PLAY is the first and only festival worldwide to unite media art, discourse and education with the culture of digital games. Since 2007, it has focused on the creative utilization of digital games: invent, build, tinker, modify, program, dance, discuss – anything goes!
The PLAY - Creative Gaming Festival opens its doors for the 18th time from November 12 to 15, 2025 and invites all fans of gaming culture and interactive arts to discover the creative potential of digital games - online and hybrid on site in Hamburg.
On site in Hamburg
We are at a new, exciting and inspiring location in the middle of the Port of Hamburg: the URBANEO - Young Architecture Center.
Take Care!
This year's festival theme, "Take Care" highlights responsibility — as a game mechanic, in game narratives centered around care work, through supportive roles in multiplayer games, and in relation to the broader question of social responsibility and care for our planet. PLAY25 invites you to critically and creatively engage with the dynamics, production conditions, and practices surrounding the interactive medium of video games.
Join us for talks, workshops, shows, and our exhibition!
