Music makes video games better – that’s just a fact. Whether it’s the majestic orchestral soundtrack to fantasy role-playing game Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the snarling industrial metal of DOOM: The Dark Ages, the world’s biggest pop stars gatecrashing Fortnite or the eclectic jukebox of new artists that can be found on EA Sports FC 26, an excellent score makes all the difference.
READ MORE: Every band wants to be on the ‘EA Sports FC’ soundtrack
Live gigs featuring your favourite gaming bangers are becoming more popular as well. In 2025, NME went to gigs as far afield as Los Angeles (Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater) and Prague (Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2) to hear our favourites performed live. We’d hate for you to miss out this year, so here’s a round-up of the must-see concerts happening across the UK and Europe in 2026.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 UK and European tour
The hottest ticket in gaming circles, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s ‘A Painted Symphony’ is hitting the road this March after smashing a number of UK Chart records. Original composer Lorien Testard will be joined by vocalist Alice Duport-Percier for the entire run, alongside the Curieux Orchestra.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s ‘A Painted Symphony’ will play:
MARCH
18 – Tempodrom, Berlin
19 – Terpodrom, Berlin
25 – La Rockhal, Esch-Sur-Alzette
26 – Cirque Royal, Brussels
APRIL
5 – De Doelen, Rotterdam
6 – De Doelen, Rotterdam
8 – Eventim Apollo, London
23 – Zenith, Strasbourg
24 – Arena, Reims
25 – Zenith, Nantes
30 – Arkea Arena, Bordeaux
The Best Of The London Video Game Orchestra
The London Video Game Orchestra is teaming up with the Hesperos Choir for a run through of gaming music’s greatest hits. Taking over the gorgeous Cadogan Hall in central London, punters can expect tracks from Mario Kart, Kingdom Hearts, Halo, Final Fantasy, Alan Wake and many more. Organisers have also teased “interactive” gaming fun. “Whether you’re a casual gamer, a die-hard fan or brand new to the beauty of video game soundtracks, this concert is a celebration of creativity and community,” the official listing reads.
The Best Of The London Video Game Orchestra takes place:
APRIL
17 – Cadogan Hall, London
Final Fantasy’s Nobuo Uematsu’s ‘Tiki’ show
While the long-running ‘Final Fantasy: Distant Worlds’ tour enters its 19th year on the road with a US and Australia jaunt, composer Nobuo Uematsu is playing a one-off ‘Tiki’ show in Paris. He’s been involved in almost every Final Fantasy game and has promised the evening will feature deep cuts that don’t usually get performed.
Nobuo Uematsu’s ‘Tiki’ show will take place:
MAY
9 – Salle Pleyel, Paris
BAFTA Games In Concert
A “fabulously immersive” show designed to celebrate the brilliance of video game music, the BBC Concert Orchestra – under the direction of composer Austin Wintory – will perform tracks from (deep breath) Baldur’s Gate 3, Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture, Assassin’s Creed, Tomb Raider: Legend, Cuphead, Hitman: Contracts, Journey, Helldivers 2, Fallout 4, Disco Elysium, Ori And The Will Of The Wisps, Returnal, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Far Cry 4, and Virginia. Sounds like an award-winning night to us.
BAFTA Games In Concert will play:
MAY
23 – The Glasshouse, Gateshead
31 – Beacon, Bristol
JUNE
4 – Usher Hall, Edinburgh
5 – Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow
6 – Symphony Hall, Birmingham
7 – Aviva Studios, Manchester
Game Music Festival 2026
This year’s Game Music Festival is taking over London’s Fairfield Halls and Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall for a string of brilliant gigs. ‘The Infernal Symphony’ will showcase three decades of menacing Diablo soundtracks and ‘Ballads Of The Underworld’ is a symphonic concert dedicated to the pulsating music of Hades and Hades 2.
