Gamers Developers Conference (widely known as GDC) is the game industry’s premier professional event, held annually at The Moscone Center in San Francisco’s SoMa neighborhood—primarily in Moscone West at 747 Howard St. It unites programmers, designers, artists, producers, audio pros, business leaders, and students for a week of expert-led learning, hands-on tools exploration, and community connection.
GDC spans multi-track talks, tutorials, and roundtables that dig into real production challenges across programming, graphics, AI, design, audio, art, UX, production, and business. Attendees can move from tightly scoped technical deep dives to leadership and studio culture sessions, then onto the bustling expo where engine makers, platform teams, hardware vendors, and middleware providers demo pipelines and workflows. Hallmark moments include the Independent Games Festival (IGF), which spotlights breakthrough indie craft, and the Game Developers Choice Awards, celebrating industry-leading achievements. Beyond sessions, expect portfolio reviews, career development programming, microtalks, and community meetups that make it easy to compare notes with peers tackling similar problems.
Ideal for anyone who builds or supports games: indie and AAA engineers, graphics/rendering specialists, technical directors, gameplay and systems designers, narrative designers, UI/UX and technical artists, audio directors and composers, producers and project managers, studio and publishing leadership, platform/ecosystem teams, tools and middleware vendors, educators, researchers, and students entering the field.
Choose a pass that matches your goals—Expo-only for the show floor, or broader access for sessions and summits; check the official website for current tiers and policies. Build a personal schedule in the event app, star must-see talks, and arrive early for high-demand rooms. Moscone West and adjacent venues involve walking—wear comfortable shoes and budget 10–15 minutes between sessions. BART and Muni make SoMa/Yerba Buena easy to reach; nearby hotels and evening events fill quickly. Bring photo ID for badge pickup, follow session recording guidelines, hydrate, and block time for the expo—unexpected partnerships and solutions often surface there.
Featured appearances from Sid Meier and Jane Ng, alongside keynotes from Unity Technologies CEO John Riccitiello. Speaker lineup, subject to change
Skip the surge pricing. Keep the good nights' sleep. Downtown hotels near Moscone Center book up fast and surge in price during GDC week. Marina Motel puts you in a quieter, classic San Francisco neighborhood — walkable to the waterfront, Chestnut Street shops and restaurants, and just a short ride to SoMa and the convention center via rideshare, bus, or the Marina/Union Street corridor. It's a good fit for attendees who want to end a long conference day away from the downtown crowds, with easier parking and a more relaxed, residential feel.
