G-STAR 2026 for Indie Fans: Where to Find Korea's Best Small Games

In one week, BEXCO in Busan becomes the centre of Korean gaming. G-STAR 2026 runs from 19 to 22 November, and for the first time in years, the most exciting part of the show may be its indie floor. Korea's biggest publishers have mostly stayed away this year, which leaves more space, and more attention, for small studios.

If you care about Korean indies, here is where to go, what to play and when to be there.

Stop 1: Indie Showcase 2.0 GALAXY (Hall 2, 1F)

The indie hall fills the first floor of BEXCO Exhibition Center 2 with 250 booths from 106 developers, Korean and international, up on last year. (Counting partners, organisers put the total at 114 companies.) It is split into zones:

• G-STAR Selected Indie demo zone: 37 studios picked by the organisers. This is where most Korean newcomers will be.
• Devolver Digital publisher zone: 23 studios. Devolver also plans to show a special build of an unannounced new game for the first time.
• Unity indie demo zone: 30 Unity-made games, plus winners of the first Unity AI Game Jam.
• European and Polish studios: 16 studios, with the European Games Developer Federation and Poland's embassy and Polish Institute in Seoul.
• A Steam Deck zone, run by hardware partner KOMODO, with games tuned for the handheld.

Publisher RED BRICK HOUSE has also selected emerging Korean developers whose games will be playable on site.

Stop 2: the Game Culture Festival (Hall 2)

Next door, the government-backed 2026 Game Culture Festival, hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and organised by KOCCA, holds its sixth edition in the same hall. Two Korean indies from Neowiz headline it:

SANABI: A Haunted Day (Wonder Potion): the prequel DLC to Korea's cyberpunk Joseon platformer.

• On-site play and a speedrun challenge with prizes.
• Commemorative goods, and an event for existing players who complete set tasks (such as wishlisting or following the official accounts).
• A fan signing on 21 November at the Aniplus Busan Seomyeon store with Wonder Potion CEO Yoo Seung-hyun.

Goodbye Seoul: Itaewon (JINO Games): the award-winning asteroid-doom puzzle adventure (our preview).

• A playable demo, a stamp mission and keyring rewards.
• Live developer commentary on 19 and 20 November.

Pearl Abyss also takes part in the festival.

Stop 3: the business side

Two new programmes matter if you make games rather than just play them:

• G-STAR Investment Connect, a new pitch stage where indie developers and start-ups present to Korean and overseas venture capital, corporate venture funds and global publishers.
• Indie Relay Talk sessions in the Unity zone, where working developers share how they made their games.

Can't make it to Busan?

G-STAR has teamed up with Steam for an online "G-STAR 2026 Special Promotion" page with featured banners, so players who cannot attend can still explore games from exhibitors and indie developers. Details and links will come through G-STAR's official website and social channels.

WGC's take

With Nexon, NCSOFT and Netmarble missing, G-STAR's headlines this year are about global studios and indies. That is good news for Korean small teams: there is no 300-booth giant drowning them out. Our advice: go early on day one, start in the Selected Indie zone, and leave the Game Culture Festival for an afternoon break. For the context behind this year's boom, read our editorial on Korea's indie breakout.

Quick planner

• Dates: 19-22 November 2026, BEXCO, Busan.
• Indie hall: Exhibition Center 2, first floor.
• Timed events: Goodbye Seoul commentary (19-20 Nov), SANABI fan signing (21 Nov, Aniplus Busan Seomyeon).
• Online: G-STAR 2026 Special Promotion on Steam.