GDC 2026: How Samsung and Worldwide Game Studios Are Transforming the Gaming Experience

      At the Game Developers Conference (GDC) Festival of Gaming 2026, which took place from March 9-13 in San Francisco at the Moscone Center, developers, technical leaders, and industry experts came together to explore how the newest display advancements are transforming the PC gaming landscape.

      During the event, Samsung Electronics displayed its latest Odyssey gaming monitors and technologies at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis. The company gathered leaders from the gaming industry, enthusiasts, and media to provide an up-close look at the Odyssey gaming monitor collection and allow attendees to play some of the most popular titles on PC, including “Cyberpunk 2077” and “Hell is Us.”

      Throughout the week, the Samsung Odyssey Gaming Lounge served as a hub for PC visuals, featuring pioneering demos, spontaneous reactions, and open discussions about the future of advanced gaming displays.

      Developers Experience Glasses-Free 3D Gameplay

      A highlight of the showcase was the Odyssey 3D monitor. Utilizing advanced eye-tracking and view-mapping technologies, this monitor provides a glasses-free 4K 3D display that adjusts depth in real time as players move in front of it. This creates a whole new, immersive gameplay experience.

      Developers, media representatives, and partners eagerly lined up to try the thrilling “Hell is Us” from Rogue Factor in 3D on the 27-inch Odyssey 3D (G90XF) prior to its public release in Samsung’s 3D gaming library.

      “Samsung has been the leading force for 3D gaming. I play everything from horror to FPS games, and the technology is really going to enhance my experience.” — Ashley Rodgers, gaming content creator

      “Hell is Us” attracted a large audience, with enthusiastic participants excited to navigate the game’s tight corridors, distant silhouettes, and subtle environmental cues in glasses-free 3D. Attendees remarked that the Odyssey made it easier to determine directions and heighten the thrill and fear of each encounter while maintaining the game's sense of mystery.

      “Cronos: The New Dawn” presented another aspect of 3D gaming with its launch trailer. The additional depth on screen made each moment feel more engaging, enhancing the player’s perception of scale and atmosphere.

      “Samsung understands games along with the minds of the developers, which is not something hardware companies often grasp.” — Jonathan Jacques-Belletête, Creative Director, Rogue Factor

      Next-Generation Displays Capture the Attention of Technical Leaders

      HDR10+ GAMING quickly emerged as a prominent topic during discussions. Instead of relying on trial-and-error calibration screens, developers observed the game feed transmitting scene-by-scene information to the monitor, keeping highlights, shadows, and colors closer to what they see in their own builds.

      Developers and media also gravitated towards the 32‑inch Odyssey G8 6K (G80HS), examining how higher resolution impacts UI and environmental details. In busy scenes with dense 4K UHD elements, the additional pixels kept fine details sharp without necessitating modifications to the core art style of the game.

      With a 1,040Hz refresh rate, the focus shifted on the 27-inch Odyssey G6 (G60H) to speed. Visitors assessed how swiftly camera pans, aiming, and rapid inputs appeared onscreen, considering implications for future competitive and high-performance games.

      “With our proven record in hardware and software innovation, we’re collaborating with global gaming studios to pave a clear path forward on compatibility. Ultimately, it’s about delivering the exceptional gaming experience our customers deserve.” — Kevin Lee, EVP of Customer Experience, Visual Display (VD) Business, Samsung Electronics

      A separate roundtable convened industry leaders, 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’s EVP of Customer Experience, Kevin Lee.

      Up-and-coming studios discussed leveraging new display technology for creative experimentation, while larger publishers focused on establishing standards that can scale across various genres and platforms. The group explored how they implement new display features across engines and franchises, from integrating HDR10+ GAMING and 3D to determining which features are suitable for competitive games versus narrative-driven titles.

      “I genuinely believe HDR10+ is a significant milestone in color reproduction that we’ve all anticipated. Thanks to it, players will be able to truly experience our artistic vision — not to mention a much more immersive high dynamic range.” — Jakub Knapik, VP of Art and Global Art Director, CD Projekt RED

      For industry leaders, seeing their own content on Odyssey gaming monitors transformed abstract specifications into tangible comparisons they could observe and assess onscreen. Samsung’s GDC 2026 showcase facilitated the evaluation of which combinations of glasses-free 3D, HDR10+ GAMING, resolution, and refresh rate are most crucial for the games