State-supported festival to sync with G-Star, nation's biggest gaming event
South Korea’s Game Culture Festival, a government-backed event led by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency, will join forces with the country’s largest gaming showcase, G-Star, for its 2026 edition.
According to KOCCA, the Game Culture Festival will run from Nov. 19 to Nov. 22, aligning its schedule and venue with G-Star at Busan Exhibition and Convention Center in Busan. The festival will take place inside Bexco’s second exhibition hall, spanning roughly 50 booths.
The festival has shifted locations in recent years. It was staged at the theme park Everland in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, in 2023 and 2024, before moving to multi-culture complex HiKR Ground in Seoul’s Gwanghwamun last year.
Designed to spotlight the artistic and cultural value of video games while encouraging healthy gaming practices, the Game Culture Festival features a mix of exhibition and hands-on experience zones for both domestic and international titles. Programming also includes esports matches, game soundtrack concerts and a range of interactive events.
Signature elements of the festival further extend to themed game experience zones, indie game showcases and amateur esports competitions through the GCF Esports League, which has featured titles such as League of Legends and Eternal Return.
Meanwhile, G-Star has been held annually in Busan since 2005 and functions as both a gaming industry marketplace and consumer-facing convention. Alongside major game reveals and technology showcases, it also hosts the G-Con conference, drawing developers, publishers and fans from across the industry.
yoonseo.3348@heraldcorp.com
