VGTimes at gamescom asia — let's check out another gaming expo together

Since last year, Germany’s gamescom has been held not only in Cologne, but also in Southeast Asia. This time, in 2025, Europe’s largest gaming expo has temporarily migrated to the hot capital of Thailand. From October 16 to 19, gamescom asia is taking place at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center, together with the Thailand Game Show. Rodion Ilyin couldn’t stay home during these days, so he quickly packed his camera, microphone, and a couple of socks into his backpack and rushed off to Bangkok… The first photos from the scene are in this article.

Bangkok is a city of contrasts. I was here about five years ago, and it feels like not much has changed. The luxury of sunlit skyscrapers stands side by side with gloomy slums that lack any modern amenities. On one side of the street, a shiny Lamborghini is parked by a five-star hotel, while on the other, a woman does laundry in a basin right on the pavement—her home has no running water.

The first thing to do, as always, is to find where to pick up the press badge. Of course, accreditation was sorted out well in advance.

On the first—or rather, the zero—day of the expo, the consumer zone is still under construction, and entry is closed to everyone except booth staff. Tomorrow it’ll be packed, but today we can freely access the B2B zone—it’s already in full swing.

Indie developers in the business zone are trying to find publishers, publishers are on the lookout for promising projects to invest in, and journalists are conducting interviews. That’s exactly what we’re here for—separate articles with transcripts will be published over the next few days.

There’s no cosplay yet—the costumed crowd will show up in the convention center halls tomorrow. So far, we’ve spotted just one striking look.

On the very first day, I managed to chat with several developers. The most determined ones travel to every major expo, and you start to recognize familiar booths and faces.

Thanks to the game Marvel Rivals, the mutant Emma Frost has gained popularity in cosplay. However, this work is related to her appearance in PUBG Mobile.

Lady Dimitrescu from Resident Evil Village remains popular among cosplayers.

There really is a lot of cosplay at Gamescom Asia.

Island of Hearts is a visual novel starring real-life actresses. It's scheduled for release in 2026.

Code Vein 2 is a Soulslike with graphics stylized to resemble modern anime. The release is scheduled for January 30, 2026.

Many players were dissatisfied with Little Nightmares 3. Meanwhile, queues of people waiting to check it out in person formed at Gamescom Asia.

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege X is a major update for the original game, featuring a number of improvements and updated graphics.

This year, Genshin Impact turned five years old. But it remains popular, especially among smartphone gamers.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 was also featured. In 2025, the series will enter a new phase of its rivalry with Battlefield.

Ragnarok X is an MMORPG based on the legendary Ragnarok Online. It was released in China in 2020, and global servers were launched this year.

Crystal of Atlan is another multiplayer role-playing game that became available worldwide in 2025.

Lineage 2 also has its own booth.

Sonic fans can play Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds. The game is already out, but not everyone has yet to purchase it.

Konami, as expected, is promoting the soccer simulator eFootball. The free-to-play distribution model is perhaps its only advantage over EA Sports FC 26.

A separate area is dedicated to indie games.

Nintendo also took part in this event. You could try out the brand new Switch 2 there.

And purchase themed merch.

Those interested could test out the new ROG Xbox Ally portable console.

There really are a lot of people on Saturday.

We saw our friend Tniwe at the exhibition dressed as Juri Han from Street Fighter 6. This long-legged beauty often appears in our best cosplay collections.

Marvel Comics heroes and heroines are traditionally popular among cosplayers.

Umamusume: Pretty Derby is a Japanese game based on anthropomorphic horses. This universe has spawned a manga, anime series, and even a theatrical production.

If you're interested, you can also play the new Ghost of Yotei from Sucker Punch Productions.

Ninja Gaiden 4 is a joint development between the original trilogy's creators, Team Ninja and Platinum Games, known for Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance and Bayonetta. The game will be released on October 21st.

Onimusha: Way of the Sword will also be on display at the exhibition. However, the new installment in the series won't hit store shelves until 2026.

Satellite Odyssey: Jupiter is a direct sequel to Satellite Odyssey: Prologue. It's a horror game with survival elements, set on a space base.

This funny guy has no direct connection to video games. He's the mascot of the Thai company Koh-Kae, which produces nuts.

No major toy trade show is complete without cars.

Soccer player cards. Many of us collected these as children.

Ada Wong in an evening gown from Resident Evil 4. Interestingly, she chose the look from the original 2005 game, not the remake.

Ellen Jo from Zenless Zone Zero looks like a typical anime maid.

Recognize her? This is Nemesis from Resident Evil 3. This type of cosplay is considered low-cost.

Here's some more cosplay of a variety of characters.

Many visitors try to take selfies with the cosplayers as a souvenir.

Pokémon remains one of Nintendo's main exclusives, bringing the company a steady profit.

Spin Hero is a hybrid roguelike and strategy game with pleasant pixel graphics, reminiscent of SNES-era games.

The horror game Dead by Daylight with asymmetrical multiplayer remains popular.

The creepy babies evoke a sense of dread on a subconscious level. It's no wonder they're often featured in survival horror games.

In addition to cosplayers, the exhibition features numerous female booth attendants. They attract visitors to the products they promote.

Below we've collected photos of the various booths. Check out the diversity of the exhibition.