry.

Indie Arcade Party featuring: Unity, VIVERSE & Genies

March 10, 2026 | 7 PM - 12 AM

DNA Lounge, 375 11th St, San Francisco, CA 94103

SF Game Development invites you to our 5th annual night of game industry networking and indie game showcases. Join over a thousand developers at the iconic DNA Lounge in San Francisco on Tuesday, March 10th.

Ukrainian Games Festival

March 10-11, 2026 | 12 PM - 6 AM

530 Bush St San Francisco, California

Free showcase of 10 incredible Ukrainian indie games. Come play games, taste Ukrainian food, and experience Ukrainian culture!

Epic Games Education Summit

March 11, 2026 | 8:30 AM - 11 AM

InterContinental Hotel, Ballroom A

Join us for an exclusive morning where Educators, Industry Partners, and Students come together to bridge the gap between the classroom and the studio.

You’ll hear about key industry trends shaping education, from Mobile to the Epic Games Store, and learn how the Epic Games ecosystem can help prepare students for successful transitions into professional careers.

AI Media + Gaming Event with Kindred Ventures

March 11, 2026 | 5:30 PM - 8 PM

Address provided to guests upon registration approval

Join Kindred Ventures during GDC Festival of Gaming in San Francisco for a conversation that explores how AI is reshaping the way games and media are built, experienced, and scaled.

Games and Investment Salon

March 11, 2026 | 5:30 PM - 8 PM

1100 Sansome Street, San Francisco, CA

A Curated Capital–Creative Gathering

A curated, high-signal salon during GDC Week designed to connect investors, senior operators, studio leaders, platform builders, and select creators in a relationship-first environment.

This is a GDC Week satellite event, complementary to the conference and independently produced, built for people who want real conversations, not crowded mixers or pitch-stage theatrics.

Namazu + Oncade Happy Hour Wednesday Edition

March 11, 2026 | 6 PM - 7 PM

W Hotel Lobby

Food and Drink in the W Hotel Lobby

Anybrain Supper Club

March 11, 2026 | 7 PM - 10:30 PM

R & G Lounge, 631 Kearny St, San Francisco, CA 94108, United States

Join Anybrain for an intimate dinner during GDC at the famous R&G Lounge, one of San Francisco’s most iconic Cantonese restaurants in the heart of Chinatown. This is a curated evening for studio leaders and industry partners to step away from the conference floor and hotel lobbies and connect over exceptional food and genuine conversation.

GLITCHED - Women in Game Dev Afterparty

March 11, 2026 | 8:30 PM - 1:30 AM

Skylark 3089 16th St, San Francisco, CA 94103

GLITCHED - Women in Game Dev is hosting an Afterparty during GDC Festival of Gaming filled with networking, dancing, upbeat party & video game music, and synchronized party lighting coupled with videos of games made by women playing on the monitors all throughout the night! 🥳

GameDev Showcase

March 12, 2026 | 2:30 PM - 12:30 AM

839 Howard St. San Francisco, CA. 94103

Join us for the The 10th Annual Level Up Events "GameDev Showcase" Game Demos + Industry Mixer + After Party

Xbox Gaming for Sustainability Mixer

March 12, 2026 | 4:30 PM - 6:30 PM

Minna Gallery

Join us for a relaxed meet-up open to anyone passionate about gaming, nature, and sustainability—developers, leaders, partners, and curious minds. Please complete this short sign-up to help us plan an inclusive, engaging event.

Gaymer Night

March 12, 2026 | 6 PM - 10 PM

Lookout 3600 16th St, San Francisco, CA 94114

SF Gaymers’ annual Game Developers Conference party and fundraiser! We encourage everyone to take a load off with dancing, drinks, games, and charity auction.

Proceeds from the Lookout's special gaymer menu will be donated to our mission of building gaming spaces that are safe and accepting for Queer people.

Nerd Nite XL

March 12, 2026 | 7 PM - 10 PM

Rickshaw Stop: 155 Fell St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Enjoying GDC? Then join us on Thursday, March 12th to level up to Nerd Nite XL. After a talk from the world of gaming, we'll plunge into an interactive live adventure from Extra Lives: a choose-your-own-adventure RPG concert where the audience (that's you) collectively votes on decisions that shape the story in real time.

POW 14 - Aivi & Surasshu, Premium Vintage + Darren Korb, play the music of Hades, Minibosses, Lacey Johnson, SiIvagunner

March 12, 2026 | 7 PM - 1 AM

DNA Lounge, 375 11th St, San Francisco, CA 94103

Video Games and Music Collide as we celebrate our 14th event with incredible live concert performances from the VGM, chiptune, and composer communities.

The United Kingdom games hub

March 9-12, 2026 | 10 AM - 5 PM

140 Sutter St, San Francisco, CA 94104

The United Kingdom games hub is the place to meet the best games companies from the United Kingdom at GDC Festival of Gaming. Featuring developers, publishers and specialist service suppliers, come meet, network and engage with the best the UK has to offer.

Contact sam@ukie.org.uk for a list of companies that will be based at the hub.

RSVP link coming soon!

POW 14 - Bonus Round

March 13, 2026 | 8 PM - 2 AM

DNA Lounge, 375 11th St, San Francisco, CA 94103

Video Games and Music Collide as we celebrate our 14th event with incredible live concert performances from the VGM, chiptune, and composer communities.