Three days, 18 dialogues, one question: Is ChinaJoy still just a game exhibition?

If someone walked into the newly opened ChinaJoy venue in the early 2000s, saw players queuing up to try out games, ShowGirls standing in front of the World of Warcraft booth, and Cosers taking group photos in front of Final Fantasy posters, he would probably not doubt that this is an exhibition all about games. 

And he would be right. Back in 2004, which seems like a distant memory now, China's gaming market was in a stage of vigorous development. The first ChinaJoy was one of the very few large-scale gaming exhibitions in China back then. 

But more than 20 years later, if someone walks into ChinaJoy 2026 and still thinks it is only about games, he will probably miss one of the most remarkable highlights of this era. 

In 2026, ChinaJoy is about to hold its 23rd exhibition in Shanghai at the end of July. 

Is today's ChinaJoy still just a gaming exhibition?

It remains the annual offline gathering for young people across the country who love games the most and pay the closest attention to the gaming industry, and this has never changed. At the same time, however, ChinaJoy is quietly becoming the annual offline convergence point for the "Technology + Digital Entertainment" industry. 

In the past three years, the transformation of digital entertainment driven by technology has exceeded everyone's expectations: AI has evolved from a laboratory concept to a standard production tool across the industry. Embodied intelligence and new-generation consumer electronics are constantly opening up new space for imagination, with new companies, new products and new models emerging in every track every single day. 

ChinaJoy is one of the very few domestic events that can lay out all these changes right in front of you at a single venue.

Nowadays, visitors to the exhibition are not only players, but also developers, AI engineers, hardware entrepreneurs and investors. 

What is truly worth reporting has already been hidden in the offline venue. If you only read related press releases, it is still hard to feel the real vibe of this industry. 

Therefore, 36Kr has carried out in-depth cooperation with the "Vision Future Cutting-Edge Technology Exhibition Area" at ChinaJoy this time, and moved the live broadcast studio directly to the exhibition site. Over three days, with 18 dialogues in total, we aim to bring these first-hand insights directly to every audience. 

All the guests in these dialogues are front-line practitioners: entrepreneurs, technical leaders, industry operators and academic experts. They will sit in front of the camera to talk about real progress, pitfalls they have experienced, and upcoming opportunities. We want to present the most vivid industry trends, not a retelling of press conferences, but a site full of real questions and real discussions. 

Day 1 · August 1 · AI + Games 10:00

Scan the QR code to make a reservation for viewing, or follow the "36Kr Games" WeChat Video Account

Day 2 · August 1 · New AI Content Experiences 10:00

Scan the QR code to make a reservation for viewing, or follow the "36Kr Games" WeChat Video Account

Day 3 · August 2 · Cutting-Edge Technology & Consumer Electronics 10:00

Scan the QR code to make a reservation for viewing, or follow the "36Kr Games" WeChat Video Account

18 groups of guests covering multiple tracks including AI games, AI content, cutting-edge consumer electronics and more will get together to talk about the real insights behind the industry changes. 

ChinaJoy has been running for more than 20 years. It is still the annual offline gathering for players across the country, and this has never changed; meanwhile, it has evolved into the most vivid live event for the "Technology + Digital Entertainment" industry. 

This evolution comes from the continuous investment of the ChinaJoy official in the cutting-edge technology exhibition area, the professional capture of first-hand content by 36Kr Games as a partner, and the increasingly rigid market demand for new technologies, new content and new experiences. 

From August 1 to August 3, 2026, meet us at the "36Kr Games" live studio in the ChinaJoy Vision Future Cutting-Edge Technology Exhibition Area, Hall E6, Shanghai New International Expo Center. 

This article was first published on "36Kr Games".