The 2025 Game Developers Conference (GDC), the world’s largest annual gathering of game industry professionals and enthusiasts devoted to the art and science of making games, begins its 39th edition today at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco. In support of this year’s theme of “Connecting the World through Games,” the conference is introducing GDC Nights, an after-hours experience designed to bring attendees from across the globe together for two unforgettable evenings on Monday and Thursday. The week-long Game Developers Conference will feature more than 1,000 experienced speakers, 725 insightful sessions, workshops, roundtable discussions and networking events alongside 400 exhibitors on the GDC Expo floor, coming together from more than 100 different countries.

On the eve of GDC, noted Bay Area street artist Max Ehrman has partnered with the event to produce an original piece of street art celebrating the conference’s home of San Francisco and highlight GDC’s commitment to giving back to the community that has inspired and hosted it for decades. The piece is available for public viewing on Geary Street, between Powell & Mason. GDC content starts with two days of GDC Summits today, March 17, and tomorrow, March 18. These summits offer developer-led deep dives into specialized game development disciplines, with topics that include game AI, level design, art direction, live service games, visual effects, community management, advanced graphics, game narrative and much more. The summits offer attendees actionable skills and philosophies to incorporate into their careers and hobbies.

The inaugural GDC Nights kicks off on the evenings of Monday and Thursday, taking over all three floors of Moscone’s West Hall from 6:30-10:00pm. Featuring a festival of fun and creative activities, GDC Nights offers developers a comfortable, engaging and immersive space to gather. The full list of GDC Nights activities includes Games Done Quick hosted speed runs, Day of the Devs Indie games showcase, TV/movie screenings, live music, comedy shows, karaoke, concessions and bars, board games and more. GDC attendees can add GDC Nights to their pass, while those who aren’t attending GDC can grab a standalone GDC Nights pass to join the fun.

Starting on Wednesday, March 20, the GDC’s Core conference content begins with the GDC Main Stage Performance titled “A Developer’s Concert” in West Hall’s Main Stage at 12:30pm. This extraordinary live orchestral performance is presented by renowned composer Austin Wintory (Stray Gods, Journey, Banner Saga 1-3 and Assassin’s Creed Syndicate), who is returning to conduct a whole new slate of classics and deep cuts. Springing from the theme of "Connecting the World through Games," the music will come from all corners of the gaming world, with lots of surprises and special guests. The GDC Main Stage will also feature a presentation hosted by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) to bring light to a new accessibility initiative, and discuss how five organizations (Electronic Arts, Google, Microsoft, Nintendo of America and Ubisoft) are coming together to create an industry-wide program designed to improve and expand the player experience. All attendees are invited to attend this exciting performance.

Core Concept sessions will continue from Wednesday, March 19 through Friday, March 21. These sessions will focus on many of the key pillars of game development: Audio, Business & Marketing, Design, Production & Team Leadership, Programming and Visual Arts. World-renowned designers will lead sessions on ASTRO BOT, Metaphor: ReFantazio, Split Fiction, Dredge, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Helldivers 2, TEKKEN 8, Final Fantasy VII: Remake, Like a Dragon and much more.

The 27th annual Independent Games Festival (IGF), the longest-running festival, summit and showcase celebrating independent games and their creators, and the 25th annual Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCAs), the leading peer-based video game event celebrating the industry’s top games and developers, will take place back-to-back on Wednesday, March 19, starting at 6:30pm PT. Both ceremonies are available to attend for all GDC 2025 pass holders, and will be live-streamed on the event mobile app and the official GDC Twitch channel. The awards will be archived on Twitch and the official GDC YouTube channel.

“Throughout its decades-long evolution, GDC has served as an important hub for meaningful connections for attendees from around the world, underscoring the theme of ‘Connecting the World Through Games,’” said Stephenie Hawkins, GDC Event Director. “With exciting new accessibility initiatives, musical performances and interactive communal experiences at GDC Nights, all bound together by more than 725 developer-led sessions, we aim to make GDC 2025 an engaging, affirming and safe experience for all attendees.”

The GDC Expo floor serves as a showcase for top game industry companies to exhibit their latest innovations and meet with attendees from around the world. The GDC Expo also features interactive community spaces where attendees can meet or reconnect and play, ponder and inspire each other. The alt.ctrl.GDC showcase returns, celebrating 11 years as one of GDC's most acclaimed community spaces. Attendees can play games using alternative controllers, many of which focus on providing new accessibility features, and meet the developers behind these unique projects. The IGF Pavilion hosts the finalists of the IGF Awards, providing attendees with a chance to play some of the most exciting and boundary-pushing independent games that will be seen during the IGF Award ceremony on Wednesday evening. GDC Play is an interactive showcase on the GDC Expo floor featuring innovative projects and games and the emerging and independent developers who created them. Returning in 2025 is the Game History Gallery, created in partnership with the Video Game History Foundation. Displaying historic pieces of gaming hardware, a handful of playable games and a donation space, attendees can learn about the importance of video game preservation and experience inspiring and pivotal games from the past.

For more details on the Game Developers Conference, please visit GDC’s official website, or subscribe to regular updates via Facebook, X, or Bluesky. Official photos are available via the official GDC Flickr account.

About GDC

The Game Developers Conference® (GDC) is the world’s largest professional game industry event with market-defining content for programmers, artists, producers, game designers, audio professionals, business decision makers, and others involved in the development of interactive games and immersive experiences. GDC brings together the global game development community year-round through events and digital media, including the GDC Networking Meet-ups, GDC Vault, GameDeveloper.com, Independent Games Festival and Summit, and the Game Developers Choice Awards.

GDC is organized by Informa PLC, a leading B2B information services group and the largest B2B Events organizer in the world. To learn more and for the latest news and information visit www.informa.com.

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