GXG 2026 (Game culture X Generation 2026) took place from September 11 to 12 in the Pangyo Station plaza area of Seongnam City, drawing approximately 43,000 visitors.
Hosted by Seongnam City and co-organized by the Seongnam Industry Promotion Agency and the Game Culture Foundation, the festival featured stage performances, hands-on activities, exhibitions, networking events, and collaborative programs under the slogan 'Game, Enjoy as Culture!'
In the game music competition 'The 3rd GXG SOUND TRACK,' string band Momad claimed the Grand Prize with their original track 'Nova X.' Six finalist teams performed in the competition, which offered a total prize pool of 21 million won. Catalog won the Gold Prize; Solaris and Hahyeon received Silver Prizes; and Unreal Odyssey and NOX took home Bronze Prizes.
The festival also featured an opening celebration performance by Dynamic Duo and the 'GXG Gala Concert,' which included performances by Neople Ensemble Heal and the National Gugak Center Creative Orchestra. The venue offered hands-on programs where visitors could experience console games, voice actor dubbing, AI game sound production, board games, and cosplay costumes.
The '2026 Indiecraft' exhibition brought together 64 developers. It supported international exchange and participant feedback through a Brazil Special Pavilion and a game evaluation panel. At the 'Connect Fair K-Game Export Consultation,' 82 domestic gaming companies and 44 domestic and international buyers participated, conducting approximately 240 business consultations.
In the 'AI Game Sound Design Challenge,' collaborating with GXG for the first time, six entries received awards, with OVERTAKE winning the Gold Prize. In the cosplay dance category of 'Illustar Fes,' 'Guilty-hage Gaegwacheonseon' earned the Grand Award, while the 'Pokémon Card Game 2026 Seongnam CITY Battle Tournament' was also held as an affiliated event.
A total of 353 students participated in 'GV2026 (Game Vision 2026),' a career exploration program in gaming for students. Around 170 industry professionals attended 'Game Tech Night with GXG and Microsoft,' an industry networking event held with Microsoft, to discuss technology trends and explore collaboration opportunities.
