The 23rd China Digital Entertainment Expo and Conference, commonly known as ChinaJoy, is scheduled to run from July 31 to Aug 3 at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre. Themed “Level Up with AI,” ChinaJoy 2026 is putting artificial intelligence and its integration with digital entertainment front and center.
Massive Scale and Global Participation
The expo will cover more than 140,000 square meters and has attracted nearly 900 exhibitors so far from 39 countries and regions, including 275 foreign-funded companies.
Its interactive entertainment halls will span nearly 120,000 sq m and host more than 350 companies. The BTOB Business Halls will cover 25,000 sq m and feature over 500 participating companies, of which 46.6 percent are foreign-funded companies.
Across the event, more than 500 gaming companies and development teams will offer hands-on access to over 1,000 titles. Major participants include Tencent Games, NetEase Games, Blizzard Entertainment, PlayStation, and Bilibili Games.
“Level Up With AI”: The Next Era of Digital Entertainment
AI technologies will appear across multiple exhibition zones, with applications ranging from gaming to robotics.
Vision Future and Next Play Zones
For the first time, ChinaJoy will introduce the Vision Future technology zone. The zone will showcase intelligent robots, large AI models, smart wearables, and other emerging technologies.
Meanwhile, the ChinaJoy Next Play innovative game experience area will offer hands-on access to AI-powered non-player characters, interactive storytelling, and generative content.
Qualcomm will collaborate with industry partners to present a Snapdragon-themed exhibition area, showcasing AI-powered entertainment across smartphones, personal computers, XR devices, wearables, and other connected products.
Shanghai’s Expanding Gaming Industry
The events come as Shanghai’s gaming industry continues to expand.
The city’s online gaming market generated 47.83 billion yuan ($7 billion) in sales revenue in the first quarter of 2026, up 17.22 percent year-on-year and marking its fifth consecutive quarter of quarter-on-quarter growth. Revenue from overseas markets reached a record 8.93 billion yuan, up 22.26 percent year-on-year.
Local Culture and Industry Milestones
Creative content, emerging talent, and local culture will also be among this year’s highlights.
ChinaJoy will upgrade its previous zone for Shanghai time-honored brands into a zone for popular Shanghai brands, featuring architecture inspired by the city’s historic shikumen neighborhoods. The space will blend traditional and modern design elements while highlighting long-established local brands such as Lei Yun Shang and Maxam.
The second China International Game Developers Conference will be held from July 28 to 30, during which a trial version of Shanghai’s service platform for helping online games expand overseas will be launched. Another new feature is the ChinaJoy Academy Games Show, which will bring together 80 student teams from universities in China and abroad.
Leave a Reply