Elsewhere ‘The Colors Of Harmony’ will celebrate 40 years of Hitoshi Sakimoto soundtracks, with music from Final Fantasy Tactics and Final Fantasy 12 set to be performed by London Mozart Players, ‘Persona Grooves’ will see the Bartosz Pernal Jazz Orchestra join forces with the London Mozart Players to recreate music from Persona 3, 4 and 5 and ‘The Art Of Game Music: Live’ will feature tracks from Journey, Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate and Sword Of The Sea before Austin Wintory creates a song from scratch, with a little help from well-known video game actor Troy Baker. What could go wrong?
The Game Music Festival 2026 takes place:
JUNE
6 – The Infernal Symphony (Diablo)
13 – The Colors Of Harmony: Hitoshi Sakimoto 40th Anniversary Celebration
19 – The Art of Game Music: Live With Troy Baker And Austin Wintory
27 – Ballads Of The Underworld (Hades)
27 – Persona Grooves (Persona)
The Music Of Square Enix: Magic, Memories And Melodies tour
All-new symphonic concert series ‘The Music Of Square Enix: Magic, Memories And Melodies’ will, according to a press release, “celebrate the unforgettable worlds and iconic soundtracks that have defined generations of video game storytelling and adventure,” and feature music from beloved video games Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Legend Of Mana, NieR, Octopath Traveler and more.
The show will premiere in April and our expectations are high, especially because the team previously created ‘Distant Worlds’ and the concert series for beloved action role-playing series NieR – both of which were incredible.
‘The Music Of Square Enix: Magic, Memories And Melodies’ will play:
JUNE
21 – OVO Arena Wembley, London
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
After the success of 2025’s 10-year anniversary concert tour for The Wither 3: Wild Hunt, organisers have announced a victory lap for late 2026. The run of shows will see a skilled orchestra joined by Polish folk metal band Percival for a rowdy night reliving the bruising titular warrior Geralt’s epic adventures.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 10-year anniversary tour will visit:
OCTOBER
21 – Vicar Street, Dublin
22 – Vicar Street, Dublin
24 – O2 Apollo, Manchester
25 – Barbican, York
26 – Glasgow, Scotland
27 – Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool
28 – Civic Hall, Wolverhampton
29 – Eventim Apollo, London
30 – Beacon, Bristol
NOVEMBER
2 – Annexet, Stockholm
4 – Berlin, Tempodrom
5 – Ergo Arena, Gdańsk
6 – Tauron Arena, Kraków
7 – MVM Dome, Budapest
8 – O2 Universum, Prague
9 – Kia Arena, Nuremberg
10 – Incheba Arena, Bratislava
11 – Stadhalle, Vienna
13 – Le Grand Rex, Paris
14 – Capitole, Belgium
15 – Muziekgebouw, Eindhoven
16 – Mitsubishi Electric Halle, Dusseldorf
18 – Radiant-Bellevue, Lyon
19 – Jahrhunderthalle, Frankfurt
20 – Rockhal, Esch-sur-Alzette
21 – The Hall, Zurich
22 – Teatro Arcimboli, Milan
28 – De Doelen, Rotterdam
29 – Martiniplaza, Groningen
Hatsune Miku
Virtual pop star Hatsune Miku isn’t a video game character, but she’s been involved in enough gaming collabs that she belongs in this rundown. The digital diva is hitting the road for her biggest European tour yet, including a massive show at London’s O2 Arena – making her the first ever digital musician to play the iconic venue. The latest ‘Expo’ tour has been inspired by steampunk, with illustrator Suzunosuke creating unique visuals for the show to go alongside Miku’s cheery electro-pop.
‘Hatsune Miku Expo 2026’ will visit:
NOVEMBER
12 – The O2, London
14 – ING Arena, Brussels
15 – AFAS Live, Amsterdam
17 – Velodrom, Berlin
20 – PSD Bank Dome, Dusseldorf
22 – Accor Arena, Paris
25 – Palacio Vistalegre, Madrid
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