GDC 2026: How Samsung and Global Game Studios Are Redefining the Game Experience

At the Game Developers Conference (GDC) Festival of Gaming 2026 in San Francisco at the Moscone Center, developers, technical leaders and industry experts gathered to see how the latest display breakthroughs are reshaping the PC gaming experience.

During the event, Samsung showcased its latest Odyssey gaming monitors and technology at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis. The brand brought together gaming industry leaders, enthusiasts and media to get a firsthand look at the Odyssey gaming monitor lineup and to play some of the hottest titles on PC, including Cyberpunk 2077 and Hell is Us.

▲ GDC 2026 San Francisco

Running throughout the week, the Samsung Odyssey Gaming Lounge became a playground for PC visuals, complete with groundbreaking demos, unscripted reactions and candid conversations about what comes next for advanced gaming displays.

Developers See What Glasses-Free 3D Can Do for Gameplay

The centerpiece of the showcase was the Odyssey 3D. Using advanced eye-tracking and view-mapping technology, the monitor delivers a glasses-free 4K 3D experience that adjusts depth in real time as players move in front of the screen. This results in a completely new, immersive way to experience gameplay.

Developers, media and partners lined up to try the thriller Hell is Us from Rogue Factor in 3D on the 27-inch Odyssey 3D (G90XF), ahead of launch on the Samsung 3D gaming library.

Hell is Us drew a large crowd of excited visitors eager to experience the game’s tight corridors, distant silhouettes and small environmental cues in glasses-free 3D. Visitors commented that the 3D capabilities made it easier to navigate the game’s landscape and upped the adrenaline and fear behind each encounter, without losing the game’s sense of mystery.

Cronos: The New Dawn showcased a different side of 3D gaming through a launch trailer. The added depth on screen made every moment feel more immersive and enhanced the player’s sense of scale and atmosphere.

“Samsung knows games and the brains of the developers, and that is something hardware companies don’t often know.”

— Jonathan Jacques-Belletête, Creative Director, Rogue Factor

▲ Jonathan Jacques-Belletête, Creative Director at Rogue Factor, demonstrating Hell is Us on Odyssey 3D

Next-Generation Displays Draw Attention From Technical Leaders

HDR10+ GAMING quickly became a talking point in the room. Instead of relying on trial-and-error calibration screens, developers watched the game feed send scene-by-scene information to the monitor so highlights, shadows and color stayed closer to what they see in their own builds.

▲ Samsung EVP of Customer Experience Kevin Lee in the Odyssey Gaming Lounge at GDC 2026

Attendees also gravitated toward the 32‑inch Odyssey G8 6K (G80HS), testing how a higher resolution improves UI and enhances environmental detail. In busy scenes with dense 4K UHD elements, the extra pixels helped keep fine elements sharp without forcing changes to the game’s core art style.

On the 27-inch Odyssey G6 (G60H), the focus shifted to speed. With a 1,040Hz refresh rate, visitors marveled at the speed of camera pans, how rapid aiming and inputs felt onscreen, and what that means for future competitive and high-performance titles.

“With our proven track record in hardware and software innovation, we’re partnering with global gaming studios to chart a clear path forward on compatibility. Ultimately, that’s about delivering an exceptional gaming experience our customers deserve.”

— Kevin Lee, EVP of Customer Experience, Visual Display (VD) Business, Samsung

A separate roundtable brought together leaders from across the industry, including Jakub Knapik, VP of Art and Global Art Director of CD Projekt RED; Yves Bordeleau, Founder and Head of Studio at Rogue Factor; Jonathan Jacques-Belletête, Creative Director at Rogue Factor; Piotr Babieno, Founder and CEO of Bloober Team; and Samsung EVP of Customer Experience Kevin Lee.

▲ Panelists Yves Bordeleau, Founder and Head of Studio at Rogue Factor, Jonathan Jacques-Belletête, Creative Director at Rogue Factor, Kevin Lee, Samsung EVP of Customer Experience, Jakub Knapik, VP of Art and Global Art Director of CD Projekt RED, and Piotr Babieno, Founder and CEO of Bloober Team

Up-and-coming studios spoke about using new display technology to experiment and take creative risks, while larger publishers focused on setting standards that can scale across multiple genres and platforms. The group compared how they roll out new display features across engines and franchises, from integrating HDR10+ GAMING and 3D to deciding which features make sense for competitive games versus story-driven titles.

▲ Jakub Knapik, VP of Art and Global Art Director of CD Projekt RED

“I honestly think HDR10+ is a major milestone in color reproduction, one that we’ve all been waiting for. Thanks to it, players will be able to experience our true artistic intent — not to mention a far more immersive high dynamic range.”

— Jakub Knapik, VP of Art and Global Art Director, CD Projekt RED

For industry leaders, seeing their own content firsthand on Odyssey gaming monitors turned abstract specs into real results they could see and judge on screen. The Samsung GDC 2026 showcase made it easier to evaluate which combinations of glasses-free 3D, HDR10+ GAMING and resolution and refresh rate will matter most for the games developers are building now.

And, Samsung gaming momentum shows no signs of slowing. With Hell is Us and Cronos: The New Dawn joining a library that already spans 60+ titles, including The First Berserker: Khazan, Stellar Blade and Lies of P: Overture, the company is on track to double its 3D game portfolio to over 120 titles by the end of 2026.

▲ Samsung Odyssey 3D at the Game Developers Concert

As developer partnerships deepen and consumer interest accelerates, Samsung is positioned to lead next-generation gaming through its comprehensive suite of monitor technologies, from 3D depth and dynamic HDR10+ GAMING to high-resolution 6K capabilities.