Africa’s flagship games, animation, comics and XR convention opens in Lagos on October 26, then heads to Nairobi in November. Here’s what’s happening, who’s coming and why this year’s theme matters.
If you’ve been watching the African games scene closely, you’ll know the feeling a lot of talent, a lot of hustle, and not always enough structure to turn one good idea into a lasting studio. This week, that conversation moves to Lagos.
Gamathon 2026 kicks off today, Monday, 26 October, at a convention that has grown into one of the continent’s main gatherings for the Animation, Video Games, Comics and Extended Reality (AVGC-XR) sectors. Organised by Africacomicade, it marks the seventh year of the event.
Gamathon has changed a lot since its early days. What started as a gathering has become a meeting point for studios, creators, brands and enthusiasts, mixing closed-door industry conversations with public celebration.
Some of the numbers hint at its reach organisers say more than 15,000 people have engaged with the event over the years, and more than $200,000 in equity-free finance has been disbursed through its programmes.
Last year’s edition ran across four regional hubs in Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa and Kenya. The organisers used that footprint to ask a harder question before chasing international markets, are local structures, business models and support systems strong enough to hold growth? That question is the thread running into this year.
What “Back to Our Roots” Really Means
This year’s theme, “Back to Our Roots,” is more than a slogan. It asks the industry to step back and examine its foundations, reconnect with the realities of the African market, and set a clearer direction for sustainable growth in what the organisers describe as an increasingly uncertain global environment.
For a lot of African creators, that message will feel familiar. Many developers have built impressive work on borrowed time, relying on grants, one-off funding or a single viral hit.
Asking the industry to get back to its roots is a call to build something that lasts: studios that can pay their people, IP that African creators own, and business models that work in local currencies and local markets.
The Programme: Six Days
Gamathon 2026 splits its activity between private executive sessions, hands-on workshops and public showcases, so there’s something for almost every kind of visitor.
The convention opens today with an invite-only industry dinner that brings stakeholders together. On Wednesday, 28 October, the Women in Games Workshop and Mixer takes place, also by invitation, giving women in games, animation, XR and comics a space to connect with other female leaders in business. Online sessions run alongside the in-person events from Monday through Wednesday.
Speakers from major games companies are expected to lead sessions, including representatives from Unity and Riot Games. Technical workshops offer practical skills for developers, while panels tackle the commercial realities of building interactive media in Africa.
The final day, Industry Day, takes place at The Zone Tech Park in Gbagada, Lagos. It uses both the Ruby Hall indoor space and the Diamond outdoor space, and studios and brands can apply to exhibit through the exhibitor form.
Organisers have also set up a City Tour, giving visitors a chance to explore Lagos as a creative capital. A few of these events are closed to the public, so anyone planning to attend should check the registration details on the Gamathon website before making travel arrangements.
After Lagos, the convention heads to Nairobi, Kenya, from 2 to 28 November. Gamathon first came to East Africa in Nairobi, where the programme included a tour of the city’s creative hubs, including Nalo Studios, Jiwe Studios, Urban Gurus and Creatives Garage. The Kenyan leg is an important step in turning Gamathon from a Lagos-based convention into a true continental network.
The move also reflects the wider growth of the sector. In August 2026, a delegation of Nigerian games industry stakeholders attended Gamescom in Cologne with support from GIZ Nigeria through the ICT Skills for Youth initiative.
That partnership is set to culminate in a showcase at Gamathon in Lagos from 28 to 31 October, giving Nigerian creators a chance to present their work to the wider African ecosystem.
Why This Week Matters
Gamathon’s real value lies in the conversations it sparks: a developer meeting an investor, an animator finding a collaborator, a studio head hearing a hard truth from a peer.
In a year when many creators are asking whether African games can sustain themselves, a gathering that focuses on foundations is timely.
There’s also a bigger picture. Across the continent, creators are experimenting with new formats, from browser-based games inspired by everyday life to interactive stories rooted in local culture. Events like Gamathon give those experiments a stage and help them find audiences, partners and funding.
Three things will show whether the “Back to Our Roots” theme leads to real change:
- Local business models: Do panels and workshops produce practical tools for studios to earn, pay staff and keep their IP?
- Access: Will the programme reach creators beyond the studios and networks that are already well connected?
- Follow-through: Will partnerships, showcases and funding from this week still matter months from now?
For now, Lagos is the place to be. Gamathon 2026 is open, the programme is full, and the conversations that start this week could shape the African games industry for years to come.