Gamescom has announced that this year's show will be changing its original plans of being a hybrid show of physical and digital components and will now be entirely online this year.

In a press release, Chief Operating Officer Oliver Frese discussed the decision by saying "Together with the game – The German Games Industry Association, we have put all our energy into making Gamescom 2021 in a hybrid format possible for fans and industry alike. However, even though the hybrid concept was very well received by the partners, we had to recognize that GamesCom still comes too early for many companies in the industry due to the required planning reliability."

Gamescom will kick things off with the Opening Night Live broadcast on August 25 hosted by Geoff Keighley, with viewers being able to virtually "attend" the online show over the following days via a relaunched Gamescom Now hub and Gamescom Epix campaign to take place over social media.