Berlin loses the German Computer Games Prize 2026 to Munich!

Berlin loses the German Computer Games Prize 2026 to Munich!

Berlin has suffered a bitter setback in the exciting race for the German Computer Game Prize. On June 18, 2025, the organizers announced that the 2026 awards ceremony would take place in Munich. This decision was based on Munich's strong application, which is underlined by the city's commitment to the games industry. Dorothee Bär, Federal Minister for Research, Technology and Space, praised the development opportunities that Munich offers for the industry. This further fuels the long-standing competition between Berlin and Munich for supremacy in the German games scene. A survey by the industry association “game” recently showed that Munich was slightly ahead, putting a damper on Berlin’s ambitions for the upcoming awards ceremony.

But Berlin does not accept this defeat. Governing Mayor Kai Wegner leaves no doubt that his goal is to permanently anchor the German Computer Game Prize in the capital. Wegner emphasizes that Berlin is the best location for the event as the city has the most companies and the most dynamic growth in the games industry. In order to meet this requirement, we are already investing heavily in the future. The new “House of Games” is scheduled to open from 2026 and will serve as the largest center for game developers in Germany. Large and small companies, start-ups as well as cultural and educational institutions are brought together under one roof. The Senate Chancellery has announced that it will support the construction of the “House of Games” with around five million euros each in 2024 and 2025.

A look at the games industry

The German games industry has experienced ups and downs in recent years. The interactive media landscape is booming, which is demonstrated not least by the annual Gamescom in Cologne, which attracted a record-breaking 373,000 visitors in 2019. Even though the pandemic cast its shadow in 2020 and 2021, the industry's sales rose to around 5.3 billion euros in 2020, which placed fifth in a global comparison. For comparison: sales in the book industry amounted to 9.3 billion euros in 2020, while the music industry only brought in 1.8 billion euros.

Berlin can boast that around 350 companies in the computer games industry are based there, providing over 4,000 jobs with a total annual turnover of over 400 million euros. This shows the importance and potential that Berlin has for the games industry. The difficulties in this sector cannot be ignored, as there are reports of poor working conditions and high pressure in studios. Nevertheless, the federal government is funding the industry with 250 million euros until 2023, which underlines the support for developers and their creative ideas.

It will be exciting to see how the competition between Berlin and Munich will develop as the games industry continues to change. It remains to be seen whether the plans for the “House of Games” in Berlin will bear the flag against the defeat of the computer game prize. But the future promises to be colorful and dynamic.

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