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FYNG at Gamescom 2026: 50 Hours of Games, and Plenty of Indies in the Mix

Published by Rob from the Shack

If you’ve been trying to keep up with Gamescom 2026 and failing, FYNG is the stream to catch up on. “Find Your Next Game” is GameStar’s marathon showcase running 25–30 August, and this year it’s their biggest yet: over 50 hours of programming broadcast live from a roughly 1,600 m² booth in Hall 7.

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What FYNG actually is

Let’s be straight about it: FYNG isn’t an indie-only event. It’s a broad games showcase that covers everything from the biggest blockbusters of the year to games made by three people in a spare room. The main show — Wednesday 26 August, 17:00–20:00 CEST — featured just over 30 games and seven world premieres.

But that mix is exactly why it’s worth your time. Indie games make up a large share of the lineup across the week, and they’re shown in the same slot, on the same stage, and to the same audience as the big-budget stuff. No separate little corner. That’s meaningful visibility for small teams, and the format helps — FYNG leans on real gameplay and concrete detail rather than cinematic trailers, which tends to favour games that have something genuinely interesting to show.

The FYNG Indie Award

The most focused indie moment is the FYNG Indie Award. Roughly 200 games were submitted, and eight finalists were selected to be showcased. If you only have time for one part of the week, that shortlist is the highest-density indie discovery you’ll get.

The FYNG Indie Award nominees

The most focused indie moment is the FYNG Indie Award. Roughly 200 games were submitted and eight finalists made the cut:

  • DeadRoot (Finish Line Games) — action-adventure RPG
  • RollerGirl (Pushing Vertices) — adventure
  • Food Truck Empire (Lichthund) — simulation / strategy
  • Skapheim: The Tenth Realm (Jam Jar Jet) — strategy
  • Crowded – A Crow City Builder (Nestwork Games) — city-builder
  • Glasshouse (FLAT28) — RPG
  • Haunted Paws (LazyFlock) — adventure
  • Hanno: A Magical Tale (One Way Eleven) — action-adventure

If you only have time for one part of the week, that shortlist is the highest-density indie discovery you’ll get.

More indies across the wider lineup

The Award shortlist isn’t the whole indie story. Six more indie-tagged games sit in the main selection and the premiere slot:

  • ETRE (Studio Lifeforms) — a world premiere, action-adventure
  • Dwarf Fortress (Bay 12 Games) — the sim/strategy institution
  • Chronicles: Medieval (Raw Power Games) — action RPG / strategy
  • Valheim (Iron Gate AB) — survival, still going strong
  • Lost Legions (Tarock Interactive) — action-adventure RPG
  • Shadow of the Road (Another Angle Games) — RPG, out 12 November 2026

Worth noting that Steam’s “Indie” tag is self-applied, so the count undersells it slightly — several of the Award nominees are obviously small-team projects that simply never ticked the box.

Where to watch and browse

The show streams on GameStar.de, Twitch, and YouTube, and everything goes on demand afterwards — so nothing is lost if you missed the live broadcast.

For browsing the games themselves, the Steam curator page is the practical route. It’s live from 25 August 19:00 until 30 August 19:00 CEST, and it’s where you can read descriptions, watch trailers, and wishlist the ones that grab you.

Why it’s worth a look

Gamescom is one of the largest gaming events in the world, and getting a slot in a showcase this size is the kind of exposure most independent developers can’t buy. Watching, wishlisting, and sharing the ones you like costs you nothing and genuinely moves the needle for a small team.

The stream runs until 30 August, and the VODs stick around after that. Go find something you didn’t know existed.