In the grand scheme of the gaming industry, 2024 already feels like a lifetime ago. Yet the winners of the Gamescom Awards 2024—handed out in Cologne, Germany, on August 23, 2024—still cast a long shadow over the 2026 release calendar. Back then, Little Nightmares 3 and Monster Hunter Wilds were the toast of the show, each taking home multiple honors. Now, with 2026 in full swing, those victories look less like a snapshot and more like a prophecy.

The annual awards show celebrated the usual mix of blockbusters and indie darlings. Categories ranged from Best Visuals and Best Gameplay to Most Wholesome, plus platform-specific prizes for Xbox, PlayStation, and PC. There was one notable omission: the Nintendo Switch category was canceled because it received “too few submissions,” a spokesperson told TheGamer. That decision raised eyebrows at the time, but in 2026, with the Switch successor firmly established, it feels like a sign of the times.

Here's a quick refresher on the biggest winners from that night:

Category	Winner
Best Visuals	Little Nightmares 3
Best Gameplay	Little Nightmares 3
Best Strategy	Frostpunk 2
Best RPG	Monster Hunter Wilds
Best Action	Monster Hunter Wilds
Most Wholesome	Tavern Talk
Best Family	Creatures of Ava
Best Xbox Game	Little Nightmares 3
Best PC Game	Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
Best PlayStation Game	Monster Hunter Wilds
Best Mobile Game	Genshin Impact

Little Nightmares 3, developed by Supermassive Games and published by Bandai Namco, was the night's big surprise. It snagged Best Visuals, Best Gameplay, and the Xbox category, proving that horror can be more than cheap jump scares. In 2026, the game has become a cult favorite, with a loyal community that still debates its ending. Meanwhile, Monster Hunter Wilds from Capcom did exactly what everyone expected: it dominated. It won Best RPG, Best Action, and Best PlayStation, then launched in 2025 to massive sales and has since received a steady stream of updates. In 2026, it remains a live-service juggernaut, and its Gamescom 2024 wins look like the starting gun for a marathon.

Other winners tell a similar story. Frostpunk 2 took Best Strategy, and 11 bit studios has continued to support it with expansions that keep the frozen apocalypse fresh. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II won Best PC, and its medieval role-playing grit found an even bigger audience after launch. Genshin Impact won Best Mobile, which surprised absolutely no one—HoYoverse's gacha titan is still printing money in 2026. Tavern Talk won Most Wholesome, a cozy visual novel that proved you don't need blood and guts to win hearts. Creatures of Ava took Best Family, and its creature-saving adventure remains a go-to for parents looking for something less chaotic than a battle royale.

But the awards weren't just about trophies. They also revealed the industry's open secret: publishers pay to have their games considered for nomination. The rate was €440 for one category, €800 for up to three categories, and €200 for each additional category. Studios with booth space in Gamescom's indie area received a 50% fee reduction. That's not exactly pay-to-win, but it is pay-to-be-considered, and the debate over whether that's fair has only grown louder by 2026. Some critics call it a necessary evil; others say it's a slap in the face to smaller developers. Either way, it's a reminder that even award shows have a business model.

The big news, of course, came from Gamescom Opening Night Live. The 2024 showcase delivered a truckload of announcements, from Crimson Desert and Dune: Awakening to Star Wars Outlaws and Palworld. Fast-forward to 2026, and the results are mixed. Some of those games hit the ground running, while others went back to the drawing board. Dune: Awakening eventually found its footing as a survival MMO, while Crimson Desert took its sweet time but finally launched to a warm reception. Star Wars Outlaws had a rockier road, but Ubisoft's post-launch updates turned it into a solid spacefaring adventure. Palworld, meanwhile, remains the little indie that could, still updating and still surprising people.

So why does any of this matter in 2026? Because Gamescom Awards are not just a victory lap; they are a weather vane. The 2024 winners predicted which games would dominate conversations for years. Monster Hunter Wilds and Little Nightmares 3 were not flash in the pan—they were the real deal. And as Gamescom 2026 approaches, the industry is watching to see which new titles will follow in their footsteps. Will another underdog steal the show? Will a blockbuster sweep every category? Will the Nintendo Switch category return now that the successor has a healthy install base? Only time will tell.

For now, the 2024 awards serve as a time capsule. They capture a moment when the industry was hyped for games that have since become household names. They also remind us that awards are subjective, politics are real, and the only thing that truly matters is whether a game delivers the goods. In 2026, the games that won big in Cologne have mostly delivered. That's no small feat. And for the developers still grinding away on the next big thing, it's proof that a Gamescom trophy can be the start of something beautiful—or at least a heck of a conversation starter.