Cologne will once again welcome visitors from all over the world for Gamescom 2024, briefly becoming the hub of the global industry. As you would expect from a trade fair like this, it attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors within a matter of days, which means that Koelnmesse – the site where the event takes place – quickly fills up.
This isn’t a huge problem if you’re just there to go with the flow, or if you have enough time to watch everything at your leisure. However, if your time is limited, or you already have certain games in mind that you want to watch at all costs, it might be worth planning something.
One of the most important decisions when it comes to getting somewhere quickly at Gamescom is where to enter Koelnmesse – as mentioned, the site is huge and the aisles fill up quickly, making traffic move at a snail’s pace. If you can avoid much of that traffic, you’re halfway there.
In total, the Koelnmesse has four entrances: South Entrance, North Entrance, East Entrance and West Entrance – i.e. South, North, East and West Entrance.
Entrance South
If you arrive at Koelnmesse by train, the closest stop is the South Entrance. This location is a good choice for journalists and other industry visitors to the trade fair – from here it is not far to the business area and the return journey to the train station is also easy.
This entrance is less suitable for regulars – it is quite a long way from here to the halls of the Entertainment Area, so you will be stuck in foot traffic for a long time. You must remember that the South Entrance may be closed if too many people want to enter here – in this case you will be asked to go to the East Entrance instead, which is practically just around the corner.
Entrance East
If you are staying in Cologne in a location connected to S-Bahn lines 3, 4 or 14, you can take a train that will take you directly to the East Entrance. This train is ideal for any type of visitor as it gives you relatively quick access to the business and entertainment districts. From here you can also reach common business locations such as the Dorint hotel, so remember this train, colleagues.
Most people will head to the South or North entrance first, so you may be able to get in quicker from here – assuming visitors from other areas aren’t directed here to reduce crowds elsewhere.
Entrance North
The North Entrance offers the shortest route to the entertainment area, where all the major studios showcase their games and offer hands-on training to the public – this is no secret though, so expect heavy traffic here. While this may be the shortest route to the entrance, it is usually not the fastest.
Many people will arrive long before the official opening time to secure a quick start to the hall behind it – and this is probably the most reliable way to ensure you can play what you want to play without getting stuck in huge queues.
This is also the entrance you should use if you have purchased tickets for Opening Night Live 2024, as this entrance is closest to Hall 8, where the show takes place.
Entrance West
For journalists and anyone else who wants to enter the business area, the West Entrance is the best way to get there. There is less public traffic here and, next to the South Entrance, the route to Halls 2, 3 and 4 is the shortest. Disadvantage: If you are not arriving by car, you will have to walk a bit.
Participants of the Devcom and Gamescom congress should also attend.
As a regular visitor, you can expect to wait, but we hope this brief overview makes the wait a little easier. Please always follow the instructions of the security staff and be considerate of your fellow visitors – everyone is here to have fun.
A list of all Gamescom 2024 partners with locations can be found on the official website.
