G-STAR 2026 in Busan: How Korea's Game Show Is Changing

G-STAR 2026 game exhibition at BEXCO in Busan, Korea, with indie, global showcase and consumer exhibition areas

G-STAR (지스타), South Korea's largest game exhibition, opens its 2026 edition on November 19 at BEXCO (벡스코) in Busan (부산) and runs through November 22. This article answers a narrower question than a visitor's guide: which companies are in and out this year, and how has the organizers' layout changed in response?

The picture shifted between August and October, so the timeline below matters. Figures come from Korean trade and business press reporting the organizing committee's announcements; the committee's own announcement pages were not directly available for this article.

Event Basics

Item	Details
Dates	November 19 to 22, 2026
Venue	BEXCO (벡스코), Haeundae-gu, Busan; Exhibition Halls 1 and 2
Consumer area	"BTC" (business-to-consumer), open all four days
Business area	"BTB" (business-to-business) meetings through November 21
Online preview	"G-STAR Premiere" showcase on November 18
Tickets	General admission by advance sale via the official site and app

The schedule details come from reports on the committee's announcements: MTN (August 13), OSEN's coverage of the floor plan and the September 3 MTN report on Krafton. Ticket prices were not found in the sources reviewed, so check the official site.

How the Lineup Story Changed

In August, the headline was a gap. MTN reported that the so-called "3N2K" (a Korean shorthand for Nexon, Netmarble, NCSoft, Krafton and Kakao Games) were expected to skip the consumer exhibition. The same report said that for the first time since the show began in 2005, a non-game company, the AI service Crack (크랙), would be main sponsor, and that the organizers framed this as widening the show's reach rather than abandoning games. A Digital Daily report from the same week quoted an organizing-committee head acknowledging that big games are scarce in the market.

By September the picture was partly revised. The September 3 MTN report said Krafton would exhibit in the consumer area of Hall 1, extending a streak of attending every G-STAR since 2017. When the committee announced its floor plan on September 29, Hall 1's six large spaces of 100 or more booths each went to Krafton, HoYoverse, Google Play, Webzen, Team42 and the main sponsor Crack, per the OSEN and inews24 reports. Nexon, NCSoft and Netmarble did not appear in that list, though a Nexon Games executive is listed as a speaker at the show's conference. Whether those companies attend the business area or hold smaller presences was not stated.

What Fills the Space: The New Layout

The organizers' answer to the gap is a rearranged floor plan:

Hall 1: six spaces of 100+ booths each. Organizers said the hall can hold only six of that size, so some applicants could not be accommodated.
Hall 2, first floor, "Global Game Showcase": a new space for overseas publishers. Koei Tecmo is showing three titles, including Nioh 3; Sega is showing Total War: Warhammer 40,000, described as its first public showing in Korea; NetEase Games and CD Projekt Red run their own zones.
Indie Showcase 2.0 "GALAXY": reported on September 29 as 106 developers across 250 booths, a record size. By October 28, Byline Network reported 114 companies taking part, with Devolver Digital, European developers selected through EGDF (the European Game Developers Federation), and a Steam Deck demo area. The two counts come from different announcements and may use different definitions.
Business area: a new investor pitching stage, "G-STAR Investment Connect," and a networking program involving Amazon Ads, Twitch and Microsoft.

The Conference and the Esports Final

The G-CON 2026 conference is built around "narrative," with speakers from Korean studios and creators behind Little Nightmares, Pacific Drive and Hades. Alongside it, the Overwatch Champions Series Asia Stage 3 Grand Finals run November 20 to 22 at the BEXCO Auditorium with eight teams, and ticket holders receive same-day entry to the expo, according to OSEN's report.

Outreach Beyond Games and Smaller-Company Space

The Digital Daily report describes several changes aimed at broadening the audience and the exhibitor base. This year's key visual was made with the webtoon platform Naver Webtoon, a Hyundai N sim-racing final is on the program, and the business lounge is set to more than double in size. A new "lounge booth" format, half the size of a standard booth, is aimed at smaller companies that cannot afford a full one, and the investor-matching "Invest Market" returns. These are organizer descriptions of the plan, not results; none of the reports quantify demand for the new formats.

For readers unfamiliar with the vocabulary, a "booth" in Korean trade shows is a standard-size exhibition unit, so "100-booth spaces" means a single exhibitor's area equal to 100 of those units. That is why Hall 1's capacity is described as six such spaces rather than by square meters.

Why the Format Is Changing

The reasons given in the coverage are structural rather than a single cause. MTN reports that major developers are concentrating on console and PC titles with longer development cycles, which limits how often they have new games to show each November. The same report notes that rival shows such as AGF are growing quickly and that critics have revived talk of a "G-STAR crisis" over accessibility and attendance. It does not provide attendance figures for 2025 or 2026, and none are quoted here.

The response, as described by the organizers, leans on four things: overseas publishers, indie developers, business and investment programs, and a conference with a narrative focus. Organizers say they will not abandon the core game-show identity. Whether the larger indie and global areas draw visitors as the big domestic booths once did will only be visible after the show.

Practical Notes

Check the official site and app for ticket pricing and entry times; general admission is sold in advance only.
The consumer area runs all four days, while business meetings end on November 21.
Esports finals have their own venue (the BEXCO Auditorium); ticket holders get same-day expo entry, per OSEN.
November 19 is also the day of Korea's national university entrance exam; see our related article below.

FAQ

When and where is G-STAR 2026?

November 19 to 22, 2026, at BEXCO in Busan. The consumer area runs all four days and business meetings run through November 21.

Are the big Korean game companies attending?

Partly. Krafton and Webzen have large spaces in Hall 1, according to the September floor-plan announcement. Earlier reports had said several of the largest companies would skip the consumer show; Nexon, NCSoft and Netmarble were not in the announced Hall 1 list.

What is new at G-STAR 2026?

A non-game main sponsor for the first time since 2005, a Global Game Showcase for overseas publishers, an expanded indie showcase and a new investor pitching stage.

Verified as of November 12, 2026. Exhibitor lists and programs may change before and during the show; confirm with the official G-STAR site.