Playable Control Resonant and a Dune: Awakening Update Highlight Level Infinite’s Massive gamescom 2026 Plans

Level Infinite is going big at gamescom. The video game publisher, a division of Tencent, is headed to the annual convention in Cologne, Germany with a slew of playable demos, big announcements, and fan experiences for Dune: Awakening to Control Resonant, Hunt: Showdown 1896 and more.

I spoke exclusively with Level Infinite’s Senior Director of Marketing Anthony Croutts about the company’s plans for gamescom, which include four major titles, a bevy of partner studios, and some exclusive announcements, one of which IGN can tease right now.

The Hunt: Showdown 1896 exclusive gamescom reveal.

"In our lineup this year, we have a couple of exciting announcements that we're going to be making,” Croutts says. “Some games we’re announcing. Other games [are] in full motion that have already been successful releases. Now they're expanding into different platforms. We're helping [studios] with that expansion [and] showing off the flexibility and the depth that we have with our lineup.”

IGN can exclusively reveal that gamescom 2026 will see some brand new information about Level Infinite and Crytek's plans for the extraction shooter Hunt: Showdown 1896. You can check out the teaser for the new drop in the player above and catch the full reveal on Wednesday, August 26 as part of IGN’s gamescom coverage.

"They're going to be making a major announcement at gamescom," Croutts says. "It is a fresh, unique experience [and] having that gameplay there and engaging with the gamers is super important to [the development team] as well. It's going to be cool.”

In addition to exciting news, Croutts says that players will be able to play Hunt: Showdown 1896 alongside devs at the Level Infinite gamescom booth, giving them a unique opportunity to share direct player feedback.

“[It’s not] an opportunity you get every day,” Croutts says. “This is a learning experience for the devs. They want to make sure that people are enjoying [the game] and seeing that immediate reaction from the gaming community. They have a lot of major rebalancing going in the game and they want to see it out in the wild in real time."

Level Infinite’s gamescom booth will feature four playable games and much more.

In addition to Hunt: Showdown 1896, Level Infinite's gamescom experience will feature 3 additional major releases, cosplayers, giveaways, exclusive merchandise, and plenty of photo opps.

“As soon as you walk into Hall 6, you're going to see Level Infinite in a major way,” Croutts says. “As you get closer and closer, you're going to see all the different experiences front and center. And then you can go to the different booth areas. Control Resonant, Hunt: Showdown and Dune: Awakening [are] right there to engage with.

“[We're also] giving away a lot of cool free stuff. You come in, we have a cool little card that has all the different games. And as you go to the different areas, you get a stamp and you can get more free stuff. We want to put people on that path. But if you come [for a specific game], it's right there, front and center. You can see everything as soon as you get into the booth.”

The first hour of Control Resonant will be playable at Level Infinite’s gamescom booth.

Perhaps one of the most enticing activities fans can experience at Level Infinite’s gamescom booth involves Remedy's Control Resonant. The beginning of the eagerly-anticipated game, which comes out next month, will be available for the general public right on the show floor.

Details

“For Control Resonant, the biggest draw is the game itself,” Croutts says. “Users are going to be able to experience the first hour of gameplay, which is going to be a first. They’ll be able to play an extensive session [as a] hands-on experience. That's always big at gamescom. The trailer's great, but having that hands-on gameplay is [special].”

In addition to playing the game, fans of Control Resonant will be able to have their photo taken in front of The Aberrant, a full-size replica of Dylan’s hammer from the game. The Aberrant, which you can see in the exclusive image below, is made of solid steel, has been forged by a professional blacksmith, and will be prominently displayed at the Level Infinite booth.

“It’s that immersiveness that we're going for,” Croutts says. “We're not just about waiting in a long line to play this demo and then you're off on your way. It's a photo op, cosplayers, and exclusive merchandise that you can only get at gamescom in our booth experience.”

The console version of Dune: Awakening will be playable at gamescom.

Another game that players will fully be able to experience at Level Infinite’s gamescom booth will be Funcom's Dune: Awakening. Although the game has been available on PC since last June, players haven’t been able to play the game on other platforms. Until now. The first taste of the game’s console version, which comes out September 22 and includes a new single-player "solo mode,' will be live on the show floor at gamescom. Croutts says that the console edition is much more than a simple PC port.

“[The studio is] adding new enhancements to the [new] version to make sure they're taking advantage of the consoles,” Croutts says. “They're adding a user experience that's been shaped by the data that they learned. They take a lot of learning from the PC version and they modified and optimized a lot of things for this console version as well.

“There's a new movie getting ready to come out this year in the Dune franchise. So this is a perfect opportunity not only to stay relevant, but [to show how] the game is evolving and improving over time. Where else can you play in the Dune universe in this massively curated world? You can lose yourself in that. And solo mode is going to really reinforce that. The game is evolving and getting better every month. They're adding new things to it to make it unique and different and delivering on their promise of an immersive Dune experience.”

A new trailer from Bohemia Interactive’s Cosmo Tales will be featured on IGN’s gamescom show.

Another one of Level Infinite’s gamescom offerings is a new game from Bohemia Interactive called Cosmo Tales. Croutts is tight-lipped about what we’ll be able to see from the new roguelite adventure game, but IGN can exclusively reveal that a new trailer for the game will drop later this week as part of our gamescom livestream.

“We're going to leave that [for] Bohemia to explain,” Croutts says. “But one of the cool things about Bohemia is that they have a full lineup. Coosmo Tales is a title that everyone's really excited about. I don't want to steal any thunder away from them because they're going to have some cool things that they're announcing. I know that the [new] trailer is going to look fantastic. I've seen a glimpse of that, but it's really exciting.”

While Croutts says the team is excited to show off some big games at gamescom, he admitted there are surprises still in store for the event that they can’t reveal quite yet. But he says the strength of the lineup overall is what he hopes will bring people by their booth on the show floor and tune in to multiple reveals throughout the week.

“At the end of the day, everybody wants to show their best,” Croutts says. “[Gamescom] is the end-all be-all because there are not that many global gaming shows anymore. This is the biggest one. We're excited that the majority of the content in our booth is playable and hands-on. You actually get to experience [the] content at a high-quality level.”

Michael Peyton is the Senior Editorial Director of Events & Entertainment at IGN, leading entertainment content and coverage of tentpole events including IGN Live, San Diego Comic Con, gamescom, and IGN Fan Fest. He's spent 20 years working in the games and entertainment industry, and his adventures have taken him everywhere from the Oscars to Japan to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Follow him on Bluesky @MichaelPeyton