The annual Game Devs of Color Expo is right around the corner, and for 2025, the tenth annual conference will be held online and again in-person with ticketed watch parties.
The Game Devs of Color Expo is returning for its 10th year in 2025, and it’s bringing a four-day celebration of live panels, developer interviews, and more than 30 new game announcements. Today, organizers have revealed nearly everything fans could want to know about the Expo, its runtime, guests, new games, and where it can be watched.
This year’s GDoCExpo Direct kicks off the conference on September 16 at 4:00 p.m. EST exclusively on the Game Devs of Color Expo YouTube channel. The direct will feature “more than 30 games,” and the direct kick-off will take place with a huge rollout of a Game Devs of Color Expo 2025 Steam Sale. For 2025, GDoCExpo is letting fans behind the curtain on devs, demos, and discounts for the 2025 event. In addition to the virtual program (as has become the norm since 2020), in‑person watch parties are returning this year in New York City and Pittsburgh, with more watch parties to be announced.
Since before the pandemic, the Game Devs of Color Expo has been held in the Schomburg Center in Harlem, New York, but since 2022, the Expo continues to be held online for thousands of fans. The GDoCExpo features insightful talks, interviews, panels, massive Steam savings and most importantly, game announcements from developers around the world. The GDoCExpo mission is to “amplify the creative power held by people of colour in games.”
On top of the massive celebration, Game Devs of Color promises it will award grants of up to $15,000 with no strings attached, to developers at the Expo this year. In years past, the GDoCExpo has awarded “a total of $405,000” since 2019.
The Game Developers of Color Expo 2025 will run from September 16 until September 19. The whole event schedule has been revealed, including important panel sessions. That can be seen on the official schedule site. Lastly, fans can watch all of the event from the comfort of their couch by heading to the official GDoCExpo YouTube channel, and in-person watch party information (including the closest one to you) can be found here.
The in-person event information currently only has two spots to watch, in NYC and Pittsburgh, and locations should update as the event closes in. Fans who want to attend should check back regularly leading into the event, or hit the GDoCExpo social media channels for a party to join.
